An overpaid dog catcher, expensive Christmas decorations and electricity bills for abandoned buildings. Unchecked spending might explain some of the city's money problems. South Carolina's attorney general's office said it couldn't help. Neither could the state auditor's office. One person finally listened.
Agents hope to find an answer.
State investigators are looking into the sale of city-owned timber in Denmark. Taxes have not increased, but the residents of Denmark already are feeling the pinch of the town's six-figure debt. Records show a history of unchecked spending and mismanagement that has plunged the city into six-figure debt and sparked an investigation by the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division. Sizable surpluses quickly began disappearing in 1995 when city officials began to overindulge while bookkeeping was disordered and improperly maintained, according to audits and other documents. The records were in such bad shape that it was nearly impossible for an audit to be completed.