Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget And Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Finance committee: budget on track, property taxes and capital projects remain under review
Summary
The Beaufort County Board of Education finance committee heard monthly and third-quarter financial reports showing the general fund roughly 65% spent year-to-date, reviewed student-activity fund spend-down efforts and asked for clearer line-item detail and project timelines for capital work.
The Beaufort County Board of Education finance committee on May 21 was told the district’s budget is on track as it heads into the final two months of the fiscal year.
Budget director Katie Abard reported that, as of April 30, 2026, the district was 65% expended year-to-date, with year-to-date expenditures of $557,590 and a remaining balance of $301,538. Audit services were nearly fully used, legal services remained under budget and technology spending was largely utilized. Abard described overall fiscal position as “stable and aligned with priorities.”
The committee later heard a nine-month financial summary from Lee Phillips, director of internal controls, who reported local property tax collections of $230,000,000 (96.2% of projections) and state revenue at $90,600,000 (67.3%). Phillips said general fund spending through March totaled about $249,000,000, approximately 65.8% of the budget. Capital projects tied to the 2019 referendum are essentially complete (99.4% paid and encumbered), while the 2023 referendum projects are 61.5% paid and encumbered.
Committee members focused questions on several areas. One member asked about payroll coding across district projects and a needed payroll correction for a district position; staff said they would transfer amounts into the appropriate categories. Members also asked for a program-level breakdown of communications, athletic facilities and security expenditures; staff agreed to provide line-item detail.
Student-activity fund balances drew sustained attention. Phillips and other administrators described a spend-down plan developed with principals after a November meeting; the plan is being implemented with a goal of reducing activity account balances to reasonable levels by year end.
Questions about capital projects and invoice timing prompted a more extended exchange. A committee member said some projects appear to take multiple years to close and asked how the district ensures timely invoicing and oversight. Staff outlined a multilayer approval and monitoring process that includes a capital projects analyst, project management firms such as CBRE and Turner Townsend, and seven approval steps before payment. Staff also said project details and status reports are posted online for transparency.
The committee received routine administrative items as information: an administrative regulation (OS‑17) with minor wording changes to align travel reimbursement language with IRS standards and notification that the district will apply for E‑Rate category 1 reimbursements for funding year 2026–27, with estimated eligible costs of $514,506.92 and an approximate district share of 20%.
The committee approved the meeting agenda and minutes by voice vote. Staff agreed to follow up with detailed line‑item and program-level spending information requested by members and to provide corrections to payroll coding where needed. The committee set its next meeting for June 15, 2026, at 4:30 p.m.
