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J. Barnwell Fishburne, a South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) commissioner representing the 6th Congressional District and Colleton County, was named Chairman of the SCDOT Commission at the Commission’s January 21, 2021, meeting in Columbia.
Fishburne has represented the 6th Congressional District on the Commission since 2018. He is the owner of Fishburne and Company Development Corporation in Walterboro, SC.
Fishburne’s prior community service includes several terms on the Colleton County Planning Commission, the Colleton County Resource and Development Board and Vice Chairman of HCA affiliate Colleton Medical Center. He is one of the founding Directors of The Bank of the Lowcountry and currently serves as Audit Committee Chairman. Fishburne is a graduate of Wofford College where he earned a BA in Political Science.
“What a privilege it is being named chairman,” Fishburne said. “After serving as Audit Committee Chair and Vice Chair, it has become crystal clear to me that the Department of Transportation is no doubt the finest run agency in this state.”
“The public’s trust is the Commission’s priority,” Fishburne said. “I very much look forward to 2021 with all its challenges and giving it all my effort.”
Fishburne’s nomination comes just as the SCDOT was presented with an unmodified, or “clean audit” for the fiscal year 2019-2020. This report marks the second consecutive year the agency’s financial operations have received an “unmodified” review. The audit was conducted by the independent firm of Mauldin & Jenkins, a southeastern regional firm.
The firm noted that one key to SCDOT’s successful administration of its finances was the internal controls that consistently worked properly. In addition, the firm pointed to the strength of SCDOT’s financial management team. The team was cited for providing the auditors with full cooperation.
Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall said, “This audit is a reflection of SCDOT’s on-going efforts to be completely accountable and transparent and to be as efficient as possible in our mission to provide the best possible transportation system for our state.”
The firm conducted individual audits of SCDOT’s federal programs as part of the overall review. Each of those programs rated “clean audits” as well. Additionally, the auditors reported that the increased revenues from the gas tax were not creating an increase in overhead costs for the agency
Commissioner Woody Willard represents the 4th Congressional District and Chairs the Commission’s Audit Committee. Willard pointed to the decreasing difference between revenues and expenditures. Willard said, “These figures indicate that SCDOT is putting increased revenues into funding more projects in our Strategic 10-Year Plan to Rebuild SC’s Roads.”
Commission Chairman J. Barnwell Fishburne who represents the 6th Congressional District said two consecutive clean audits are “more evidence that SCDOT is putting our funding to work as soon as projects are developed,” said Fishburne.
SCDOT is in the 4th year of the 10-Year road improvement program with funding provided by the 2017 Roads Bill. The agency is implementing projects in all of the state’s 46 counties.
The annual audit was presented at a meeting of the SCDOT Commission Audit Committee held in Columbia on January 21, 2021.
