DILLON, SC (WBTW) –On Thursday, a final order was filed in the case brought to court about Dillon County Council’s vote on the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST).
According to court documents, the judge ruled in favor of the Dillon County Board of Education and decided the council acted unlawfully when they voted to include LOST funds traditionally allocated to the board of education in their own budget.
The judge says the county share of the funds should be halved and distributed between the school board and the county unless a superseding referendum is passed.
The lawsuit was initially filed on July 10 by Treasurer Jamie Estes, asking the court to rule on whether or not the 2017-2018 budget was legal. A bench trial was held September 14 and 15 and officials heard testimony from 16 witnesses.
The ruling means the Board of Education is legally entitled to half of all LOST funds and Dillon County now has 10 days to file a motion to reconsider or 30 days to appeal.
