Giles Salvo, a city councilman in Denmark, S.C., looks over land where timber has been harvested. City council members say the sale of the wood violated ordinances. CHRIS THELEN/STAFF

City council members say Mayor Carolyn Davis and City Attorney Evert Comer Jr. violated city ordinance by signing away woodland on five tracts of land without their approval, netting $18,500 for the general fund. Now, the timber deals have attracted an investigation by the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

``There has been a fair amount of timber that has been harvested by the town of Denmark,'' said Forestry Information Officer Ken Cabe, declining further comment on the ongoing inquiry.

The state Forestry Commission, which investigates about 200 alleged timber transaction crimes a year, could file criminal charges of breach of trust, obtaining property by false pretenses and conspiracy to defraud.

Timber talk dominated discussions at several Denmark council meetings last year by both council members and residents, who demanded to know why the transactions were done without newspaper advertisements, council approval or proper documentation.

``All the council members were upset,'' said councilwoman Earline D. Williams. ``I felt like (Ms. Davis and Mr. Comer) had just ignored a board that is designated to be kept informed of all of these kinds of decisions. ... Sometimes, they make you feel like it's just the two of them running the town.''

Besides the timber investigation, the State Law Enforcement Division is investigating how Denmark went from having a $600,000 surplus in 1995 to having more than $600,000 in debt by June 2000.

The sale of timber raised several questions of irregularities, according to an internal report conducted for the city council by accountant Ann Causby:

Three bids were taken April 6, 2000, for timber on a 22-acre lot. The newspaper advertisement required by city ordinance to announce the bidding process ran two days later.

A contract dated Feb. 23, 2000, was for the same property cut on Jan. 21, 2000.

The contract on Jan. 21, 2000, was witnessed by the city attorney, his wife and city consultant Janie Harriot. The seller was listed as Ms. Davis.

Two contracts - Jan. 28, 2000, for $5,000 and Jan. 29, 2000, for $1,800 - had no related deposits.

Acres of timber owned by Denmark, S.C., were cut and sold for three-quarters of their value - all without city council members' knowledge. The city has nothing to show for the transactions except fields of stumps and a record-keeping fiasco. At 6 p.m. today on TV station WJBF (Channel 6), Brian Farrell will have more on the economic impact of the timber sales and on a pattern of mismanagement that has the city in danger of financial collapse.

``Signatures on the other contracts may be questionable,'' Ms. Causby stated. ``There are indications that the value of timber cut is far in excess of amounts actually deposited into city accounts.''

Councilman Giles Salvo confronted Ms. Davis on the issue in a meeting last year. The mayor answered by suggesting future sales be handled through the council's streets and sanitation committee. The council agreed.

``I don't like trees being cut. It takes a lifetime to replace them,'' Mr. Salvo said.

City officials and residents are also upset that the Hampton, S.C.-based company that purchased the timber, Bowers Timber Co., left behind a mess - the land is stacked with piles of dead trees.

J.M. Ross is a Denmark resident who lives in view of a lot on the corner of Legare Street and Locust Avenue, where timber was harvested. ``They should have cut some more trees down and just cleaned it out. It's messy,'' she said.

The mayor defended her actions in a recent interview.

``As a result of the controversy, I have since then put it into the hands of a committee,'' she said.

Newly hired Clerk Administrator Pat Anduze said the proper policy for selling timber is to seek approval by the city council, advertise for bids and award contracts in a public forum.

Besides questionable contracts, Mrs. Anduze said none of the timber was appraised. The state Forestry Commission would have given Denmark a free appraisal, Mr. Cabe said.

``If you don't know what it's worth, you are sitting out there just begging to be taken advantage of,'' he said.

``Most people would not sell their car if they didn't know what it was worth. Or they wouldn't sell their house if they didn't have an appraisal on it.''

Reach Greg Rickabaugh at (803) 648-1395.