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Residents press council on missing municipal funds and unpaid AMI fee refunds
Summary
Multiple residents used public comment to demand information about missing city funds and unresolved AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) fee refunds dating to April 2022; the mayor said the missing-money matter is under SLED investigation and certain details are privileged.
Several Westminster residents used the public-comment period to press the council for clarity about two related issues: an ongoing investigation into missing municipal funds and a long‑running complaint that AMI fees assessed to residents have not been refunded.
Andrea Helen Duke opened the topic, saying, "My biggest concern here, was about the money that is missing," and said she could not find a case date on South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) or FBI websites. Miss Golden later urged the council to resolve AMI fee refunds from April 2022 and asked that refunds include interest; she warned she would file Freedom of Information requests if the city did not provide information.
Mayor Kelsa responded in public comments that the missing–money matter is "under investigation with SLED," and that the city is limited in what it can disclose while the investigation is active. City staff pledged to consolidate public information where permitted and to follow up on both the AMI question and residents' concerns about water and hydrant coverage raised by the Lazy Acres neighborhood.
Why it matters: Residents described unresolved financial and consumer-complaint issues that affect confidence in municipal transparency. The mayor and staff said they are constrained by the ongoing investigation but committed to sharing information when legally possible.
