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Swansea resolves budget delays, balances $2.3M budget after four-month wait

Swansea balanced its budget following months of delays and over $200K in missing utility bills.

SWANSEA, S.C. — The Town of Swansea said it has balanced its budget, due about four months ago before the July 1 deadline.

In August, Town Administrator Christine Keefer said that the town couldn't do this because over $200,000 in utility bills were missing.

Keefer said there were inconsistencies with billings and incomes, meter issues and no utility department head.

On Friday, the mayor said that the budget had been balanced.

"During a budget balance, you have to match your expenses to your revenue. You can project, but you don't need to project way over what you don't have coming in, so sometimes you have to reduce your spending and reduce your expenses and income. So basically, that's what we did," Swansea Mayor Viola McDaniel said.

McDaniel said the town still has some issues with delinquent accounts in its water department but is "working on that."

She said the problems with these accounts began during COVID when the town could not cut off water or electricity and had to be more lenient with people paying their water bills.

Since then, McDaniel said people have been catching up on their payments.

McDaniel said the total balanced budget of around $2.3 million will be approved later this month.

She said the town plans to pass the budget at its next council meeting on Oct. 28. The public hearing for that meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.

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