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Cayce council tables accommodations and hospitality tax awards after resident raises transparency concerns
Summary
At its May 20 meeting, the Cayce City Council voted to table consideration of the Accommodations Tax Committee recommendation and a Hospitality Tax grant after resident Joe Long alleged missing application and expenditure documentation and urged disclosure of council affinities; Council Member Byron Thomas recused from the hospitality item and abstained from the vote.
Mayor Elise Partin presided over the City of Cayce’s regular council meeting on May 20, where the council tabled two related tourism-fund items after a public commenter raised questions about transparency.
During public comment, Joe Long told the council that the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce had received an accommodations tax award for 2025 without submitting the application and expenditure documentation Long said were required before council consideration. Long also urged that any affiliations between council members and applicants be disclosed on the record prior to votes, and that applicants present detailed budgets tied to requested funding amounts to protect transparency and public confidence.
Following the public comment, Mayor Pro Tem Phil Carter moved to table the Accommodations Tax Committee’s recommendation for FY26/27 distribution until the next meeting; Council Member Alice Rose seconded and the motion carried by roll call vote. On the related Hospitality Tax grant funding for FY26/27, Mayor Pro Tem Carter again moved to table and Rose seconded; Council Member Byron Thomas recused himself from that item and abstained from the subsequent vote. The motion to table the hospitality grant carried with Thomas recorded as abstaining due to his recusal.
Thomas filed a written recusal statement dated May 20, 2026, citing the South Carolina Ethics Act (SC Code 8-13-700) and stating his intent to avoid even an appearance of conflict because he said he was not aware the CWC Cares Foundation had submitted a funding request. The record shows the council accepted the recusal and proceeded to table the item for further consideration.
The council did not take final action on either the accommodations allocation or the hospitality grants at the May 20 meeting; both items were tabled for future consideration. The minutes do not specify any additional materials provided by applicants at the meeting; the public commenter requested that future awards include documented applications, expenditure reports, and on-the-record disclosures of affiliations prior to votes.
