Lexicon

The words on the record, in plain language

Local government runs on terms most people never had explained. Here is what they mean, so the record reads in plain English. Bracketed terms across the site link back here.

The transparency scale

How this site classifies whether a body's meetings can be watched.

Bright: A body that keeps a durable, findable public record of its meetings (video and/or deep minutes) that a resident can actually locate.
Dim: A body that records its meetings but whose archive is shallow, hard to find, login-walled, or quietly disappears over time.
Dark: A body with no durable public record of its meetings. 'By choice' means it funds a platform but does not record; 'no capacity found' means no evidence of equipment, staff, or budget to do so.
Unknown: The available web evidence was inconclusive; the body's status needs a direct check before it can be classified.

How a local law is made

The steps an action moves through at a council meeting.

Ordinance: A local law enacted by a county or city council. In South Carolina, county ordinances are adopted across more than one meeting (see Reading).
Resolution: A formal expression or decision by a council, typically used for policy statements, appointments, or one-time actions, usually without the standing force of an ordinance.
Reading: A stage in adopting an ordinance. South Carolina county ordinances must be adopted at more than one meeting ('readings'); the third and final reading is full passage.
Public Hearing: A formally noticed portion of a meeting where members of the public may speak on a matter before the body acts on it.
Motion: A formal proposal that the body take a specific action. Another member must 'second' it before it can be debated and voted on.
Executive Session: A closed portion of a public meeting, permitted only for narrow reasons such as legal advice, personnel, or contract negotiations. Final votes on the public's business are taken in open session.
Quorum: The minimum number of members who must be present for a body to conduct business and take valid votes.
Roll call: A vote in which each member's yes or no is recorded by name, creating an individual accountability record.

Following the money

Terms that show up when a body spends, taxes, or gives incentives.

FILOT: Fee-in-Lieu-of-Taxes. An economic-development arrangement in which a company pays a negotiated fee instead of standard property taxes, often locked in for decades. A frequent subject of council action and a common transparency pressure point.
Millage: The property-tax rate, expressed in mills. One mill equals one dollar of tax for every one thousand dollars of taxable value.
Budget Amendment Resolution: A formal mid-year change to a government's adopted budget, often abbreviated BAR.
C Funds: County Transportation 'C' Funds: state motor-fuel-tax money returned to counties for local road and transportation projects.
Bond: Money a government borrows from investors and repays over time, typically to finance large capital projects such as buildings or infrastructure.

The bodies

The councils, boards, and commissions that make local decisions.

County Council: The elected legislative body that governs a South Carolina county, setting the budget, passing ordinances, and overseeing county services.
Planning Commission: An appointed body that reviews land-use, zoning, and development matters and makes recommendations to the council.
Board of Zoning Appeals: An appointed board, often abbreviated BZA, that hears appeals and requests for variances or special exceptions to local zoning rules.
Board of Trustees: The elected board that governs a public school district, setting its budget and policies.

The elected offices

The county-wide officials voters choose directly.

Sheriff: The county's elected chief law-enforcement officer, running the sheriff's office and county detention.
Clerk of Court: The elected official who maintains the county's court records, filings, and jury process.
Coroner: The elected official responsible for investigating and certifying certain deaths in the county.
Auditor: The elected official who prepares the county tax rolls and applies the millage to assessed values.
Treasurer: The elected official who collects property taxes and other revenue and disburses county funds.
Probate Judge: The elected judge with jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, and certain other matters.
Solicitor: The elected chief prosecutor for a multi-county judicial circuit, bringing criminal cases on the state's behalf.

Access and the record

How the public sees what government does.

FOIA: Freedom of Information Act. The law giving the public the right to access government records and to attend public meetings, with limited exceptions.
Agenda: The planned list of items a body intends to take up at a meeting. It shows what is scheduled, not what was decided.
Minutes: The official record of what a body actually did at a meeting, including motions, actions, and recorded votes. Usually approved at the following meeting, which is why minutes lag.

Buying and contracting

How governments solicit and award work.

RFP: Request for Proposals. A solicitation inviting vendors to propose how they would meet a need, evaluated on more than price alone.
IFB: Invitation for Bids. A solicitation awarded primarily on lowest responsive price.
RFPQ: Request for Proposals and Qualifications. A solicitation that weighs vendor qualifications alongside the proposal.

These are plain-language explanations, not legal advice; items that turn on South Carolina procedure are noted as such and get a legal read before anything publishes.