Council receives clean fiscal audit, approves EMS trainee hires and FILOT sponsor affiliates

Sumter County Council received the county's fiscal audit for the year ending June 30, 2025, from Grant Davis of Mauldin & Jenkins, who reported an unmodified (clean) opinion on the county's financial statements, no reported instances of noncompliance or internal control deficiencies, and a clean opinion regarding compliance for applicable federal programs.

Committee Chair James T. McCain reported that two contractual matters discussed in executive session were acted on in open session: the council approved eight trainee positions for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) department (motion and second recorded; vote unanimous), and approved Union Camp Paper Holdings LLC and Sylvamo North American LLC as sponsor affiliates under a fee-in-lieu-of-taxes (FILOT) agreement with Sylvamo Corporation, effective Jan. 1, 2025 (motion and second recorded; vote unanimous).

The council also received the county's 2025 progress report from Communications Director Joe Perry, which highlights the General Sumter Museum exhibit, approval of the third capital projects sales tax and completion of various Penny projects; the report is available on the county website. Assistant County Administrator Lorraine Dennis introduced Dr. Larochelle Murphy as the new director of the Sumter County Gallery of Art.

No budgetary figures for the EMS trainee positions or the FILOT agreements were included in the minutes; the motions were recorded as carried unanimously.