Horry County Council Regular Meeting Summary – May 19, 2026
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Horry County Council Regular Meeting – May 19, 2026
The Horry County Council held its regular meeting on May 19, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The meeting included approval of consent items, a public hearing on the FY2027 budget, several ordinance readings, and memorial dedications.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously, comprising: third reading of Ordinance 32-2026 (lease to S.C. Dept. of Natural Resources for office space at the old Aynor Fire Station) and Ordinance 33-2026 (airport terminal leases with TVPX Trust, Falcon Flight Academy, Blue Horizon Aviation, and Leadership in Flight Training Academy); third readings of zoning map amendments (Ords. 40, 41, 43, 44, 46); first readings of text amendments (Ords. 34-37, 49, 50); first readings of zoning map amendments (Ords. 53-56, 58, 59, 61); and Resolution R-62-2026 recognizing Our Lady Star of the Sea Ladies' Guild's 50th anniversary.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Michael Hutton, a 15-year Horry County resident, expressed concerns about property tax disparities between his homestead and a secondary property in Little River, stating he paid roughly $1,100 on a $270,000 property versus $3,500 on a similarly valued property, and that he could not resolve the issue through the treasurer's office. Chairman Gardner, a real estate attorney, offered to discuss it after the meeting.
- Monica Whelan, staff attorney with the South Carolina Environmental Law Project, spoke in support of Section 31 of the budget amendment, directing funds for C&D transfer station studies/designs instead of landfill expansion.
Discussion Items
- Recognized EMS employee Melissa Brown for 30 years of service with Horry County Government.
Budget Ordinance (Item 13)
- Held a public hearing and third reading on Ordinance 28-2026, the FY2027 budget. Councilmembers Dr. Dukes and DiSabato noted inclusion of capital projects including the Little River Waterfront ($7 million), Rural Civic Center, and Natatorium. The proposed amendments passed, and the ordinance as amended passed 11 to 1.
Land Use & Zoning Actions
- Second reading of Ordinances 38-2026 and 39-2026 (future land use map change and rezoning PIN 43701020004) passed unanimously.
- Second reading of Ordinance 48-2026 dissolving the Eagle Trace Special Purpose Tax District passed unanimously.
- Third reading of Ordinance 117-2025 (Planned Development District amendments) passed unanimously as amended.
- Second reading of Ordinance 23-2026 (Landscape, Buffer and Tree Preservation Standards): a motion to defer to June 2 failed; the proposed amendments passed 11-1; the ordinance as amended passed unanimously.
- First reading of Ordinance 51-2026 (rezoning PIN 46906040008 to RE 3) passed.
- First reading of Ordinance 52-2026 (rezoning a 1.99-acre portion of PIN 44009010001 to SF 20) passed.
- First reading of Ordinance 57-2026 (rezoning a 5.0-acre portion of PIN 25200000051 to AG 2): the applicant withdrew; council voted it down unanimously.
- Ordinance 60-2026 was withdrawn before the meeting and not considered.
Memorial Dedications
- Honored the memory of Colonel Howard Barnard, Dr. Baloo Skinner, Linda Faye Edwards, Sarah Francis Parker, James Franklin Smith, Linda Murrell, Ira Lee White Jr., Euly J. Holmes, Dennis Hughes, Adam Matthew Graham, Alex Pete Graham, and Ramona Barnhill.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the FY2027 budget (Ord. 28-2026) as amended, 11-1.
- Approved all consent agenda items, two land use ordinances (38 & 39), dissolution of Eagle Trace SPTD (48), PDD ordinance (117-2025), and landscape ordinance (23-2026) as amended.
- Failed to defer Ordinance 23-2026; the deferral motion was rejected.
- Voted down Ordinance 57-2026 after applicant withdrawal.
- No executive session held; meeting adjourned in memory of the honorees.
Meeting Transcript
Always start with the invitation tonight by Mr. Waltis, followed by the budget of allegiance, which will be led by Mr. Mascarella. If I get it right, please stand. Lord, we come to you tonight asking for clarity of mind because we know the decisions we make can affect many areas of our lives. Open our eyes to see your will for us, and may your light shine on the situation so we won't make a wrong decision. Please give us the strength and courage to follow you. Even when you take us to unfamiliar paths. Help us to hear your voice above all the noise and to recognize when you are calling us to move in a different direction. We ask this all in Jesus' name. 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. Move right on to public input. Tonight we've had one person sign up. Public input is uh very important part of what we do here. If you're a citizen or resident of Ory County and you've got an issue that Ory County Council can help, we want to hear from you. And tonight it's Mr. Michael Hutton talking about property taxes. Come to the podium and tell us your name. We have this uh clock system here. Green is go and yellow is one minute left and red is stopped. Yes, sir. Okay. Thank you for having me this evening. My name is Michael Hutton. I've been an Ory County resident for approximately 15 years. I inherited a property that's my primary, my homestead. Two years ago, and this is where the problem started. I purchased a secondary property in Little River. And the disparity, the difference of the property taxes of my homestead, my homestead's approximately 1200 a year with the homestead. And I understand the 4%, 6% difference. But when I bought the second property, the first the first problem I ran into was getting the disclosure, the full disclosure of what the full property taxes were, not what the building tax was. So at closing, I closed 6124. Figuring we'd prorate the taxes. I prorated $600, is what I was to have. Approximately five months later, I received a tax bill from the builder to me, because it had my lot number. The tax bill was $2,800. So I called and tried to talk to people in different, you know, assessor's office, treasurer's office, different people. They said, Well, you own the property, you have to take it. I said, but I've only owned the property for half the year. Why am I paying the full full year? Well, that was the first problem. Then the second problem was when the assessment came out for my new townhouse, my property tax was listed at almost $3,400, which was my next door neighbor who has a larger unit is only paying $1,900. So my problem is why am I being punished tax-wise by owning two pieces of property in Ory County? And I can't find anybody to help me in the treasurer's office. Anybody in so that's why I'm here in front of County Council is to try to figure out how is a resident by owning two pieces of property to disparage you from paying eleven hundred dollars on a property worth 270,000 to paying 3,500 on a property worth roughly the same. Why aren't they equal?
openpublica.com