Surfside Beach commended by SC Comptroller

State Comptroller Richard Eckstrom has commended the town of Surfside Beach for showing citizens how their tax dollars are being spent.

Surfside on Tuesday became the twelfth local government in South Carolina to voluntarily post detailed spending information on the Web as part of a statewide spending transparency initiative being championed by Eckstrom.

The town has begun posting its check register on its Web site, http://www.surfsidebeach.org.

“Any time elected officials make the commitment to show people how public money is being spent, everyone wins,” said Eckstrom. “By voluntarily putting this spending information within convenient public reach, Surfside Beach leaders are sending the message that they understand it’s not their money they’re spending, it’s the peoples’ money, and people deserve easy access to that information.

“Not only that, but spending transparency will help to restore more trust in government. It helps build confidence that those in charge of public purse strings are accountable for decisions they make.”

Myrtle Beach had previously begun posting its check register on its Web site.

In March 2008, Eckstrom unveiled a spending transparency site for state agencies and placed their spending details on-line. 

Earlier this year, he announced a campaign to persuade local governments—cities, towns, counties and school districts—to voluntarily post their spending details on the Internet.