Beaufort County Council votes unanimously to hire outside firm for inquiry into departments overseen by county administrator

Councilman Bartholomew moved on June 1 that Beaufort County hire an outside firm to conduct an inquiry into departments and personnel overseen by the county administrator; the council approved the motion unanimously by show of hands.

The motion, as stated on the record, said: "I move that the Beaufort County Council engage an outside firm to conduct an inquiry of departments and or personnel overseen by the county administrator. This inquiry will evaluate compliance with policies, procedures, relevant laws, and county ordinances." The motion was recorded as seconded by Vice Chairman Tabernick and carried without recorded dissent.

The vote followed an executive session the council held under South Carolina law. The presiding officer read the statutory basis for the closed session, citing "South Carolina Code sections 30-4-70(a)(2) and 30-4-70(a)(1)" and said the session was to receive legal advice and to discuss employment matters and proposed contractual arrangements. The presiding officer also noted that "there may or may not be actions coming out of executive session," and the inquiry motion was the formal action that followed.

The motion specifies the inquiry’s scope — compliance with policies, procedures, relevant laws and county ordinances — but the transcript does not record any further details about the scope, timeline, selection process for the outside firm, or the source of funds to pay for the review. Those particulars were not specified on the record during this meeting.

Earlier in the session the council approved the meeting agenda and later moved to adjourn after taking the inquiry vote. No additional votes or directives were recorded on the public transcript; the council adjourned following the unanimous vote.