Newsroom
Back in the sunshine: Horry County joins transparency movement
Horry County has become the 16th local government to post its finances online, as Comptroller Richard Eckstrom urges cities and counties to put their check registers on the Web. ...<More>
Georgetown begins posting cut checks
The city of Georgetown has begun posting its check register on the Web as part of a transparency campaign led by Comptroller Richard Eckstrom. ...<More>
More Online Sunshine: Georgetown will put spending on Web
The city of Georgetown has announced it will put its check register online. ...<More>
Aiken County finances to go online
Aiken County will soon begin posting its finances online. ...<More>
Aiken County might put spending records online
Aiken County is considering posting its spending records online under a government transparency initiative spearheaded by Comptroller Richard Eckstrom. ...<More>
Surfside Beach is 12th local government to put spending online
The town of Surfside Beach has become the 12th local government in the state to post its expenditures on the Web. ... <More>
Ten local governments in S.C. now put spending details online
A spending-transparency initiative championed by state Comptroller Richard Eckstrom is gaining momentum, as ten municipal and county governments in South Carolina have begun posting their spending details on the Internet. ... <More>
Online checkbook shows public how Charleston spends its dollars
Charleston has become the largest South Carolina city to post its checkbook online, allowing anyone with an Internet connection to see... <More>
Victories for Transparency
Next week, the Surfside Beach Town Council plans to finalize a highly commendable exercise in good government... <More>
County works to post financial data online
Beaufort County residents soon should be able to review the county's monthly revenues and spending similar to the way they examine their personal bank statements. ... <More>
Aiken County committee OKs posting of financial records
Aiken County's Administrative Committee has taken the next step toward posting financial information online. ....... <More>
Fire department is first to post financial records
State Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom is giving a pat on the back to the Holly Springs Fire Department for posting its financial records on its Web site. .... <More>
Transparency in government now evident
Transparency is a new watchword for governments that want to show they have nothing to hide. From the spending of stimulus funds on the federal level to the balancing of budgets on the local end, transparency is an often-used term that indicates that government is doing what it is supposed to. .......................... <More>
Aiken praised for government transparency
South Carolina Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom and other state and local officials praised Aiken's recent efforts in government transparency on Wednesday and encouraged more cities to emulate Aiken. ............. <More>
State's comptroller praises city's efforts
S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom praised the City of Aiken for its leadership role in promoting fiscal transparency. The City is one of a handful of communities statewide that is publishing its financial information online. ......... <More>
City to be recognized for fiscal transparency
State Comptroller Richard Eckstrom, along with representatives with the South Carolina Policy Council, will be in Aiken this morning to recognize the City of Aiken for helping to pioneer local government spending transparency in the state. .......... <More>
Thumbs Up: Greer opens its books
Thumbs Up to the city of Greer for taking steps to post its monthly income and spending reports online. The move comes as state Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom continues to campaign throughout the state for more transparency by local governments. ........ <More>
Greer makes moves toward fiscal transparency
As Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom sweeps through the state with his campaign for increased governmental transparency, the city of Greer is moving ahead of other municipalities in Greenville County as it prepares to post its spending accounts online. .......... <More>
Eckstrom urges more openness on spending
Greenville city and county so far have not heeded state Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom's call for local governments to post their spending details online. ... <More>
Anderson County's open Web site lauded
Anderson County has one of the most transparent government Web sites in the state, if not the country, says a spokesman for Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom. “I’m just floored at what they’ve done and are doing,” said the spokesman, R.J. Shealy. ... <More>
Growing transparency
More of South Carolina's local governments are posting their checkbooks online, allowing residents to see exactly where their tax money is going. The city of Aiken recently put its check register online, making it the fifth local government to do so. It joins Cayce, Turbeville, Anderson County and Irmo in keeping its constituents informed, according to the Office of the Comptroller General. ....... <More>
Baring the books
Open-government advocates won a minor victory in an effort that appears to be gaining momentum across the state, when the city of Aiken became the fifth local government in South Carolina to post its check register to the Web. WIth the announcement, Aiken joins Cayce, Turbeville, Anderson County and Irmo in participating in Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom's local-government spending transparency initiative. ... <More>
Tell public how money is spent
Charleston and Dorchester county officials seem to understand something that all public officials ought to acknowledge: It's the people's money. ........ <More>
Two more counties to go online
Responding to a growing demand for more government transparency, Charleston and Dorchester counties plan to post their spending on the Internet within the next couple of weeks. ........... <More>
Citizens deserve easy access to records
South Carolina state government agencies are behind the curve when it comes to ensuring public records are easily available online for state residents, according to a report this week in The Greenville News that was done as part of the annual Sunshine Week. .................................. ......... <More>
The public's right to know is at core of Democracy
In tough financial times, it's more important than ever that we understand how elected officials are spending our hard-earned money and why................................ <More>
Eckstrom to lead transparency group
The group, to be chaired by Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, will be established by Executive Order and comprised of agency heads whose departments are affected by stimulus dollars......................................................................................... <More>
Office holders try to shine light on local government budgets
The state’s top accountant Richard Eckstrom couldn’t avoid sunshine references Monday as he talked about local government transparency and squinted into a glaring, almost-noonday sun................................................................................. <More>
Eckstrom Project Puts Spending Onine
S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom is employing the relatively new tool of the Internet in an effort to reduce the age-old problem of government waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayers’ money.................................................................................... <More>
Scrutiny for stimulus
Accountability measures, such as those described by state Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom on this page, are needed to follow the dollars.................... <More>
Web site lists state spending
State Comptroller Richard Eckstrom was right: Details about spending by state agencies could be made easily accessible to the public on the Internet......<More>
Conduct People's Business In Full View
Desirable characteristics of a healthy system of government are openness, honesty and respect toward those whose hard-earned tax dollars pay for necessary government services.................................................................................................. <More>
Momentum For Recorded Voting
The support for recorded voting by the Legislature continues to build with this week's endorsement of Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom. Advocates of recorded voting recognize that putting legislators on the record is essential to public........... <More>
Put Local Spending Information Online
Local governments should embrace S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom's invitation to make their spending more transparent to local residents by posting it on the Internet for all to see.Eckstrom said last week he would work..................... <More>
Shining Light On State Government
When you’re spending other people’s hard-earned money, it’s just common courtesy to let them know how it’s spent................................................................... <More>
State Government's Annual Fiscal Report Goes Online
South Carolina’s annual financial report is available online, giving taxpayers and voters easy access to a comprehensive explanation of how taxes and other revenues were collected and spent in the year that ended June 30.................................... <More>
State Official Urges Counties, Cities To Post Spending On Web
State Comptroller Richard Eckstrom said Tuesday he plans to try to convince local governments in coming months to share spending information so taxpayers viewing a state Web site that details state-agency expenditures can see how............. <More>