OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Horry County Council Regular Meeting - July 14, 2026

County Council — Wednesday, July 15, 2026
BodyHorry County, South Carolina
SessionCounty Council
DateWednesday, July 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 36:39

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

We will start the Ory County regular council meeting for July 14th on time so we can finish on time.

0:08

And we'll start the way we always do by an invocation and a pledge of allegiance.

0:13

If I can get everybody to please stand, we will do something just a slightly different tonight.

0:18

Before we have the prayer, which will be done by Mr.

0:21

Crawford, I would ask everybody to have a moment of silence for Senator Lindsay Graham.

0:40

Thank you.

0:46

We thank you for this time together.

0:48

We thank you for the ability to be here tonight to discuss issues that are important to the county.

0:55

I pray that you would give us the wisdom to make the right decisions to keep the public in mind.

1:03

The welfare of our community in mind.

1:13

Help us to hold that close to our hearts as we move forward with these proceedings.

1:18

Please watch over our public safety personnel as they're out there protecting our community.

1:26

I'll lift this prayer up to you, and I ask for it right now in Jesus' name.

1:31

Amen.

1:32

Amen.

1:32

Thank you.

1:35

Pledge religion of the United States of America.

1:40

And to the Republic for which it stands.

1:43

One nation.

1:44

Under Godissible with liberty and justice for all.

1:49

Thank you.

1:49

Please be seated.

1:54

Next up is public input.

1:56

And we've had three people sign up for tonight.

1:59

And we'll get started with the first one.

2:02

Before we start, I think everybody signed up has been here before, but just a quick refresher of the rules.

2:08

We have this wonderful clock system here.

2:10

By rule, it's limited to five minutes only, but the clock will be green, go, go, go, yellow, one minute left.

2:16

Wind up, bread, stop.

2:18

Be professional.

2:19

This is a professional venue.

2:20

We like to have fun, but we got a lot of business to do tonight.

2:23

We want to hear from you.

2:24

And uh, if we can have the uh where we can hear you, it'll be better for us because we want I know you want us to hear what you're saying.

2:32

So all right, we'll start off with Belinda Maurowitz.

2:37

Yes, ma'am, that's what I was gonna say.

2:40

Hi there, my name is Belinda Marowitz, I'm with Kind Keeper Animal Rescue, and I know that we have a problem here with the overpopulation of Spain neutering here in our county.

2:52

Um I know you have been talking about getting a spay and neuter van.

2:57

I do have one that is brand new that I had just purchased.

3:01

Um I am having complications finding a vet.

3:05

So I would love to partner up and help you guys out if you can help me find a vet to help the community with getting spaying neuters done here, either low cost or for nothing.

3:17

Um I will take on all that responsibility and not ask for any help doing that.

3:25

Next, I know I get a lot of phone calls every day on people moving.

3:31

We have all these builders coming in and building, and none of them are being animal friendly.

3:36

If we can have those places now be animal friendly and not have a limit in a breed restriction or a weight size, I think that might help cut our population down a little bit also.

3:48

Um I know we're building the college out in Clemson.

3:53

If those vets can take on some of the responsibilities when they graduate of doing two or three animals per month for nothing to help get the population under control here in our area.

4:08

It's just we're all overloaded and don't have room for everything.

4:14

And we also need low cost.

4:16

A lot of the people getting rid of their animals are in a low-cost situation.

4:21

We do have a food bank, so we do give food to a lot of the people to keep their animals in their house.

4:29

But again, the housing situation and all of that also plays a part in it.

4:33

If we can all work together, um our vets here, I know are few to none.

4:40

Uh, I don't have any vets that help us out at a reasonable discounted price.

4:46

Um, we do deal with the the county just now opened back up to rescues, but we do need more vets and more help in our field.

4:59

Thank you.

5:00

Thank you.

5:00

Thank you for coming out.

5:02

Okay.

5:05

All right, we'll move right along.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████37%
Environmental Protection██████████████14%
Animal Welfare█████████████13%
Personnel Matters██████████10%
Affordable Housing██████████10%
Parks and Recreation████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Summary of Proceedings

Horry County Council Regular Meeting - July 14, 2026

The Horry County Council held its regular meeting on July 14, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting covered a consent agenda, public comments, presentations, and the reading of multiple ordinances, including a major update to the development impact fee schedule and several rezoning and development agreement items. A vote on the Solid Waste Authority Board appointment resulted in a tie and was deferred.

Consent Calendar

  • Third Reading – Ordinance 49-2026 & 50-2026: Approved unanimously to amend the Future Land Use Map and rezone PIN 26705020019 from Rural Communities to Suburban and from MSF 10 to MSF 7.
  • Third Reading – Ordinance 62-2026: Approved unanimously to repeal the portion of the Road Maintenance Fee that allocated $6.50 per vehicle to public transportation, shifting funding to the RIDE 4 program.
  • First Reading – Ordinance 74-2026 & 75-2026: Introduced to amend the Future Land Use Map and rezone multiple PINS from Suburban to Mixed Use and from Highway Commercial to Multi Residential (MRD 3).
  • First Reading – Ordinances 78-81-2026: Introduced for various rezoning requests including Diamond Shores and Kingston Engineering agents.
  • District and At-Large Board Appointments: Approved appointments to the Board of Assessment Appeals, Planning Commission, Accommodations Tax Committee, Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens Committee, and Arcadian Shores Special Tax District Board.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Belinda Maurowitz (Kind Keeper Animal Rescue): Urged the county to partner on a spay/neuter van, advocated for animal-friendly housing policies (no breed/size restrictions), and called for more low-cost veterinary services to control overpopulation. She stated, "I will take on all that responsibility and not ask for any help."
  • Tandra Hodum: Expressed opposition to the development of scenic and conservation areas under the Imagine 2040 plan, citing the removal of explicit protections from the 2025 plan. She referenced the new state Protected Lands and Conservation Coordination Act and asked council to restore language that such lands "are intended to remain undeveloped in perpetuity."
  • Randall Wallace (former Myrtle Beach City Council member): Paid tribute to Senator Lindsey Graham, recounting his support for beach renourishment, the airport terminal, I-73 permitting, and FEMA assistance. He urged the council to honor Graham's legacy of friendship to local government.
  • Stanley Haynes (Horry-Georgetown Home Builders Association): During the public hearing on the impact fee ordinance, he expressed concern that the fees would worsen the housing attainability crisis, noting that 65.1% of Horry County families cannot afford the median-priced home. He asked council to revisit the fee structure as conditions change to ensure affordability for working families.

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance 30-2026 – Development Impact Fee Update (Third Reading): The council adopted updated impact fees for parks and recreation, public safety, and solid waste facilities based on a study by TischlerBise. An amendment was passed (content not specified). Councilman DiSabato voted in favor but noted concerns about the chilling effect on lower-end home affordability and suggested future conversations on the issue.
  • Ordinance 65-2026 – Development Agreement Amendments (Second Reading): Council amended the ordinance to change "shall" to "may" regarding fee assessments. Passed as amended.
  • Ordinance 66-2026 – Zoning Board of Appeals Amendments (Second Reading): Council added an amendment that when seeking a variance of 50% or more on rear and side setbacks, the minimum setback cannot be less than 20 feet. Passed as amended.
  • Ordinance 68-2026 & 69-2026 – Star Bluff Properties Development Agreement and Rezoning (Second Reading): Approved after an amendment in the packet. The development agreement includes a $300,000 contribution to the Wampee Recycle Center, limits development to 107 single-family homes, and requires a 20% stormwater reduction for the 100-year storm event.
  • Ordinance 73-2026 – Pulte Home Company Development Agreement (Second Reading): Approved as amended (amendment in packet) to provide a connection of Carolina Bays Parkway to Highway 17 Bypass and limit density.
  • Ordinance 76-2026 – Rezoning from LFA to MSF 14.5 (First Reading): Councilman Hardee moved to downzone to MSF 20 instead. Motion passed, and the ordinance as amended passed.
  • Ordinances 70, 71, 72, 77, 67: All approved on second reading with no public comment or council discussion.
  • Solid Waste Authority Board Appointment: Ballot resulted in a 5-5 tie between candidates Allen Lee and Steven Neeves. A second vote remained tied, so the item was deferred to the next meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance 30-2026 (Impact Fees): Adopted on third reading with updated fee schedules effective July 20, 2026. Unanimous vote.
  • Ordinance 62-2026 (Road Maintenance Fee repeal): Passed unanimously on third reading.
  • Ordinance 65-2026 (Development Agreements): Passed as amended ("shall" changed to "may"). Unanimous.
  • Ordinance 66-2026 (ZBA Variances): Passed as amended (minimum 20-foot setback for variances ≥50%). Unanimous.
  • Ordinance 68-2026 & 69-2026 (Star Bluff): Passed as amended. Unanimous.
  • Ordinance 73-2026 (Pulte): Passed as amended. Unanimous.
  • Ordinance 76-2026 (LFA to MSF 20): Passed as amended (downzoned from MSF 14.5). Unanimous.
  • Resolution R-71-2026 (Parks and Recreation Month): Passed unanimously.
  • Solid Waste Authority Appointment: Deferred to next meeting due to tie vote.
  • Memorial Dedications: Council adjourned in memory of 27 individuals listed in the minutes.

Meeting Transcript

We will start the Ory County regular council meeting for July 14th on time so we can finish on time. And we'll start the way we always do by an invocation and a pledge of allegiance. If I can get everybody to please stand, we will do something just a slightly different tonight. Before we have the prayer, which will be done by Mr. Crawford, I would ask everybody to have a moment of silence for Senator Lindsay Graham. Thank you. We thank you for this time together. We thank you for the ability to be here tonight to discuss issues that are important to the county. I pray that you would give us the wisdom to make the right decisions to keep the public in mind. The welfare of our community in mind. Help us to hold that close to our hearts as we move forward with these proceedings. Please watch over our public safety personnel as they're out there protecting our community. I'll lift this prayer up to you, and I ask for it right now in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Pledge religion of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation. Under Godissible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Please be seated. Next up is public input. And we've had three people sign up for tonight. And we'll get started with the first one. Before we start, I think everybody signed up has been here before, but just a quick refresher of the rules. We have this wonderful clock system here. By rule, it's limited to five minutes only, but the clock will be green, go, go, go, yellow, one minute left. Wind up, bread, stop. Be professional. This is a professional venue. We like to have fun, but we got a lot of business to do tonight. We want to hear from you. And uh, if we can have the uh where we can hear you, it'll be better for us because we want I know you want us to hear what you're saying. So all right, we'll start off with Belinda Maurowitz. Yes, ma'am, that's what I was gonna say. Hi there, my name is Belinda Marowitz, I'm with Kind Keeper Animal Rescue, and I know that we have a problem here with the overpopulation of Spain neutering here in our county. Um I know you have been talking about getting a spay and neuter van. I do have one that is brand new that I had just purchased. Um I am having complications finding a vet. So I would love to partner up and help you guys out if you can help me find a vet to help the community with getting spaying neuters done here, either low cost or for nothing. Um I will take on all that responsibility and not ask for any help doing that. Next, I know I get a lot of phone calls every day on people moving. We have all these builders coming in and building, and none of them are being animal friendly. If we can have those places now be animal friendly and not have a limit in a breed restriction or a weight size, I think that might help cut our population down a little bit also. Um I know we're building the college out in Clemson. If those vets can take on some of the responsibilities when they graduate of doing two or three animals per month for nothing to help get the population under control here in our area. It's just we're all overloaded and don't have room for everything. And we also need low cost. A lot of the people getting rid of their animals are in a low-cost situation.

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