The Horry County Council held its regular meeting on April 21, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. The meeting included public input on law enforcement consolidation and wetland buffers, approval of a consent agenda containing 28 items, second readings and public hearings on zoning and ordinance amendments, and the proclamation of Child Abuse Prevention Month. Key outcomes included passage of all consent items, passage of most second-reading ordinances, one failed rezoning, and a commitment to study the potential consolidation of the county police department with the sheriff's office.
Now, good evening. We will call to order our regular county council meeting for April 21st, 2026. We start on time so we can end on time, and we always start with the invocation tonight by Mr. Allen, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Mr. Crawford. If I get everybody, please stand. Let us pray. Praise God. Heavenly Father, we're thankful once again for this opportunity to come together here. Help us, O Lord, so that all things that we do will be done for your glory. Help us, O Lord, to understand that oftentimes we have not because we ask not, and when we ask according to your words, so many times we ask amiss. Help us, O Lord, increase our faith, encourage our hearts, touch our land and send us rain, Lord, for the farmers, for everyone, Lord, that needs this tonight. Watch over us and keep us all safe and healthy. Touch and bless each and every family and household represented here tonight and help us all to be able to come together in one mind and one accord, all for your glory. For we ask it in Christ's name. Amen. One nation, one of God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Please be seated. Alright, we'll move right into public input. We've had four people sign up tonight, and that's great. We would love to hear from them. I just want to go over our rules real quick. We have five minutes by rule. We have this wonderful clock up here if you want to look at it. Green means go, go, go. Yellow is one minute left, and red is stop. We'll try not to be as mean as the Supreme Court can be at times if you run over the red lights. We'll uh if you're in the middle of a sentence, go ahead and finish your sentence, but let's try to be courteous to the people watching and the people that are in line. Remind everybody, this is a professional venue. We want to hear from you, but we don't want you up here doing anything unprofessional. So we know that you've got a reason for being here, and we want to hear it, like I said. First up will be Mr. John Law speaking on the consolidation of Oregon County Police Department and Ory County Sheriff's Office. Mr. Long. Good evening, Chairman. Mr. Chairman, thanks for having me to speak tonight. Again, my name's John Ruben Lawn II. I tell people that the jail and I were both named after the same person, my granddad. That doesn't get me any privilege or any extra things. Uh, just to know my family has been in this county for generations, and I love Ory County and I care about it. But an issue has arisen that's causing me great grief, and that's the issue that we have with Oregon County Police Department. Recently I've read four articles in the Wall Street Journal about our county being described as if we're still in the 1800s. It's described as a good old boy system, is corruption, there's scandals in law enforcement, and the good old boy system seems to be alive and well in Ory County. This has brought great embarrassment to me, to my family. I've had friends call me from out of state saying what's going on in Ori County. Law enforcement should be trusted. We should have confidence in law enforcement.