The term transparency is bandied about regularly. It’s a trigger word, for many, the implication of which is that there is a lack of transparency to be battled.

During the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners’ meeting this week, newly returned Commissioner Stan Deatherage brought up the issue of transparency in relation to the board’s upcoming budget retreat. Deatherage requested the board hire its regular videographer to film and edit the retreat to air on public access in a bid for greater transparency.

“People want to see what we’re doing,” said Commissioner Gary Brinn. Brinn said he never realized just how many people watch the airings of the commissioners’ regular meetings until he actually became a commissioner.

“The public needs to see what’s going on,” said Commissioner Hood Richardson, who also said he was tired of being informed of decisions made at past retreats that were later carried over into budget meetings.

It makes sense to have on record decisions that are addressed and made during the annual retreat. It also makes sense to air it on the public access channel. But it doesn’t necessarily make sense to think the lack of doing so means there’s an effort to hide what commissioners are discussing during the retreat.

Like the board’s regular meetings, held on the first Monday of every month, barring holidays, at the same time, in the same place, the annual retreat is open to the public. The public is invited to attend. Very few members of the public do attend, because it seems very few people are interested in listening to the tedious detail of the needs of Beaufort County’s residents and its infrastructure, and the debate that goes into deciding how county, and therefore county taxpayer, money is spent.

What the public, and all commissioners, do seem to care about is saving county money and not spending it on purchases unnecessary to increasing the number and quality of services provided by the county.