Horry County Council Regular Meeting – February 17, 2026
Horry County Council Regular Meeting – February 17, 2026
The Horry County Council held a regular meeting on February 17, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The meeting included public comments on vehicle registration complaints and concerns about a special tax district, recognition of a 40‑year employee and volunteer award recipients, consideration and approval of a telecommunications tower permit, and second readings of ordinances authorizing a bond issuance and a budget amendment. All votes were unanimous except where noted.
Consent Calendar
- The council unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included third readings of ordinances rezoning several properties, an ordinance prohibiting unauthorized camping on county property, and an ordinance amending the Highway 17 Business South Overlay Zone; first readings of rezoning ordinances and adding the SP Hawes Sr. House to the Historic Property Register; resolutions ending a state of emergency, transferring funds for a TSA checkpoint, authorizing a School Resource Officers grant, declaring a service weapon as surplus, entering a mutual E‑911 aid agreement, and supporting the Conway Chamber of Commerce’s Riverfest; a community benefit fund allocation of $1,000 to Socastee High School Baseball; and the appointment of Ruth Tamulonis to the Library Board of Trustees.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Michael Tompkinson (Little River resident) requested that the county enforce the 30‑day rule for out‑of‑state vehicle registration to ensure tax compliance, and reported finding a large sum of money in the auditor’s office that he believes was mishandled.
- Tandra Hodum (Eagle Trace resident, District 8) raised concerns about the Eagle Trace Special Tax District, alleging that the petition used to create the district did not meet statutory requirements (e.g., non‑resident homeowners included in the assessed value), that a neighborhood poll was conducted without proper notice, and that the county’s financial plan shows excess revenue being collected. She asked the council to reconsider the district and suggested an audit for similar districts.
Presentations & Resolutions
- Recognition of 40‑Year Employee: Sheriff Philip Thompson presented Sergeant Ernest Baby, a 40‑year veteran of the Horry County Police Department and Sheriff’s Office, for his dedicated service.
- Resolution R‑13‑2026: The council unanimously adopted a resolution honoring Dick and Carol Patterson for their volunteerism at Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens and for receiving the 2025 South Carolina Recreation and Parks Community Champion Award.
Discussion Items
- Resolution R‑18‑2026 – Telecommunications Tower Permit (Public Hearing): The council held a public hearing on a request to replace an existing 277‑ft freestanding tower with a new 283‑ft freestanding tower at 1752 Shelly’s Place, Little River. The applicant, Jonathan Yates, noted the tower would include reflective tape at 150 ft as required by county ordinance. No public opposition was expressed. The resolution was approved unanimously.
- Second Reading – Ordinance 12‑2026 (General Obligation Bonds): The council approved the issuance and sale of up to $5,000,000 in general obligation bonds, Series 2026, to finance an EMS station in the Windy Hill area. No public comments. Unanimous.
- Second Reading – Ordinance 13‑2026 (Budget Amendment): The council approved an amendment to the FY2026 budget to add $346,331 in principal expenditures for the Windy Hill EMS project due to a shorter debt amortization schedule. Unanimous.
Key Outcomes
- All motions on the consent agenda and resolutions were approved unanimously.
- Resolution R‑18‑2026 for the telecommunications tower was approved without opposition.
- Second readings of Ordinance 12‑2026 and Ordinance 13‑2026 passed unanimously.
- The meeting adjourned at approximately 6:56 p.m. after memorial dedications for 13 individuals.
Meeting Transcript
Meeting for February 17, 2026. We start on time so we can end on time. And we always start with the invocation tonight by Mr. Hardy, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance tonight by Mr. Di Sabato. If I can get everybody please stand. Our father, thank you for this day. Help us and guide us and help us get the wisdom and decisions that would be better for the people of Ore County. We ask that you keep all and everyone safe on their travels, and we ask that you please keep all our first responders out of harm's way that they may return to their families. We ask all of us in your holy name. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag United States of America and to the Republicans. One nation under God, indivisible visible with liberty and justice for all. Please be seated. Thank you very much. Next up is public input, and I would like to say a few words before we start public input. I used to say I've been on council, this is my eighth year, and the first year I used to say that public input was my favorite part of the night because we got to hear new things from our constituents, and uh sometimes they were good and sometimes they were other than not so good. But um we haven't had much public input in the last few years, and there's a reason for that, and the reason is our staff at the county has never worked as hard as they're working now. We have some super duper professionals that are answering the bell, answering the call, but more importantly, or just as importantly, the men and women sitting on this dais work very hard for their constituents. County council has never been more accessible and never been more in tune with their constituents' issues and problems and helping work them out and resolve them. And as a result, we get few and few complainers coming up here. And we want to hear from anybody and everybody that's a resident here, if they have an issue that we can help, we can't help with the southern border and things like that. But if it's an Ory County issue, we can help you. We want to hear about it. But for the people at home watching us and the people here in this room, it's important to know that when somebody does come to that podium, their issue has more than likely been addressed by a staff member, maybe a committee, at least one council member, their district council member, maybe a standing committee that we have. There may have been a community meeting about that. Sometimes those issues get resolved that way, and sometimes they just can't get resolved. So this council has taken the position that when it does come time to for public input, it is just what it says. Public input. It's not a debate, it's not a question and answer session. It's for the public to give input. So we're not going to go back and forth on them. We want to hear from them. It's their time to shine. By rule, they have five minutes. It's a professional venue. They're not going to call people out, they're going to be professional, they're gonna not gonna use anybody's names or be derogatory, defamatory, or anything of that nature. They have an issue, they want to be heard on, they're gonna be respectful, and we're gonna be respectful, and we're gonna listen to them because we want to hear them. So I'm happy the way things are working out, and with uh that's enough for me, so we'll keep moving. First up is Michael Tompkinson. He wants to talk about laws and accountability, and he's been here before, so he knows he has five minutes. He knows we have this wonderful clock here. Green is go, go, go, and yellow is one minute left. Don't shut the clock in. And red is what? Okay. Stop. Okay. Okay. My name is Michael Tomkinson.
openpublica.com