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Public commenters urge transparency on CFO removal and ask for Fripp Island grant reconsideration
Summary
During public comment, residents called for transparency about the county's removal of its CFO amid reported financial issues and asked the committee to reconsider accommodations-tax funding for Fripp Island boardwalk and marsh-walk projects, citing visitor impacts.
Several members of the public used the meeting's public-comment period to press county leaders on distinct issues.
Michael Anderson, a Beaufort resident, said the county made "a serious mistake by removing the CFO" at a time of reported financial challenges and urged the council to provide transparency and accountability. "When government begins removing experienced financial leadership during periods of financial instability, the public naturally starts asking questions," Anderson said, citing reported shortfalls and ledger corrections.
Fripp Island residents Robert Lawton and Dana Bradley asked the committee to reconsider funding for island infrastructure. Bradley said Fripp Island is a tourism generator and urged reconsideration of a modest accommodations-tax allocation for the Sawgrass Marsh Walk restoration, noting that "Fripp Island produces" and that annual gate traffic "exceeds 800,000 and [is] closer to the 1,000,000 mark." Lawton said the island's residents and visitors contribute significantly to county revenues and appealed for support.
Committee members acknowledged the comments. The public-comment items did not trigger immediate committee action but were recorded for follow-up.
