OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Horry County Council Regular Meeting - March 19, 2025

County Council — Wednesday, March 19, 2025
BodyHorry County, South Carolina
SessionCounty Council
DateWednesday, March 19, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:11:10

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

March 18th, 2025 to order.

0:03

We start these meetings on time so we can end on time.

0:05

We have a lot to do tonight.

0:07

We also start every meeting with an invitation tonight by Mr.

0:10

Gary Loftus, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, which will be led by Mr.

0:14

Masquerillo.

0:15

If I get ready, please stand.

0:21

Let us pray.

0:23

Lord, we come before you seeking your guidance as we go about the people's business.

0:31

Please watch and give us direction so that we can do the most good for the most people.

0:37

We ask that you watch over our public safety.

0:42

Make sure that they come home safely.

0:46

We ask this all in your blessing.

0:48

Amen.

0:49

Amen.

1:04

Liberty and justice for all.

1:05

Thank you.

1:06

Please.

1:06

Be seated.

1:09

Next up is public input.

1:11

We've had three people sign up.

1:12

We haven't had public input for a while, so I just want to highlight a few of the rules.

1:17

This is a professional venue.

1:19

We want to hear what your issues are.

1:22

And uh, but we ask that you maintain professional civility.

1:25

There'll be no yelling and screaming or calling out staff members or county council members or anything like that.

1:32

It's a five-minute uh limitation by rule.

1:34

We do have this cool clock here to help you.

1:37

The green is go go go.

1:39

The yellow is one minute, and the red is stop.

1:42

I have been criticized for letting people speak after the red light.

1:46

Um, but what I tell them is if you're in the middle of a sentence, go ahead and finish your sentence, just don't start a new chapter or new page.

1:53

Okay.

1:54

So the first one to sign up is Ms.

1:56

Carol Waller, and if I mispronounce it, I apologize.

2:00

She's gonna be speaking on animal rights and welfare.

2:09

Good evening.

2:10

My name is Carol Wallower, and I've been the residence of Ory County for 18 years with 17 of those dedicated to animal advocacy.

2:19

During this time, I have saved thousands of dogs, but I've also witnessed heartbreaking neglect and death.

2:25

I've also run the local community spay and neuter program here.

2:30

Are you aware of the severe animal overpopulation crisis in our county?

2:35

Our shelters operate beyond capacity daily.

2:38

We cannot rescue or adopt our way out of this situation.

2:42

There simply aren't enough homes.

2:45

The numbers prove it.

2:46

From January 1st, 2025 to today, just a few local rescues have reported 831.

2:53

Puppies and kittens.

2:55

That is 11 per day, and this does not include adult dogs or adult cats.

3:00

One unaltered female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in six years, while one female cat and her offspring can produce 370,000 kittens in seven years.

3:15

Many end up on our streets and in our overcrowded shelters.

3:19

Spaying and neutering is the most effective solution.

3:22

It prevents unwanted litters, reduces shelter intake, and saves taxpayer dollars spent on abandoned and neglected animals.

3:31

Yet Ory County's current approach isn't working.

3:35

The county claims to support no-kill initiatives, but in reality, they are leaving the community to house strays with unknown vaccine and behavior issues, or release them back onto the streets, putting both the animals and the community at risk.

3:48

This hides the crisis versus rather than solving it.

3:52

As a reminder, our current animal ordinance states it is unlawful to let dogs run loose at large.

3:59

Additionally, building more kennels to warehouse dogs is not the solution.

4:03

Like humans, dogs suffer from confinement and lack of socialization.

4:07

Instead of investing in more buildings, those funds should be directed towards towards spaying and neutering, which directly reduces overpopulation.

4:16

While live release rates may decrease, fewer animals will suffer in overcrowded shelters, and the number of strays left to fend for themselves will eventually decline.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Zoning And Land Use██████████████14%
Animal Welfare██████6%
Public Engagement█████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Technology and Innovation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Horry County Council Regular Meeting – March 19, 2025

The Horry County Council convened on March 19, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. for a regular meeting. The meeting included public input on animal welfare and wildfire impacts, approvals of consent agenda items, presentation of risk management awards, and public hearings on several ordinances. Key actions included unanimous approval of most consent items, a presentation recognizing the police department's Crisis Intervention Team, a failed ordinance to allow wind-driven shading devices on beaches on a one-year trial, and referral or rejection of several rezoning requests.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Carol Waller (resident, animal advocate) spoke on animal overpopulation, urging stronger enforcement of existing ordinances, implementation of pet licensing, and redirecting funds from kennels to spay/neuter programs. She noted that from January 1 to March 18, 2025, local rescues reported 831 puppies and kittens (11 per day).
  • Lynn Greco (President, Animal Voice Alliance) echoed concerns about overpopulation, lack of affordable spay/neuter clinics, and the need for a dog licensing ordinance. She urged council to bring the issue to the table for discussion.
  • Annette Lawrence (member of Horry County Residents for Responsible Building) read a letter from George Warholick, a disabled resident, expressing concern that county approvals of building projects have neglected wildfire mitigation, and requesting compensation for health impacts from the March 2-3 Carolina Forest wildfire smoke. Councilman DiSabato declined to respond.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously by acclimation. Items included:
    • Third Reading – Ordinance 16-2025 (rezoning 85.92 acres from CFA to MRD-3 for Summers Cove subdivision) and affiliated Ordinance 17-2025 (development agreement with $5,700 per unit contribution).
    • Third Reading – Ordinances 20-2025, 23-2025, 24-2025, 25-2025, 26-2025, 27-2025 (rezoning various parcels).
    • First Reading – Ordinances 28-2025 (heavy manufacturing definition amendment), 29-2025 (conveyance of excess right-of-way to The Lakes POA – later removed and voted separately), 30-2025 (remove Dick Pond Road from Hwy 544 Overlay), 32-2025 (board term lengths), 33-2025 (convey former Cochran School to American Legion Post 111), 34-2025 (standardized aircraft storage permit form), 35-2025 (amend Collins Glenn PDD).
    • Resolutions R-28-2025 through R-35-2025 authorizing various grants for police and solicitor’s office (total grant amounts up to $1.48 million).
    • Resolutions R-37-2025 through R-41-2025 accepting road/drainage dedications for five subdivisions.

Presentations/Resolutions

  • Robert Benfield (SC Association of Counties) presented three awards to Horry County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award for the Police Department's Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), Sustained Excellence in Risk Management Award, and Most Improved County Award (citing over $300,000 in workers' comp premium savings). Representatives from CIT described de-escalation successes.

Reading of Ordinances

  • Ordinances 18-2025 and 19-2025 (second reading & public hearing): Approved unanimously to amend the Future Land Use Map from Suburban to Mixed Use and rezone two parcels from RE3/RC to MRD-3 for 115 multi-family units (Waterfront Villas).
  • Ordinance 31-2025 (second reading & public hearing): Proposed a one-year trial for wind-driven shading devices (e.g., Shibumi shades) on unincorporated county beaches. After extensive debate, Councilman Dukes moved to amend the trial period to match North Myrtle Beach (September 2 through May 14). The amendment failed. The original motion to adopt the one-year trial also failed (3-9). Council members opposed cited safety concerns (visibility, beach crowding, emergency access) and the need to mirror neighboring municipalities.
  • Ordinance 36-2025 (first reading): Request to rezone 70.14 acres from AG-2 to MRD-1 (Carroll Farm). Councilman Hardee moved to refer to planning (effectively denying). Motion passed unanimously (staff and PC had recommended disapproval due to incompatibility with rural character).
  • Ordinance 37-2025 (first reading): Request to rezone 53.33 acres from CFA to MRD-1 (Old Reaves Ferry Tract). Councilman Hardee requested no action (in line with staff/PC disapproval). Motion to deny passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 29-2025 (first reading, removed from consent): Conveyance of excess road right-of-way to The Lakes POA. Councilman Servant reported that the POA board voted not to accept, and the motion to approve failed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda approved unanimously (19 items).
  • Risk management awards accepted with gratitude.
  • Ordinances 18-2025 & 19-2025 passed unanimously (second reading).
  • Ordinance 31-2025 (wind-driven shading devices) failed after original motion received 3 yes / 9 no. An amendment to restrict trial period to off-season also failed.
  • Ordinances 36-2025, 37-2025, and 29-2025 each failed (first reading items not advanced).
  • Meeting adjourned at approximately 8:30 p.m. with memorial dedications for 14 deceased individuals.
  • Upcoming meetings noted: Administration Committee March 25, I&R and Public Safety Committees April 8, Spring Planning Retreat April 10.

Meeting Transcript

March 18th, 2025 to order. We start these meetings on time so we can end on time. We have a lot to do tonight. We also start every meeting with an invitation tonight by Mr. Gary Loftus, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, which will be led by Mr. Masquerillo. If I get ready, please stand. Let us pray. Lord, we come before you seeking your guidance as we go about the people's business. Please watch and give us direction so that we can do the most good for the most people. We ask that you watch over our public safety. Make sure that they come home safely. We ask this all in your blessing. Amen. Amen. Liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Please. Be seated. Next up is public input. We've had three people sign up. We haven't had public input for a while, so I just want to highlight a few of the rules. This is a professional venue. We want to hear what your issues are. And uh, but we ask that you maintain professional civility. There'll be no yelling and screaming or calling out staff members or county council members or anything like that. It's a five-minute uh limitation by rule. We do have this cool clock here to help you. The green is go go go. The yellow is one minute, and the red is stop. I have been criticized for letting people speak after the red light. Um, but what I tell them is if you're in the middle of a sentence, go ahead and finish your sentence, just don't start a new chapter or new page. Okay. So the first one to sign up is Ms. Carol Waller, and if I mispronounce it, I apologize. She's gonna be speaking on animal rights and welfare. Good evening. My name is Carol Wallower, and I've been the residence of Ory County for 18 years with 17 of those dedicated to animal advocacy. During this time, I have saved thousands of dogs, but I've also witnessed heartbreaking neglect and death. I've also run the local community spay and neuter program here. Are you aware of the severe animal overpopulation crisis in our county? Our shelters operate beyond capacity daily. We cannot rescue or adopt our way out of this situation. There simply aren't enough homes. The numbers prove it. From January 1st, 2025 to today, just a few local rescues have reported 831. Puppies and kittens. That is 11 per day, and this does not include adult dogs or adult cats. One unaltered female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in six years, while one female cat and her offspring can produce 370,000 kittens in seven years. Many end up on our streets and in our overcrowded shelters.

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