Public news and announcements are brought to you by the Horry County Public Information Office.
On May 22, 2020 in Closings, Emergencies, Weekly Update
Horry County Council and County Council Committees will resume in-person meetings beginning next week. Social distancing protocols will be enforced and seating will be limited. Overflow space will be set up to accommodate public viewing. Attendees are encouraged to wear a face-covering when entering the building and when social distancing is not possible or practical. Public input for County Council and County Council Committee meetings remains suspended until further notice.
The meeting will also be broadcast, as usual, on the Government Access television channels and horrycounty.org website.
Click to watch the video remotely.
All Horry County Government offices, except Public Safety operations, will be closed Monday, May 25, 2020, in observance of Memorial Day.
Administration Committee
Tuesday, May 26, 2020, 2 p.m.
Click here to view and download the agenda or here for the packet.
The following meetings will be conducted virtually (you can use the above link to watch the meeting on your computer).
Welcome Back Committee
Thursday, May 28, 2020, 10:30 a.m.
Planning Commission Workshop
Thursday, May 28, 2020, 3 p.m.
Horry County Government COVID 19 Operations Update
Horry County Government's administrative, public safety, and library facilities remain open to the public the week of May 25-29, 2020. The Horry County Museum and the L.W. Paul Living History Farm will reopen Tuesday, May 26, 2020, with enhanced safety protocols. Horry County recreation centers remain closed.
Following the guidance from Governor McMaster and state agencies, Horry County will allow public access to its buildings with best safety practices being implemented. Safety measures will include:
To help alleviate crowding in public areas, Horry County encourages individuals to continue to do business online and over the phone with county departments where possible. Horry County will continue to phase into operations as conditions permit, and ask for patience if wait times exist.
Anyone planning to visit a County building during the initial re-opening phase should be prepared to check in with staff located at the entrance to the facility. Visitors may be asked to wait outside the office or facility depending on the capacity of the facility.
County officials remind everyone to continue to follow CDC and S.C. DHEC safety guidelines as well as Governor McMaster’s executive orders that remain in effect.
Court for Horry County Magistrate Court and Circuit Court is canceled the week of May 25th. Jurors should not report to the courthouse next week.
Horry County Central Traffic Court is canceled indefinitely due to COVID-19. Notices regarding rescheduling will be mailed out when court resumes. The office staff is still available by phone (843-915-5070) for any further information.
The Horry County Emergency phone bank will close at 5 p.m. today and will reopen at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26, 2020.
Library Facilities Reminder
Horry County Libraries will be open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for the following services:
Reserve a Computer
Call your library to reserve a public computer. Limit one hour per day, per customer.
Brief Browse
15 to 20-minute browse and check-out time for library materials. The number of people in the library at one time will be limited.
Contactless Curbside Pickup
Call your library and make an appointment to pick up your holds. Place holds on the Library website at hcml.org.
Library guests are urged to wear a face-covering and limit their visits to the times in the guidelines. The facilities are following the CDC’s recommendations for face covering, social distancing, hand washing, and surface disinfecting. There will be no meetings or programs during this initial reopening phase. In addition, the library cannot accept book donations at this time.
On May 18, 2020 in County News
Horry County is prepared to assist residents struggling to pay their rent due to the economic impacts of COVID-19. Horry County has received $622,221 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program. This federally-funded program will support the temporary expansion of the Homeless Prevention assistance program being offered by the Eastern Carolina Housing Organization (ECHO) to help families and individuals facing eviction to stay in their homes.
On May 15, 2020, South Carolina courts lifted the moratorium on evictions. The rental assistance program will provide a measure of relief for people who are experiencing sudden economic hardship because of COVID-19, including renters and their landlords.
“This is an unprecedented situation. Our goal is to utilize our federal resources to keep Horry County families safe and in their homes,” said Courtney Frappaolo, Director of Horry County Community Development.
Horry County partners with Eastern Carolina Housing Organization (ECHO) to provide rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention assistance to Horry County individuals and families. “One of the most important things we can do to prevent homelessness is to keep people housed in the first place,” said Joey Smoak, CEO of ECHO. “Our goal is to ensure that individuals are not forced out of their home as a result of lost income due to COVID-19.”
Applications for assistance will be available via an online application system accessible from ECHO’s website at www.echousing.org. Interested applicants who do not have computer access can call the ECHO Access Point at 843-213-1798 to complete an application over the telephone.
All applicants will be screened for eligibility, must meet targeting threshold requirements, and will be asked to provide documentation including: verification of household income and either a Magistrate’s Court Order of Eviction or a letter from their landlord stating the applicant is behind on rent and will be evicted within 14 days.
On May 15, 2020 in County News, Weekly Update
The following meetings will take place virtually and will be broadcast on the Horry County Government website as well as the Government Access Channel (Spectrum/Time Warner channel 1301 or Horry Telephone Cooperative Channel 14).
County Council
Tuesday, May 19, 2020, 6 p.m.
IMPORTANT NOTICE CONCERNING PUBLIC COMMENT
Members of the public will have an opportunity to provide public comment via telephone on the items having public hearing. You must sign up in advance to speak on public hearing by noon on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. You can sign up by calling Pat Hartley in the Council Office at (843) 915-5120, or by emailing hartleyp@horrycounty.org. You can also provide written comments to be provided to each Council member at the same email, hartleyp@horrycounty.org.
Public Hearings that are scheduled for May 19 include:
The Public Input segment that is held at the beginning of each meeting has been suspended. It will be reactivated when the County can again accommodate the public in Council Chambers.
Thursday, May 21, 2020, 10:30 a.m.
Board of Fee Appeals
Thursday, May 21, 2020, 3 p.m.
Click here to view or download the agenda.
Members of the public will have an opportunity to provide public comment via telephone on the items having public hearing. You must sign up in advance to speak on public hearing by noon on Thursday, May 21, 2020. You can sign up by calling Vicki Bell at 843-915-7333 or emailing bellvick@horrycounty.org. You can also provide written comments to be provided to each member of the Board at the same email, bellvick@horrycounty.org.
On May 15, 2020 in Closings, County News
Beginning Monday, May 18, 2020, Horry County Libraries will be open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for the following services:
15 to 20 minute browse and check-out time for library materials. The number of people in the library at one time will be limited.
Library guests are required to wear a face covering and limit their visits to the times in the guidelines. The facilities are following the CDC’s recommendations for face covering, social distancing, hand washing and surface disinfecting. There will be no meetings or programs during this initial reopening phase. In addition, the library cannot accept book donations at this time.
On May 15, 2020 in County News
Following the Welcome Back Committee meeting on Thursday, May 14, Horry County Government is launching two survey tools to better understand the unmet needs of our residents and businesses in the COVID-19 environment.
Horry County is requesting input on the greatest community needs related to COVID-19 to direct investment initiatives of federal and state resources awarded to the County including U.S. Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV) supplemental funding to assist in the response and recovery of the effects of COVID-19. We are requesting that community members take the survey(s) below and help share these tools throughout our community.
Residential Unmet Needs Survey: https://conta.cc/2Lug2QK
Business Unmet Needs Survey: https://conta.cc/3fRfyCe
The deadline to participate is Tuesday, May 26, 2020. The results of these surveys are planned to be presented to the Horry County Welcome Back Committee Meeting scheduled for May 28, 2020.
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