Finance panel backs shift to visual transparency dashboards, asks for member training

The Beaufort County finance committee agreed by consensus on Aug. 7 to begin presenting a visual, Smartsheet-based transparency package in place of the full line-by-line transparency packet at future meetings, while keeping the detailed reports available on the district website.

Staff said the new dashboards will “completely comply with every board policy and directive or administrative rule” but present the data in a visual executive summary, saving staff time and highlighting major variances. “What we are proposing is to eliminate to this meeting the reporting of that transparency report and replace with this one,” the district presenter said, describing charts that summarize spending by fund, top expenditure categories and program-level totals.

Members praised the tool as an oversight and efficiency gain. “This is the way for an executive board to act,” said the member who identified themself as Colonel Guy, noting that a visual format helps spot anomalies and ask targeted questions. Some members voiced caution about dropping the in-meeting printout entirely: several asked that the existing $100,000 vendor listing and the full transparency report remain accessible on the website and that staff provide instructions on how to retrieve the full data.

Staff responded that the detailed report will continue to be posted online in compliance with state requirements and that the Smartsheet view will be an additional, summarized way to present the data. Staff agreed to provide a short training/tutorial and a one‑month overlap in which both formats are provided so members can learn how to navigate the new dashboard.

The committee did not take a formal vote. Staff said they only need committee consensus to proceed and will return next month with the dashboard in place alongside existing online reports; a training script and access instructions will be distributed to committee members in advance.