OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Horry County Council Regular Meeting – January 20, 2026

County Council — Tuesday, January 20, 2026
BodyHorry County, South Carolina
SessionCounty Council
DateTuesday, January 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 24:46

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

We will start the meeting for regular county council January 20th, 2026.

0:05

We start on time so we can end on time.

0:08

And we always start with the invocation tonight, which will be led by Mr.

0:11

Mascarelli, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, which will be led by Dr.

0:14

Dukes.

0:15

If I can get everybody please stand.

0:20

Dear Lord, thank you for this gathering tonight.

0:23

And as we join here to look at the business of the county, uh, let's uh stay reminded of the holiday season that we just came through and the friendship and kindness we extended to each other, and we may continue that through 2026 and beyond.

0:41

In your name we pray, amen.

0:43

Amen.

0:50

And to the Republic, which is the next one, individual with liberty deficits for all.

0:59

Thank you.

0:59

Please be seated.

1:04

I have any public input tonight.

1:05

Nobody's signed up, but we do have Sam Hodge from Public Safety.

1:09

We'd like for him to come forward and give us a brief or a brief briefing of the weather.

1:15

Mr.

1:15

Hodge, thank you.

1:20

Thank you, Chairman, and Council members and staff.

1:23

I wanted a brief a brief overview to council about the impending weather for the F at Ory County this weekend.

1:30

There's increasing confidence of the current forecast, which will be impactful event for all areas of Ory County starting Saturday night into Sunday, potential lingering into first of next week.

1:43

You can see from the graphics for the National Weather Service that unfortunately we would love a little bit of snow, but we're kind of forced with the freezing rain.

1:52

Right now, the the consensus is pretty great among all the forecasters that we will see a large impact in the across the whole county area.

2:02

Looking for a quarter of an inch up to a half an inch of ice in some areas.

2:06

So that's definitely something that we need to be concerned with.

2:10

They are comparing it back to the 2014 ice storm that we had.

2:13

So those that remember the impasse we have from there, that is kind of what we're looking for when it comes back to impact.

2:20

We've started our coordination this afternoon with other county departments, our nonprofit partners, municipalities, utilities, and our public safety agencies, along with state emergency management and the weather service.

2:32

So we're we're monitoring this event, um, looking for a little bit more guidance as the week goes along to what kind of plans that we will uh put out there.

2:43

Um the comment was made today there's no substitution for staying at home.

2:47

So that's what we're asking people to do is just stay at home during this event, making sure that you're prepared and avoid unnecessary travel.

2:57

Prepare now with your basic supplies, your medication, flashlights to ensure that and ensure that all your mobile devices are fully charged and plan for possible uh power interruptions that could last early into next week.

3:10

Probably the issues that we're going to have is the temperatures starting on Saturday into probably Sunday through Monday is we really won't get above freezing, so this is going to be a longer event instead of just a short snowfall, sun comes out and it melts.

3:25

So this could be a three or four-day event.

3:28

And just making sure that we manage the event the best we can, and we can start doing that by preparation.

3:36

That starts with with um staff along with the our community partners that are out there.

3:41

So making sure that we have those uh plans in place, making sure we prepare for those events, and um just hope that we prepare and get everything taken care of, and it's not near as bad as they're predicting it to be.

3:53

Any questions from your council?

3:56

No, sir.

3:56

Thank you very much.

3:58

Appreciate that.

3:59

All right, Mr.

4:00

Howard, the agenda contents of the motion, so move.

4:03

Second, all in favor, aye.

4:04

All right.

4:05

The minutes for our regular meeting last January 6, 2026.

4:09

Is there a motion?

4:10

So move.

4:11

All in favor, aye.

4:12

Aye.

4:12

The consent agenda.

4:13

Is there a motion?

4:14

So moved.

4:16

All in favor, aye.

4:17

Aye.

4:18

There are no presentations tonight.

4:20

And we will move into the reading of the ordinances.

4:23

We'll start with second reading and public hearing for ordinance 117-2025, amending articles two and three of the zoning ordinance of Ory County pertaining to planned development districts.

4:35

Mr.

4:36

Causey, is there a motion?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████56%
Procedural██████████████18%
Environmental Protection██████████12%
Emergency Management███████9%
Engineering And Infrastructure████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Horry County Council Regular Meeting – January 20, 2026

The Horry County Council met on January 20, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The meeting began with an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a briefing on an impending ice storm. The council approved the consent agenda, held public hearings on several rezoning ordinances, and voted on multiple items. Key outcomes included the deferral of the Planned Development District (PDD) ordinance, the failure of two rezoning requests, and approval of the majority of rezoning applications.

Consent Calendar

  • Third Reading – Ordinance 106-2025: Adopted the Horry County Comprehensive Plan, Imagine 2040, five-year review, including the resilience element. (Approved unanimously)
  • Third Reading – Ordinance 116-2025: Authorized a concession agreement with Compass Group USA, Inc. for food and beverage vending machines at Myrtle Beach International Airport. (Approved unanimously)
  • First Reading – Zoning Map Amendments (Ords 02-2026, 04-2026, 05-2026, 07-2026, 08-2026): Approved to advance to second reading.
  • First Reading – Ordinance 09-2026: Amended the Highway 17 Business South Overlay Zone to add gas station design standards. (Approved)
  • District Board Appointment: Brad Elliott to the Parks & Open Space Board (District 1).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Sam Hodge, Public Safety: Briefed the council on an impending winter storm expected to bring freezing rain and up to 0.5 inches of ice, comparing it to the 2014 ice storm. He advised residents to prepare for potential power outages and avoid unnecessary travel.
  • Boggs Middleton III, President of Greenfield Estates Owners Association (on Ord 120-2025): Expressed concerns about stormwater management and downstream flooding impacts from the proposed development, requesting that approval be contingent on submission of complete stormwater engineering plans.
  • Jim Becker, Treasurer of Greenfield Estates (on Ord 120-2025): Supplemented comments with information about algae growth in a stream feeding the wetlands, citing a letter from SC DES, and emphasized the need for downstream impact analysis.
  • Kimberly Romalia (on Ord 122-2025): Voiced strong opposition to the rezoning for a strip mall, citing incompatibility with the residential character, potential decreases in property values, increased traffic, noise, and environmental concerns. She stated the property had been in her family since 1939 and she planned to build a retirement home there.

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance 117-2025 (Planned Development Districts): Councilman Causey moved to defer the second reading and public hearing to the next meeting; the motion passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 120-2025 (Trailer Shark LLC, rezoning from FA to MSF 6): Councilman Allen addressed public concerns, stating he had spoken with the developers and the new Mayor of Aynor about working together to address stormwater issues. He noted that permits would require stormwater plans before any construction.
  • Ordinance 122-2025 (S&H Investment Group, rezoning from CFA to AG 3): Councilman Anderson moved to approve despite public opposition; the motion passed.
  • Ordinance 121-2025 (Earthworks for Erica Nelson, rezoning from MSF 20 to SF 6): Councilman Masciarelli abstained from voting, stating “No vote”; the motion failed unanimously (nays only).
  • Ordinance 01-2026 (First Reading, rezoning from CFA to MSF 10): Councilman Causey moved to approve; the motion failed unanimously (nays only).
  • Ordinance 03-2026 (First Reading, rezoning from HC to MRD 3): Councilman Servant moved to approve; passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance 117-2025: Deferred to the February 3, 2026 meeting.
  • Ordinance 121-2025 (Earthworks for Erica Nelson): FAILED (unanimous nay).
  • Ordinance 01-2026 (Destiney S. Livingston): FAILED (unanimous nay). Staff and Planning Commission had recommended disapproval.
  • All other rezoning ordinances (118-120, 122-126, 03-2026): PASSED on second or first reading as indicated.
  • Memorial Dedications: The council honored 14 individuals: Cherry Lewis Thompson, Dolly Jane Bell Collins Todd, Helen Stevens Hall, Sherry Lynn Whittaker, Carrie Ann Hammerick, Jim Leonards, Gwyn Mishou, Kenneth Leon Bellamy, Pearl Falk Scott, Mike Wallace Jordan, Simon Hooks, Denise Mungia, and John Allen Jr.
  • No executive session was held.

Meeting Transcript

We will start the meeting for regular county council January 20th, 2026. We start on time so we can end on time. And we always start with the invocation tonight, which will be led by Mr. Mascarelli, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, which will be led by Dr. Dukes. If I can get everybody please stand. Dear Lord, thank you for this gathering tonight. And as we join here to look at the business of the county, uh, let's uh stay reminded of the holiday season that we just came through and the friendship and kindness we extended to each other, and we may continue that through 2026 and beyond. In your name we pray, amen. Amen. And to the Republic, which is the next one, individual with liberty deficits for all. Thank you. Please be seated. I have any public input tonight. Nobody's signed up, but we do have Sam Hodge from Public Safety. We'd like for him to come forward and give us a brief or a brief briefing of the weather. Mr. Hodge, thank you. Thank you, Chairman, and Council members and staff. I wanted a brief a brief overview to council about the impending weather for the F at Ory County this weekend. There's increasing confidence of the current forecast, which will be impactful event for all areas of Ory County starting Saturday night into Sunday, potential lingering into first of next week. You can see from the graphics for the National Weather Service that unfortunately we would love a little bit of snow, but we're kind of forced with the freezing rain. Right now, the the consensus is pretty great among all the forecasters that we will see a large impact in the across the whole county area. Looking for a quarter of an inch up to a half an inch of ice in some areas. So that's definitely something that we need to be concerned with. They are comparing it back to the 2014 ice storm that we had. So those that remember the impasse we have from there, that is kind of what we're looking for when it comes back to impact. We've started our coordination this afternoon with other county departments, our nonprofit partners, municipalities, utilities, and our public safety agencies, along with state emergency management and the weather service. So we're we're monitoring this event, um, looking for a little bit more guidance as the week goes along to what kind of plans that we will uh put out there. Um the comment was made today there's no substitution for staying at home. So that's what we're asking people to do is just stay at home during this event, making sure that you're prepared and avoid unnecessary travel. Prepare now with your basic supplies, your medication, flashlights to ensure that and ensure that all your mobile devices are fully charged and plan for possible uh power interruptions that could last early into next week. Probably the issues that we're going to have is the temperatures starting on Saturday into probably Sunday through Monday is we really won't get above freezing, so this is going to be a longer event instead of just a short snowfall, sun comes out and it melts. So this could be a three or four-day event. And just making sure that we manage the event the best we can, and we can start doing that by preparation. That starts with with um staff along with the our community partners that are out there. So making sure that we have those uh plans in place, making sure we prepare for those events, and um just hope that we prepare and get everything taken care of, and it's not near as bad as they're predicting it to be. Any questions from your council? No, sir. Thank you very much. Appreciate that. All right, Mr. Howard, the agenda contents of the motion, so move. Second, all in favor, aye. All right. The minutes for our regular meeting last January 6, 2026. Is there a motion? So move. All in favor, aye. Aye.

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