Horry County INR Committee Meeting – March 11, 2025
Horry County INR Committee Meeting – March 11, 2025
The Infrastructure and Regulation (INR) Committee met on March 11, 2025, to discuss personnel changes, routine road acceptance, and several ordinances including board term alignment, conveyance of the former Cochrane School to the American Legion, removal of a portion of the Highway 544 overlay, and standardized airport storage permits. The meeting opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the meeting agenda and the minutes from the February 11, 2025 meeting. (Motion, second, all in favor)
- Resolution accepting roads and drainage in the following subdivisions into Horry County maintenance: Andalusia Phase 1, Forestbrook Estates Phase 6, Harvest Ridge Phase 3, Stone Bridge Farms Phase 2, and Surfside Plantation Phases 3A, 3B, and 3C. (Approved unanimously)
Public Comments & Testimony
- None. The Chair stated there was no public input.
Discussion Items
- Personnel and Organizational Changes: County Administrator David Gilworth announced the creation of a Regulatory Services Director position, filled by Tom Broth, to oversee Planning and Zoning, Code Enforcement, Stormwater, and Fleet Services, allowing Gilworth to focus on infrastructure. Brandon Wagner was promoted from Deputy Stormwater Manager to Stormwater Manager. Jason, the RIDE program manager, is retiring at the end of March after seven and a half years; several council members thanked him for his work.
- Ordinance to Align Board Terms with Council Terms: An ordinance to set board terms (for Planning Commission, Library and Museum Board, Board of Assessment Appeals, etc.) to start in June after the general election, include a six-month holdover provision, and keep four-year terms. Council requested staff to consider revising attendance rules. Approved.
- Conveyance of Former Cochrane School to American Legion Post 11: An ordinance authorizing the conveyance of the 8.98-acre property (acquired by the county in 1981 for $100,000) to the American Legion for $100,000 plus maintenance responsibilities. An indenture deed would allow the county to reclaim the property if it is not used for permitted community purposes. Councilmember Allen (a member of the American Legion) spoke in favor, calling it a community investment. An amendment was passed to exclude a rectangular portion of the property for county reserve. The ordinance was forwarded to full council with staff recommendation.
- Amendment to Highway 544 Overlay: An ordinance to remove a segment of Dick Pond Road (from Forest Brook Road intersection back to Highway 544) from the overlay requirements. Councilmember Crawford argued the overlay provides no public benefit there, as tourists do not use that road. Planning Director Stevie Brown noted 126 parcels (20 vacant) would be affected. Approved.
- Standardized Airport Storage Permits and Rate Adjustments: An ordinance approving a standardized permit form for general aviation aircraft storage (ramp, T-hangars, community hangars) at Myrtle Beach, Grand Strand, and Conway airports. Updates include prohibiting personal storage, requiring aircraft to be airworthy and registered, proof of property tax payment, increased security deposit (one to two months), and annual rate adjustments effective July 1. Council discussion emphasized ensuring aircraft owners pay Horry County taxes. Approved.
Key Outcomes
- All votes were unanimous.
- Personnel changes were implemented without a formal vote.
- The Cochrane School conveyance will proceed with a clawback provision and a portion of the property retained by the county.
- The airport permit and rate adjustments will take effect July 1, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Everyone, time for us to start our INR meeting for the month of March. We appreciate everyone coming at this time. If you could all stand, we're gonna have indication and pledge. Let us pray. Praise God. Heavenly Father, we're so thankful to have the opportunity to come together here today. Help us and encourage our hearts. Help us, dear Lord, to be so thankful for all of your safety upon all of these folks who have worked so hard over the past fires that we have had, Lord, their safety. Encourage them and uplift them. Continue to keep thy hands upon each and every one and each and every household represented here, all of our county employees and our citizens. Help us so that we might be able to help each other. And we'll praise you and honor you for we ask it all in the name of Christ our Savior. Amen. Attention to the flag. And to the Republic, which is a nation. Thank you very much. And as we go down, we do not have any public input this morning, so we need a motion for the approval of the agenda contents, any questions, addictions, etc. So move. Seconded. All in favor. And approval of the minutes from our last February 11th meeting. So move. Seconded. All in favor. Under discussion items, we're going to ask Mr. David Gilworth, our Ciscent County Administrator. We're going to yield to him a few minutes because he won't explain the email that he sent out to us reference structure. New structure. Mr. Gillard. Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to take this opportunity to uh speak about what I emailed you earlier last week. We have changed the structure of the infrastructure regulation division just a touch and added a position that will take some load off of me. It will allow me to focus more on the infrastructure because y'all, as y'all know, we have a little bit of infrastructure coming up. And so we created a position called the regulatory services director, which will be responsible obviously for the regulation part of our division, which is uh we have chosen Tom Broth to fill that role. You all know Tom, he is a well-seasoned, well-worn, uh known quantity, and has been a great leader in our in our group since 2006, I believe. Um so Tom's going to be running, not running, but uh overseeing the planning and zoning department, the code enforcement department of storm and uh fleet services as the cherry on top. Um so I appreciate him doing that. Uh like I said in the email, you I'm always here. Uh, if you have something that's pertaining mostly to those uh departments, welcome and encouraged to reach out directly to Tom. Uh but never hesitate to get in touch with me. Uh I will still be involved in most of all the major initiatives there, but the day-to-day parts of it, I need to pull myself out of a little bit. Since Tom has moved up, uh we have uh selected Brandon Wagner, who is a was the deputy stormwater manager to become the stormwater manager for uh Brandon has been with us for about four years now. Uh he is one of the sharpest folks I know and knows the regulations top and bottom and is respected in his industry uh by his peers statewide. Uh has a lot of experience before he came to us uh being a stormwater manager as a consultant, I think, uh, for a couple of municipalities. So this is nothing new to him. Uh we appreciate him doing that. And on the sadder side, uh this is the last meeting.
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