How was earmark money spread out in SC budget? Here are the top 10 counties to receive cash

South Carolina’s budget included more than $400 million in earmarks requested and directed by lawmakers within their $14.5 billion spending plan for this year.

For the most part, dollars followed the population, but some counties with smaller populations cracked into the top ten of earmark cash during this cycle as lawmakers from both chambers put together proposed spending plans before the final compromise was reached.

The top 10 counties

▪ Richland County - $43.5 million

▪ Greenville County - $41.9 million

▪ Horry County - $35.2 million

▪ York County - $30.2 million

▪ Charleston County - $27.8 million

▪ Sumter County - $24.2 million

▪ Spartanburg County - $19.5 million

▪ Oconee County - $17.5 million

▪ Beaufort County - $13.1 million

▪ Florence County - $13 million

Residents repeatedly sending the same elected officials back to Columbia who go on to serve on the budget writing committees helps them bring money back to their communities. The state Senate operates on seniority as senators with the longest tenure have priority in sitting on the budget writing Senate Finance Committee.

Senate Finance Chairman Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, who has been in the upper chamber since 1981 only became the committee chairman in 2022 after the death of Florence County Republican Hugh Leatherman , who chaired the committee for 20 years.

Peeler has a Senate district that includes part of York County. Peeler directed $10.2 million in earmark spending, which included $4 million toward construction of a recreation facility in Clover, $3 million to help York School District 1 complete an agriculture arena, and $2 million toward upgrades for the city of York’s recreational facility.

Even though the largest chunks of his earmarks went to York County, he also directed cash to Cherokee, Spartanburg and Union counties, which is district covers.

Richland County has three members on the House Ways and Means committee including House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford. It also has state Sen. Darrell Jackson, who has been in the Senate since 1993, on the Finance Committee. Among the projects in the county are $4.4 million for a 10,000 square-foot market place that will include a farmer’s market, and $5 million to help eliminate railroad crossings along Assembly Street in Columbia.

House Ways and Means Chairman Bruce Bannister, a Republican, represents part of Greenville County. He is joined by state Rep. Chandra Dillard, D-Greenville, on Ways and Means. State Sen. Karl Allen, D-Greenville, also serves on the Finance Committee.

Projects included $100,000 for park facility upgrades, $1 million for community center work, and $5 million for renovation and expansion of the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

“We’d like to call it community investment projects,” Peeler told reporters in June. “People out in the hinterland like to call it earmarks. Whatever it is, it can get out of hand and it seems to be getting out of hand and we’re going to work on that to make it more fairly and equitably or it may not happen at all.”

But counties with smaller populations also moved into the top 10.

House Speaker Murrell Smith, a Republican from Sumter County, directed money to his home county. Other members who represent Sumter County, outgoing Democratic state Sen. Thomas McElveen, who sits on the Finance Committee, and Democratic state Rep. David Weeks, who sits on Ways and Means, also directed money to Sumter County. Sumter County is the 16th largest county in the state in terms of population.

Senate President Thomas Alexander of Oconee County also sponsored money to go towards his home county. Alexander helped direct more than $7 million to Oconee County. But other influential lawmakers helped send money to Oconee County.

Outgoing state Rep. Bill Sandifer , chairman of the House Labor, Commerce and Industry committee who lost his primary election, directed $5.1 million to Seneca for an addition to its recreation complex and $985,000 to the Foothills Agricultural Resource and Marketing Center to build an educational building to include a training facility for food safety and preservation classes.

State Rep. Bill Whitmire, who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, directed $4.25 million to the city of Walhala for its police station. Oconee County is the 18th largest county in the state in terms of population.

McCorkmick County, which has the second smallest population in the state of about 9,900 people, received the smallest amount of earmark cash at $92,000.

“So let me tell you that there’s never so many earmarks that everybody got what they want,” Bannister told reporters in June. “There’s a long list of things that are not funded.”