Watchdog questions Bamberg County courthouse earmarks, urges veto on funding

A Bamberg County watchdog account is pressing Governor Henry McMaster to line-item veto courthouse funding until residents get a clearer accounting of where the money goes, who controls it, and what it could mean for local debt. The online criticism from BambergPaperTrl centers on proposed state budget earmarks tied to the county courthouse project and the lack of plain public answers about long-term costs in one of South Carolina’s poorest counties.

The dispute lands in a county that has gone five years without a functioning historic courthouse. Since July 1, 2022, family and circuit court operations have been held at the Bamberg Civic Center, 2477 Main Highway in Bamberg, while renovations continue. The makeshift arrangement has become a symbol of how long the courthouse crisis has dragged on, and why every new funding promise now draws scrutiny.

That scrutiny is not limited to social media. State Treasurer records show Bamberg County already received a $1.5 million earmark labeled “Courthouse Critical Repairs” in the FY2024-25 appropriations process. The payment was sent by ACH on Oct. 23, 2024. Under Budget Proviso 117.21 and Executive Order 2022-19, the county was required to file quarterly expenditure reports, a safeguard meant to show how the public money was spent and whether the project stayed on track.

The state’s top judicial officer has also warned lawmakers that Bamberg could absorb much of any new repair fund. In March, Chief Justice John Kittredge asked the legislature to set aside $20 million for a rural county courthouse repair fund, saying Bamberg County would likely take the bulk of it because the current setup is not efficient, not functional and poses a security risk. He described the court space as a former armory or civic hall, underscoring how far the county’s court operations have drifted from a standard courthouse model.

County planning documents from 2023 show the issue was already on the capital agenda. Those documents listed a “Courthouse Restoration” project at $10 million, including a $7 million county contribution and $3 million in requested funding. That earlier estimate now hangs over the broader debate: whether Bamberg County can repair its courthouse without deepening local financial pressure, and whether state money is being deployed with enough public guardrails.

The latest warning comes as the General Assembly debates tighter limits on earmarks. House Bill 4517, introduced May 6, 2025, would bar appropriations bills and amendments from carrying earmarked funds for specific projects or entities outside the core budget process beginning with fiscal 2026-27. For Bamberg County residents waiting on a courthouse that has already sat idle for years, the question is no longer just when repairs will finish, but who will pay, who will oversee it, and what happens if the final cost climbs higher.