By Betsy Finklea
The Dillon County Council passed the first reading of their budget by title only at a called meeting on Wednesday.
Councilman Gerome “Gee” McLeod said he was voting against the budget because he felt there should have been a workshop to go over the budget line-by-line, funds to cover the positions they need to cover, and because there was no provision to fully staff the Station Five fire department.
The first reading passed in a 4-3 vote with Councilman Harold Moody, Councilman Stevie Grice, Councilman Christopher Miller, and Chairman T.F. “Buzzy” Finklea, Jr., voting for the motion, and Councilman Gerome McLeod, Councilwoman Detrice Dawkins, and Councilman Jamal Campbell voting against the motion.
This is the second time that the council is going through the budget process. The first attempt to pass the budget ended in a tie on the third reading.
