Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bennettsville seeks county to run municipal elections; Marlboro County council approves first reading
Summary
City of Bennettsville requested that Marlboro County assume administration and costs for its municipal elections; council approved a first-reading ordinance authorizing a transfer-and-cost agreement on a unanimous vote.
The City of Bennettsville asked Marlboro County to assume responsibility for administering the city’s municipal elections, and Marlboro County Council approved a first reading May 13 of an ordinance authorizing a transfer-and-costs agreement.
William Simon Jr., Administrator for the City of Bennettsville, told the council that the city wishes the county to take over the elections and will provide the financial support. The council voted unanimously to approve First Reading of Ordinance No. 868, which authorizes Marlboro County to enter a municipal election transfer and costs-fee agreement with Bennettsville.
Verd Odom moved to approve the ordinance on first reading and Lafeyette Jackson seconded the motion; the minutes record the vote as unanimous but do not include a detailed timeline for implementation or the agreement’s specific cost terms. The ordinance passed first reading; additional steps required by state election law and a final agreement execution were not detailed in the minutes.
The council’s action advances a formal intergovernmental arrangement that, if finalized, would shift operational responsibility for city elections to county election staff while the city reimburses costs. The minutes do not specify when the agreement will be executed or when county staff will begin administering Bennettsville’s ballots.
