October 2026

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT

Lancaster County Mounted Unit Shows Off at Prestigious National Competition

Photos courtesy of Mikayla Ashley of Southern Paws Photography

The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office Mounted Response Unit (MRU) participated in the 41st Annual National Mounted Police Colloquium at the Kentucky Horse Park in September. The weeklong event hosted 42 mounted units and 144 horses and riders from across the United States and Canada. Riders participated in specialized training and clinics, followed by a series of competitions. This is the MRU’s second year competing at the Colloquium.

The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office MRU is the first of its kind attached to a coroner’s office in South Carolina and possibly the nation. It formed two years ago and assists with search and rescue and other public safety functions.

Riders brought home six show ribbons and earned a National Championship Title Buckle in Western Equitation. Representing Lancaster County were Becca Brown with Bongo, Dominique Morrison with Stickers, Laura Pettler with Kismet and Amee Warren with Wolf.

“Competing among some of the most established mounted agencies in North America, our team proved that determination and teamwork can stand proudly beside decades of tradition,” said Lancaster County Coroner Karla Knight Deese. “I am incredibly proud of our riders, our support staff and our horses for representing Lancaster County with such integrity, pride and skill. This unit is something to be extremely proud of, and these achievements reflect our unwavering mission to serve our community with excellence.”

Learn more about how the MRU began and its success in the upcoming issue of County Focus magazine.

RESOURCES

SCAC Offers Resources on Data Centers, AI

Data centers and artificial intelligence are hot topics across South Carolina. SCAC has compiled a list of resources to help county leaders navigate these topics and stay up to date with the latest information.

Find maps, model ordinance language and other information on the SCAC website.

NEWS

Applications Now Open for 2027 Board of Directors and Presidential Scholarships

SCAC is now accepting applications for the 2027 Presidential Scholarship and Board of Directors Scholarship Program.

The program awards one-time $5,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are either residents of the SCAC president's county or residents of one of 12 counties chosen by lot by SCAC.

This year's Presidential Scholarship is open to students from Calhoun County in honor of SCAC President Cecil Thornton Jr. The Board of Directors Scholarships are open to students from the following counties:

Allendale
Chesterfield
Florence
Georgetown
Lancaster
Lexington
Newberry
Oconee
Orangeburg
Saluda
Spartanburg
Williamsburg

Eligible students must be a graduating senior who resides in one of the above counties. They must plan to attend a South Carolina college, university or two-year technical school in fall 2027.

The deadline to apply is Feb. 1, 2027, at 11:59 p.m.

Learn more about the 2027 scholarship program and apply on the SCAC website.

SCAC Communications Work Honored with IABC Palmetto Award

The 2026 President’s Report recently received a statewide communications award.

The SCAC communications team received a Palmetto Award in the publications category from the South Carolina Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators.

SCAC was one of 11 award winners from across the state in an awards field that included marketing agencies, corporate communications teams, nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

Palmetto Awards entries are scored by judges from around the country. SCAC was honored for the printed report in addition to the 2025-26 video message from Immediate Past President Mary Anderson.

Share Your Photos with County Focus

Loblolly pine orchard at Catawba Bend Preserve in York County.

We want to celebrate South Carolina counties' beautiful places in our first County Focus issues of 2027, and we need your help. Send us your photos of your favorite Palmetto State spots for a chance to be featured on the cover or inside the winter 2027 issue.

We're looking for color photographs of South Carolina landscapes, building interiors and exteriors, landmarks and animals. People should appear only incidentally and must not be identifiable.

Technical Requirements

Use the highest image setting on your smartphone or digital camera.
Portrait (vertical) orientation is preferred for cover image consideration, but landscape (horizontal) images may be accepted.
Photos must be at least 5x7 inches, at a minimum resolution of 500 dpi or 8x10 inches at 300 dpi for full photo cover. Send as a high-resolution JPEG or an 8-bit TIFF file.

The Fine Print

Photos must have been taken by the person submitting the entries and may not infringe on the copyright of others.
By submitting a photo, the photographer is giving permission for that submission to be used by SCAC.

Submissions will be accepted through Dec. 30, 2026.

Send files to commsteam@scac.sc. You also may submit via digital transfer by Dropbox or another online large-file-transfer service like WeTransfer (send to commsteam@scac.sc). Be sure file-folder sharing is available through the end of January 2027.

Include your name, your county name and a short description of the photo.

Questions? Email commsteam@scac.sc.

Shine a Spotlight on Unsung County Heroes

The Palmetto Profile series in County Focus magazine highlights the often-unsung heroes that help keep our counties running smoothly and safely every day.

Among those we've highlighted are Tony Sawyer, a heavy equipment operator in Fairfield County; Sgt. Yvette Reed with the Williamsburg County Detention Center; Brenna DeWalt, a customer service representative with the Horry County Assessor's Office; and John Abney, a veteran service officer with the Beaufort County Veterans Affairs Office.

Help us continue sharing the stories of the people who fill vital roles in county government. Nominate a county employee to be featured in an upcoming issue of County Focus.

EDUCATION

Webinar to Cover Zoning and Land Use Considerations for Data Centers

Please join SCAC on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 3 - 4:45 p.m. for a webinar to explore zoning and land use tools to manage the impact of data centers. This webinar will help local government officials better understand the importance of planning and zoning in regulating the location and operation of data centers in their communities.

Participation in the webinar will satisfy 1.5 hours of the continuing education requirement for planning and zoning officials governed by the South Carolina Planning Education Advisory Committee (SCPEAC). On completion of the webinar, participants will receive a certificate of attendance via the email used for registration.

Officials may receive a continuing education credit for a group viewing of the live webinar. The group's facilitator must register for the webinar and be physically present during the viewing to track and report attendance to SCAC. Certificates of attendance will be emailed to the group facilitator.

Registration is free.

Institute of Government Offers Updated Courses and Advanced Level Certification

The Institute of Government for County Officials is offering new courses for county leaders.

The updated Institute course catalog offers updated Level I and Level II courses, as well as new Advanced Level Certification courses.

Advanced courses offer a way for graduates of Levels I and II to continue their training and increase their knowledge of timely issues.

County officials who have graduated from Level II or who have graduated from Level I and are within two courses of graduating from Level II are eligible to earn credit for Advanced Level certification.

Access the updated course catalog and learn more about the Institute.

Registration Now Open for 2027 SCAC Local Government Attorneys' Institute

SCAC will host its annual Local Government Attorneys' Institute on Friday, Nov. 20, at the Pastides Alumni Center in Columbia.

The daylong seminar is expected to be approved for a total of 6.0 hours of MCLE, including 2 hours for Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility (LEPR). Some of the topics will include:

2026 Federal Case Law Update
So You Got a Letter from the Office of Disciplinary Counsel — Not the Christmas Party Invitation You Expected
Beyond the Rules: Ethical Leadership for Government Attorneys
Land Use Decisions — Evidence and Support
Employment Law
FOIA

Lunch will be included for attendees.

Download the agenda and register.

GFOASC Offers Intro Accounting Courses on Government Finance Foundations

The Government Finance Officers Association of South Carolina (GFOASC) recently announced new introductory courses in accounting designed to help participants build a working knowledge and solid foundation of government finance principles. They are offered via the University of South Carolina's Office of Continuing Education and Conferences.

The courses being offered are:

Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
Introduction to Governmental Accounting

At the conclusion of each five-day course, participants will complete an examination demonstrating understanding of the material presented. Participants who successfully complete the course and examination will be awarded a certificate of proficiency.

Questions? Contact USC at 803-777-9444 or pep@mailbox.sc.edu.

Early registration is highly recommended, however, registration will be open until a class reaches maximum enrollment.

Learn more and register.

Registration Open for 2026 Orientation for Newly Elected County Council Members

The 2026 Orientation for Newly Elected County Council Members is set for 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Columbia. This session is offered free of charge and will provide an overview of the roles and responsibilities of county council members and SCAC's programs and services.

Participants will learn about the State Ethics Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the role of council members, budget basics, powers and forms of county government, rules of procedure and county risk management. The program agenda and registration details are available online.

EVENTS

SCAC Legislative Conference Set for Dec. 3-4

The 2026 SCAC Legislative Conference is slated for Dec. 3-4 at the AC Hotel in Greenville. During this conference, the SCAC Legislative Committee will review, discuss and vote on the final policy recommendations of the policy steering committee in preparation for the 2027 legislative session.

Early registration is $195 per person and is open until Monday, Nov. 23. After Nov. 23 registration is $205 per person. Registration will be available on site at the conference.

Hotel reservations must be made by Nov. 20 to secure the group rate.

See hotel information and register.

GRANT CENTRAL STATION

Office of Resilience Opens State Funding Applications for Mitigation Programs

Applications are now open for the South Carolina Office of Resilience (SCOR)'s State-Funding Mitigation Program. This grant opportunity, open to counties and local governments, supports projects reducing current and future risks to communities, residents, property and infrastructure in South Carolina.

There are $10 million in funds appropriated by the General Assembly available to advance statewide mitigation efforts aligned with the legislatively mandated Strategic Statewide Resilience and Risk Reduction Plan.

Applications are open until Jan. 15, 2027. Learn more and apply on SCOR’s website.