Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The Horry County Council held a budget workshop on Thursday, October 15, 2026, to hear departmental enhancement requests for the 2028 budget. The meeting began with an invocation and opening remarks from Chairman and Administrator Barry Scott, who highlighted the county's rapid growth (estimated population 440,000, now the second largest county in the state) and the need to respond to increasing demands. Over 20 departments presented their staffing, equipment, and capital needs. No votes or formal decisions were taken; the workshop served as a listening session for council members. The requests will be compiled and reviewed for the fall budget retreat scheduled for November 19, 2026.
Good afternoon. Welcome to the Council Budget Workshop. Today is Thursday, October 15th. We'll go ahead and get this council workshop started, and we will start with the invocation and the pledge. If I can get everybody please stand. Thank you, dear Lord, for all the blessings you bestowed upon us. Thank you that we get to work and live in the greatest county in the world. We ask that you give us wisdom and patience as we go through this budget and as also that you help us aim for the best thing we can do for the citizens for whom we serve. Finally, and most importantly, we ask for knowledge of your will and the power to carry it out. And these things we asked. Amen. Which we stand under God's world. Thank you. Please be seated. All right. This is something that we've talked about for a number of years now. And basically it's the enhancements that will be requested by the department heads. We've done it different ways over the years. And this is one way that I don't think it's been done this way, if at all, it hasn't been done this way in over a decade or so. Um, where we get all county council to hear it from the horse's mouth what these department leaders need and want, and then we'll go through the motions as we go through our budget and uh and the call. So uh with that, I'll turn it over to our administrator, Mr. Barry Scott. Thank you, Chairman and Council. We appreciate the opportunity to be here with you today as we start the process for the 2028 budget. I'll just call your attention and Thomas you can back up one slide, please. Um the picture that we focused here on this display is of our Central Coast Complex. It's one of the new things that council has put in place, or uh our county has put in place for the benefit of our citizens. It is actually having the ribbon cutting tomorrow morning at 9 30 uh at the Central Coast Complex. So if you're able to join us there, that would be much appreciated. Um, but it brings to the heart of where our population is actually living and working more of our county services. And what you will see in that uh new facility has the treasurer's office, the auditor, assessor, clerk of court, magistrate, probate, and our fifth police precinct at that regard. So we feel like that is an addition and benefit to our citizens, uh, and it will improve the level of service that we were able to deliver to them each and every day. Um the first thing I would say is just to remind us what I've mentioned, I think a few times before is that Ory County is blessed. I'll use that term. Now we find ourselves in a situation right now where we're one of the fastest growing county in the state and one of the fastest growing states in the nation. That sometimes challenges us greatly, but at the same time, that is a true blessing that we have growth in our area. Our tax base is growing, our revenue base is growing to help us put these services that are needed for our citizens in that regard. So today, um, we hope this meeting is very informal. Um, and we ask that you ask questions as they may come to mind. Um we have a number of our team members who will be presenting today, and I'll make a few comments for them before we finish this up. But we do want to talk about the discussion items that that kind of sets the stage for the budget. Um the first one is that we are still attempting to respond to the community growth. At the moment, we're estimated to have 440,000 population in Ory County. That places us as the second largest county in the state. Um we were fourth just about a year ago. So we have passed both Charleston and Richland based on the current estimates in that regard.