06/30/2026
Interesting information about the Town of Elloree.
TOWN OF ELLOREE FOIA UPDATE
Where Are the Missing Public Records?
On January 20, 2026, I submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Town of Elloree seeking public financial records, including bank statements, contracts, audits, and other records documenting how taxpayer dollars have been spent.
Under S.C. Code § 30-4-30(a), public records that are less than 24 months old are to be produced within 30 calendar days after notification. Instead, the Town's response was not provided until April 20, 2026—approximately 90 days after the request.
When the records were finally produced, they appeared to contain significant gaps. Among the records that remain missing or incomplete are:
• No bank statements produced for calendar years 2022 and 2023, despite requesting statements from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2025.
• Missing monthly statements from several Town accounts during 2024 and 2025.
• No statements produced for the Town's debit card account for the requested period.
• No statements produced for certain other financial accounts, including accounts identified in our request.
• Several bank statements that were produced appear to be incomplete, containing only summary pages while omitting transaction-detail pages.
As citizens, we all have a vested interest in transparent government. The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act exists to ensure that public business is conducted openly and that public records remain accessible to the people.
So here are a few questions every citizen should be asking:
• Why has the Town not responded to the June 7, 2026 demand for supplemental production?
• Why have the requested public records not been produced?
• Why were approximately two years of requested bank statements omitted from the production?
• Why were the Town's debit card statements not included in the records produced?
• Why do numerous bank statements appear to be missing transaction-detail pages?
• Why were contracts, grant records, audit reports, and other public records identified in our supplemental demand not produced?
• If the Town believes any records are exempt from disclosure, why has it not identified the specific exemption under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act that authorizes withholding those records?
• Why has the Town remained silent instead of communicating with the citizens who submitted these requests?
• Is the Town prepared to explain its actions before the Circuit Court under S.C. Code § 30-4-100, which allows citizens to seek declaratory and injunctive relief to enforce the Freedom of Information Act?
• What message does this send to the citizens who expect transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars?
The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act begins with a simple but powerful principle:
"It is vital in a democratic society that public business be performed in an open and public manner..."
The citizens of Elloree are not asking for favors. We are asking for compliance with South Carolina law. Transparency builds public trust.
Accountability strengthens government.
The people deserve complete public records, timely responses, and a government that honors both the letter and the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act.
