OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Horry County Council Regular Meeting - November 18, 2025

County Council — Tuesday, November 18, 2025
BodyHorry County, South Carolina
SessionCounty Council
DateTuesday, November 18, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:43:57

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Order the regular council meeting for November 18, 2025.

0:05

We start on time so we can end on time.

0:07

And like all the meetings, we start out with an invitation tonight by Mr.

0:10

Servant, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by Mr.

0:13

Causey.

0:14

If I can get already please stand.

0:24

We thank you for fellowship and family.

0:27

We ask that you strengthen us, restore us, and inspire us with your love.

0:33

Lord, will you fill us with your peace?

0:35

So that as we journey onwards, we pour out your love and grace to others.

0:40

In your name we pray.

0:41

Amen.

0:50

And to the republic for which it stands.

0:53

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

0:59

Thank you.

1:00

Please be seated.

1:02

Next up is public input.

1:04

We've had a couple people sign up.

1:07

Both of them have spoken before, so I'm sure they're familiar with the rules.

1:11

Mr.

1:11

James Millward, I'm not really sure what you're gonna talk about, but I know it's the SWA, because it always is.

1:18

How are you doing tonight, everybody?

1:20

Good.

1:20

I'm here tonight because I've gotten eight flat tires this year, and I think it's all coming from the recycling centers.

1:28

I only go to one soccer stee.

1:31

So eight flat tires and it's ten months.

1:34

That's pr that's pretty sad.

1:35

And it costs you know $25, $30 to fix a flat tire.

1:39

When I was my whole thing was uh they got magnets that run on wheels that you can scan over the area, and I would be willing to pay for it, because it would save me money, and I would be willing to even go and do it if you gave me your blessing, and there wouldn't be any uh liability.

1:59

I would sign papers, whatever, and scan the area for screws and staples and and you know, I don't want to take anybody's job away, but I mean, you know, the people of Vora County, I'm sure they don't like flat tires as much as I don't like flat tires.

2:16

But then I had a gentleman, a real good friend of mine mentioned that his son has been in and out of trouble.

2:25

He's 16 years old, in and out of trouble, in and out of trouble, and having to go to the academy here, you know, got kicked out of school, kicked out of school for vapes or whatever.

2:35

Nothing really bad, bad, but having to go to the academy.

2:40

And he got sentenced for eight hours of public service.

2:44

So this father said, Well, why don't you go to County Council and see if we can get the public service to be at the recycling center?

2:54

And I thought about it, and I said, Well, you know, it sort of makes sense.

2:56

I mean, they're supposed to be punished for what they've done, so why not you know go ahead and let them go ahead?

3:03

We can get them, you know, some the vest and all, and a little shield for the face, a little hard hat, gloves, whatever.

3:11

I mean, these boys and and girls are 16, 17 years old, and the only problem I think is liabilities.

3:18

That's what I'm here for is would Ari County say yes to something like that, or is it beyond your payoff?

3:26

Because sending them to prison, and that's where they're gonna end up.

3:29

Each individual person in prison costs tens of thousands of dollars to house.

3:34

I know I've been there.

3:35

So, and that was 50 years ago.

3:38

So I'm saying let's let's catch them and make them serve a sentence rather than because this gentleman says it's so hard to get people to allow them to do public service because their children are in trouble.

3:53

It's a liability for businesses, just like it'd be a liability for a county.

3:58

Uh people don't want them around because they've been in trouble.

4:01

They think they're little thieves.

4:02

You know, it's just hard to get somebody to do it.

4:05

Another uh grandson of a friend of mine has been narcammed five times.

4:12

If anybody knows what narcane is, it's it's bringing them back to life.

4:16

The last time they found him, he was a half a mile from home laying in in the ditch, and they called the ambulance and they brought him back to life.

4:24

Well, he still gets in trouble, getting in trouble.

4:26

And I'm thinking that this will bring humility to them because I want them to be put at a at a place which crushes, and they go to the cars and take the garbage out for the elderly.

4:42

I mean, I was there one day, and a little old lady, and I say little old lady, an elderly woman got out and she had this purse as big as a suitcase, and she's got three bags of trash in her trunk, and she grabs one of the bags, and it's tough for her.

5:00

And as I was walking back, I just grabbed those other two that was in her trunk and walked and threw them out.

5:06

She went back to her trunk, and she's looking underground underneath the car because those two bags done disappeared.

5:11

And then it brought to me, well, why couldn't we have these young men who's in trouble?

5:17

Do this.

5:19

And it would be almost like a drive-through recycling center.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████75%
Environmental Protection████7%
Personnel Matters███5%
Youth Programs██4%
Public Transportation██3%
Procedural█2%
Public Safety█2%
Engineering And Infrastructure█1%
Public Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Horry County Council Regular Meeting - November 18, 2025

The Horry County Council met at approximately 6:00 p.m. on November 18, 2025 in Council Chambers, with Chairman Johnny Gardner presiding. The invocation was given by Tyler Servant and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mark Causey. Council approved the agenda contents and the minutes of the October 7, 2025 regular meeting, then unanimously approved the consent agenda.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved by unanimous consent: third-reading rezonings for Ord 92-2025 (G3 Engineering/Normandy Corp & Creek Associates, staff disapproval, Planning Commission 8:1), Ord 95-2025 (Bryan Pearson), Ord 96-2025 (Rocquellia Chanta Bell), and Ord 97-2025 (Tidelands Health/Georgetown Memorial Hospital).
  • Approved first-reading rezonings for Ord 99, 100, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, and 115-2025, including multiple residential and commercial map amendments.
  • Approved first reading of text amendments: Ord 101-2025 (group housing definitions and Fair Housing Act compliance), Ord 102-2025 (uses in the Limited Manufacturing/Industrial MA1 district), Ord 103-2025 (less regulation of consensual towing), and Ord 104-2025 (prohibiting camping on county property and enacting park/boat landing rules).
  • Approved road/drainage dedications for Clear Pond Tract I/J/K Phase 2, Eden Springs Phases 1 and 2, and Carrington Woods (R-143, R-144, R-145, R-153).
  • Approved fund transfers: $750,000 from CIP Inflationary Contingency to IT Computer Replacement (R-146); $750,000 from CIP Contingency to the Police Lab project (R-147); and $1,200,000 from Development Impact Fees/Lifecycle funds to the North Myrtle Beach Convenience Center (R-157).
  • Approved R-148 allowing continued mobile food vendor operations at the Government and Justice Center; R-152 declaring a retiring officer's service weapon surplus; and R-154 modifying Recycling Convenience Center schedules effective January 1, 2026, adding Easter Sunday to the holiday schedule.
  • Approved Community Benefit Fund allocations: $40,000 to Public Safety Division, $1,500 to Longs Volunteers, $10,000 to North Myrtle Beach Area Historical Museum, and $2,000 to Spokes of Hope.
  • Confirmed board appointments: Dr. Marvin Keene and Blakley Roof to Coast RTA, and Ben Burroughs to the Historic Preservation Commission.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • James Millward described eight flat tires this year, blamed debris from recycling centers, and proposed using juvenile community-service workers to assist at recycling centers and magnetic sweeping to find screws/staples; he asked whether the county would support such a program. Chairman Gardner responded that the county already has a related program and that staff would discuss expansion.
  • Stephanie Chiapetta criticized the Imagine 2040 review and rezoning trends, saying the county and planning commission are "selling out the rural nature" of Horry County and are "owned by the developers." She cited SCDOT funding shortages for roads, asked why Horry County cannot impose a temporary halt on rezoning for large-tract development like Mount Pleasant, and concluded "it should be about people, not profit."

Presentations & Resolutions

  • Brent Carey, watershed planner, presented the Horry County Oyster Stewardship Program, describing more than 400 manufactured wire reefs, the largest man-made oyster reef in South Carolina, and about 7,000 oysters per basket. Note: the written agenda resolution stated an estimated 133 million gallons filtered per day, while the presentation stated 210 million gallons per day.
  • Resolution R-156-2025 recognized the 2025 Horry Soil and Water Conservation District Essay Contest winners: fifth grader Kaislee Blanton of Green Sea Floyds Elementary and seventh grader Kyleigh Sessions of Myrtle Beach Middle School. The contest dates to 1943 and draws about 5,600 student participants annually. The resolution passed unanimously.
  • Shane Willoughby, chairman of the Horry Soil and Water Conservation District, presented the district's 2025 Conservation Service Award to Chairman Johnny Gardner. Willoughby also noted the district's partnership with Horry County Stormwater helped repair more than 1,300 failing septic systems over the past 10 years.
  • Brian Piasik of Coast RTA presented the Transportation Association of South Carolina's 2025 "Making the Difference in Transit" award to the Horry County RIDE 4 Committee. He announced that Senator Graham's office had awarded $25.5 million for Coast RTA's bus operations/maintenance facility and transit center in Myrtle Beach.
  • Council recognized long-serving county employees: Deputy Bobby Frazier (40 years), Sharon Lilly (35 years), and Deputy Chief Lance Winburn (40 years).

Reading of Ordinances

  • Third Reading, Ord 80-2025, Highway 707 Overlay Zone amendment: Council first approved an amendment contained in the meeting materials, then unanimously approved the ordinance as amended. The revised overlay includes enhanced landscaping/buffer standards and new gas station/convenience store design requirements.
  • Second Reading/Public Hearing, Ord 93-2025 and Ord 94-2025: Council unanimously approved the future land use map amendment from Rural to Rural Communities and the related 64.4-acre rezoning (PINS 29000000049 & 29000000050) from FA & MSF 10 to MRD 1 for the Shelly Farm conceptual plan with 124 single-family homes. No public comments were offered.
  • Second Reading/Public Hearing, Ord 105-2025: Council unanimously approved updating the county business license tax schedule to the latest standardized state class schedule, effective January 1, 2026. No public comments were offered.
  • First Reading, Ord 64-2025 and Ord 65-2025: Council approved the development agreement with Hwy 66, LLC and Equity Trust Company Custodian FBO Mark Philip Karavan and the related rezoning of PIN 27100000058 from LFA to MRD-P (Boyd Tract). The amended proposal allows 99 single-family detached homes on minimum 12,000 sq ft lots, with a 35-foot height limit, perimeter buffers, cemetery preservation, and Ashley Circle/SC 66 intersection improvements. After a point of order, Council re-voted on the ordinances as amended; both passed unanimously.
  • First Reading, Ord 106-2025: Heather Davis of Planning & Zoning presented the Imagine 2040 Comprehensive Plan Five-Year Review, including the new resilience element. The review used a public survey with 799 responses, open houses in August 2025, and a 30-day comment period from September 30 to October 31, 2025. Council unanimously approved first reading; second reading is scheduled for January 6, 2026 and third reading for January 20, 2026.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved unanimously.
  • Ord 80-2025 approved on third reading as amended unanimously.
  • Ord 93-2025 and 94-2025 approved on second reading unanimously; third reading scheduled for December 9, 2025.
  • Ord 105-2025 approved on second reading unanimously; third reading scheduled for December 9, 2025.
  • Ord 64-2025 and 65-2025 approved on first reading as amended unanimously; second reading scheduled for December 9, 2025.
  • Ord 106-2025 approved on first reading unanimously; second reading scheduled for January 6, 2026.
  • Upcoming meetings listed: Council meeting December 9 at 6 p.m.; I&R Committee December 2 at 9 a.m.; Administration Committee December 2 at 1 p.m.; joint HCG & HCS meeting November 21 at noon.

Meeting Transcript

Order the regular council meeting for November 18, 2025. We start on time so we can end on time. And like all the meetings, we start out with an invitation tonight by Mr. Servant, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by Mr. Causey. If I can get already please stand. We thank you for fellowship and family. We ask that you strengthen us, restore us, and inspire us with your love. Lord, will you fill us with your peace? So that as we journey onwards, we pour out your love and grace to others. In your name we pray. Amen. And to the republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Please be seated. Next up is public input. We've had a couple people sign up. Both of them have spoken before, so I'm sure they're familiar with the rules. Mr. James Millward, I'm not really sure what you're gonna talk about, but I know it's the SWA, because it always is. How are you doing tonight, everybody? Good. I'm here tonight because I've gotten eight flat tires this year, and I think it's all coming from the recycling centers. I only go to one soccer stee. So eight flat tires and it's ten months. That's pr that's pretty sad. And it costs you know $25, $30 to fix a flat tire. When I was my whole thing was uh they got magnets that run on wheels that you can scan over the area, and I would be willing to pay for it, because it would save me money, and I would be willing to even go and do it if you gave me your blessing, and there wouldn't be any uh liability. I would sign papers, whatever, and scan the area for screws and staples and and you know, I don't want to take anybody's job away, but I mean, you know, the people of Vora County, I'm sure they don't like flat tires as much as I don't like flat tires. But then I had a gentleman, a real good friend of mine mentioned that his son has been in and out of trouble. He's 16 years old, in and out of trouble, in and out of trouble, and having to go to the academy here, you know, got kicked out of school, kicked out of school for vapes or whatever. Nothing really bad, bad, but having to go to the academy. And he got sentenced for eight hours of public service. So this father said, Well, why don't you go to County Council and see if we can get the public service to be at the recycling center? And I thought about it, and I said, Well, you know, it sort of makes sense. I mean, they're supposed to be punished for what they've done, so why not you know go ahead and let them go ahead? We can get them, you know, some the vest and all, and a little shield for the face, a little hard hat, gloves, whatever. I mean, these boys and and girls are 16, 17 years old, and the only problem I think is liabilities. That's what I'm here for is would Ari County say yes to something like that, or is it beyond your payoff? Because sending them to prison, and that's where they're gonna end up. Each individual person in prison costs tens of thousands of dollars to house. I know I've been there. So, and that was 50 years ago. So I'm saying let's let's catch them and make them serve a sentence rather than because this gentleman says it's so hard to get people to allow them to do public service because their children are in trouble. It's a liability for businesses, just like it'd be a liability for a county. Uh people don't want them around because they've been in trouble. They think they're little thieves. You know, it's just hard to get somebody to do it. Another uh grandson of a friend of mine has been narcammed five times.

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