Did Beaufort County Council members violate the state’s Freedom of Information Act when they allowed a golf course and gated community developer who is suing them to participate in an executive session about the legal case? Critics of the development allege it was a FOIA violation. Beaufort County officials claim there was nothing unusual or illegal about it.

The open-meeting flap is the latest in one of the most fiercely contested land development projects in Beaufort County in the last couple of years. It comes as a settlement offer in the dispute is purportedly on the table that residents are eager to learn more about but worry they won’t if it’s all hashed out behind closed doors.