Horry County Council Regular Meeting - May 6, 2025
Horry County Council Regular Meeting - May 6, 2025
The Horry County Council held its regular meeting on May 6, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting included public input, approval of numerous consent agenda items, presentations, public hearings, and second readings of ordinances. Key actions included approval of the FY2026 budget with an amendment, approval of a lease agreement for a cellular DAS at Myrtle Beach International Airport, approval of several zoning map amendments, and authorization of a lease agreement with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
Consent Calendar
- Ordinance 50-2025 (First Reading): Authorized amendments to Section 2-70.6 of the County Code regarding the capital planning fund. (Favorable, Admin Committee)
- Ordinance 51-2025 (First Reading): Authorized an agreement with Georgetown County for a joint industrial and business park at the Georgetown County Port Complex. (Favorable, Admin Committee)
- Resolution R-59-2025: Designated $388,836.91 from the grants match fund for the Racepath Phase II Infrastructure Improvements project. (Favorable, Admin Committee)
- Resolution R-61-2025: Approved accommodations tax funding allocations for various entities as recommended by the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee. (Favorable, Admin Committee)
- Resolution R-62-2025: Approved the carry forward of unexpended state accommodations tax revenues for beach renourishment. (Favorable, Admin Committee)
- Community Benefit Resolutions:
- CBF-11-2025: $11,000 to Socastee Heritage Foundation for their annual festival (entertainment, kids’ activities, advertising, safety).
- CBF-12-2025: $5,000 to YMCA of Coastal Carolina for the Water Safety of All fund (free water safety classes).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Mickey Todd (Georgetown County resident): Expressed concern about Horry County business license requirements for towing companies, specifically the requirement for a brick-and-mortar location and fenced lot, which he argued prevents out-of-county towers from legally picking up vehicles in Horry County. He requested the council reconsider the requirements.
- Jennifer Foley: Spoke on behalf of her brother, Scott Spivey, advocating for a reopening of the investigation into his death. She alleged that Horry County Police Department officers engaged in a biased investigation, withheld evidence (including missing body cam footage), and failed to properly secure evidence. She requested the council demand the Governor appoint a special prosecutor independent of the Attorney General's office. Councilman Hardee expressed strong support for her request, criticizing the Attorney General's handling of the case.
Discussion Items
- Recognition of Employee: Randy Webster recognized Gilbert Cannaday for 30 years of service with Horry County Government. Cannaday is a dive team supervisor, rescue boat captain, and retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant.
- Apraxia Awareness Day Proclamation: Councilman Tom Anderson and Beth Sawicki presented a proclamation declaring May 14, 2025, as Apraxia Awareness Day in Horry County. Sawicki explained that childhood apraxia of speech is a neurological disorder affecting speech production, and she thanked the council for raising awareness.
- Ordinance 39-2025 (FY2026 Budget): The budget, totaling $869.9 million, was presented with an amendment to increase volunteer firefighter pay from $20 to $25 per call. The amendment was approved. During the public hearing, Vince Lahutsky raised concerns about the county coroner's budget and potential revenue from the sale of bodies, and also criticized recent pay for volunteer board members, suggesting an amendment to increase pay for vice chairs.
- Ordinance 40-2025 (Rezoning): Proposed rezoning of a 3.94-acre portion of PINs 45809020015 & 45809010005 from Residential (MSF 10) to Passenger and Product Transportation (PA 1) for a parking lot expansion. Councilman Loftus requested a larger setback (40 feet vs. 25 feet) from Holmestown Road for screening. The applicant agreed to discuss with the client. The item passed to second reading.
- Ordinances 41-2025 through 46-2025 (Rezonings): All rezoning requests were approved unanimously on second reading:
- Ord 41-2025: 127.62 acres from FA & SF 10 to MRD-P for 206 single-family homes.
- Ord 43-2025: 0.85 acre from LFA to MSF 20 for residential subdivision.
- Ord 44-2025: 0.97 acre from NC to MSF 20 for a manufactured home.
- Ord 45-2025: 1 acre from LFA to MSF 20 for an additional home.
- Ord 46-2025: 37.24 acres from CFA to MRD 1 for 74 single-family homes.
- Ordinance 49-2025 (Myrtle Beach Pelicans Lease): Approved second reading of a lease agreement between the City of Myrtle Beach and Horry County as lessors, with Myrtle Beach Pelicans, LP. An intergovernmental agreement (IGA) was also approved as an amendment.
Key Outcomes
- Budget Approval: Ordinance 39-2025 (FY2026 budget) was approved on second reading with a 10-1 vote (Councilman Servant voted nay). The budget includes no millage increase, a 5% workforce raise, and 114 new positions (77 in public safety). Volunteer firefighter pay was increased to $25 per call.
- Airport DAS Lease: Ordinance 38-2025, authorizing a lease with Concourse Communications Group, LLC for a cellular DAS at Myrtle Beach International Airport, was approved on second reading.
- Rezonings: All six rezoning ordinances (40-2025 through 46-2025) were approved on second reading. Ordinance 40-2025 will return for third reading with a potentially increased setback.
- Pelicans Lease: Ordinance 49-2025 was approved on second reading, authorizing a long-term lease with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, contingent on the City of Myrtle Beach finalizing an intergovernmental agreement.
- Memorial Dedications: Council members read names of recently deceased individuals, and the meeting was adjourned in their memory.
Meeting Transcript
Regular council meeting for May 6th, 2020 25. We start on time so we can end on time and we always start with invocation tonight, led by Mr. Anderson, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance tonight, led by Mr. Allen. If I can get away, please stand. We could have a moment. Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to come together tonight. Dear Father, we ask for patience, peace, and wisdom. Dear Father, we thank you for this beautiful place that we live in. We ask you to help us make great decisions to take care of it. Dear Father, please be with our first responders, laying their lives on the line for us. Dear Father, we ask thanks for all the people that work for the county, public servants. Dear Father, these things we ask in your name. Amen. Amen. Please be seated. Thank you. What a wonderful, wonderful bill it is to hear everybody saying the Pledge of Allegiance. We it was rocking the stage up here, so we're happy to hear y'all. Thank you for coming. And speaking of that, next up is our public input. We're gonna call Mickey Todd to talk about business license requirements. Mr. Todd. We got to go over the rules, but you understand the rules. You have five minutes. Green is go and yellow is one minute left, and red is uh your time is up. Good evening, counsel. I'm from Georgetown County. I'm here to address y'all about business license requirements for the towing industry. Currently, we're not allowed to have any over here unless we have a brick and mortar building and a fence in area. Um that's understandable if we want to have you know be on rotation calls over here. If we don't, if we just want to come over and pick up a car for somebody that breaks down in the county from our county, we can't do that legally. Um without obtaining without a license, and we can't obtain it without having this requirements. So we're asking you if y'all could reconsider that. We can bring all we want to you to fix, but we can't pick up anything and bring it home. And that just don't sit right. Does it sit right to y'all? These are your requirements for us or anybody in any other county. Our county doesn't have this. And I'm not sure of any other counties that do. All right, anything else? That's it. All right, we appreciate you bringing our attention. Al Allen is chairman of the INR committee, and he will probably take a look at that when we move forward. Right. All right, thank you, sir. Thank you for coming out. Next up is Jennifer Foley. If I mispronounce that, I apologize.
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