BPW critic will take concerns to city council
By LARRY HILLIARD Ledger Staff Writer larry@gaffneyledger.com

A vocal critic of the Gaffney Board of Public Works' spending practices will take his fight to Gaffney City Council today.

Dr. Samuel Orr, who has questioned the Board's appropriations for the golf course project and a new digital scoreboard at the Gaffney High School football stadium, said state law requires the utility to provide city officials with monthly financial statements.

"If this is the law, I will ask (city leaders) to do this," Orr said.

The local doctor also said he might ask council to persuade the utility to change its monthly meetings from the morning to evening to make it easier for citizens to attend.

A recent South Carolina Attorney General's opinion suggested the utility might have overstepped its authority when it created a corporation to build the golf course.

The attorney general opinion found the utility's purpose, under the legislation that established it, was to provide electricity and water to the City of Gaffney and didn't allow for the creation of a separate corporation.

The utility's inability to locate an underwriter has derailed the golf course project.

Board of Public Works General Manager Donnie Hardin has said the utility followed its own legal opinion when it formed the corporation to build a golf course.

The utility allocated approximately $440,000 from its general fund for legal fees and a preliminary design for the golf course. Board officials have said the money would be reimbursed from the golf course operations.