Public news and announcements are brought to you by the Horry County Public Information Office.
On December 11, 2020 in Weekly Update
Upcoming Meetings
Meeting attendees are encouraged to wear a face-covering when entering the building and when social distancing is not possible or practical.
Zoning Board of Appeals
Monday, December 14, 2020, 5:30 p.m.
Click here to view and download the agenda or here for the packet.
NOTE: There are no meetings scheduled for the week of December 21-25, 2020. Horry County Government will be closed Thursday, December 24, 2020, Friday, December 25, 2020, and Monday, December 28, 2020, in observance of Christmas.
Library & Museum Holiday Hours
In addition to December 24, 2020, December 25, 2020, and December 28, 2020, the Horry County Memorial Library branches, Horry County Museum, and the L.W. Paul Living History Farm will be closed the following:
Library: All branches of the Horry County Memorial Library System will close at 5 p.m. for the week of December 14-18, 2020, December 21-23, and December 29-31, 2020. Additionally, all branches will be closed December 24-28, 2020, and January 1-2, 20201.
Museum: The Horry County Museum and L.W. Paul Living History Farm will be closed December 24-26, 2020.
Horry County Seeking Public Input on Beach Management Plan
Horry County is seeking public input on an update to the Horry County Beach Management Plan. The South Carolina Beachfront Management Act (S.C. 48-39-250 et seq) requires that oceanfront counties and municipalities prepare local comprehensive beach management plans in coordination with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control – Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (SCDHEC-OCRM) to ensure that public beaches are holistically maintained. These plans must address beach erosion and beach preservation, public beach access and parking, beachfront development and land use, drainage, habitat and wildlife, and post-disaster planning. By having a current local beach management plan, Horry County will remain eligible to receive beach renourishment funding assistance from the State.
Horry County Government is responsible for maintaining the beaches located in the unincorporated areas of the County, including Garden City, beaches north of the Surfside Beach to the Myrtle Beach city limits, and Arcadian Shores. Horry County invites you to participate in the following survey, which will take less than 10 minutes to complete and will be available through January 31, 2021. Paper copies of the survey are available for pick up at the Horry County Planning & Zoning Department in the Horry County Government and Justice Center at 1301 Second Avenue in Conway. If you are interested in learning more about the role of beach management plans or reading the plans of other communities, including the adopted plans for area cities, please visit SCDHEC-OCRM’s website.
Your participation in this survey is a great way to provide input and ensure that the plan reflects the desires of the community. Questions about the survey or the development of the plan may be directed to Horry County Planning & Zoning at 843-915-5340 or by email. If you wish to receive updates on the progress of the plan, please complete the survey and include your email address at the end.
Horry County Government COVID19 Operations Update
Following the guidance from Governor McMaster and state agencies, Horry County will allow public access to its buildings with the 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 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.
Circuit Court jury trials have been suspended after December 4, 2020. Jurors summonsed by the Horry County Clerk of Court for jury trials do not need to report for the week of December 7, 2020, or the week of December 14, 2020. Contact the Horry County Clerk of Court at (843) 915-5080 for questions or concerns.
All local Magistrate Offices are open to the public for filings and court.
Central Traffic Court is open as well as is the Central Jury Court. Central Jury will only be receiving guilty pleas, so the public will not be required to serve jury duty. For the purposes of social distancing, those that must attend court are encouraged to do so individually.
Preliminary hearings have resumed.
On December 8, 2020 in Closings
The Bucksport branch of the Horry County Memorial Library System will close at 3 p.m. Tuesday, December 8, 2020, due to maintenance issues.
Library patrons are encouraged to visit one of the other branches located throughout Horry County. Locations, hours, and COVID19 limitations can be found on the Horry County Memorial Library System's website.
On December 7, 2020 in Emergencies
South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Beatty ordered the circuit courts statewide to not hold any jury trials after December 4, 2020. Starting December 7, 2020, all circuit court hearings currently scheduled, except jury trials, will proceed as previously scheduled.
Jurors summonsed by the Horry County Clerk of Court for jury trials do not need to report for the week of December 7, 2020, or the week of December 14, 2020.
Contact the Horry County Clerk of Court at (843) 915-5080 for questions or concerns.
On December 4, 2020 in Weekly Update
County Council
Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 6 p.m.
The December 8th Council Meeting will take place in-person in Council Chambers. Social separation protocols will be enforced, and seating will be very limited. Overflow space will be available to accommodate public viewing. Attendees are encouraged to wear a face-covering when entering the building and in Council Chambers. The meeting will be broadcast on the Horry County Government website as well as Spectrum/Time Warner channel 1301 or Horry Telephone Cooperative channel 14.
IMPORTANT NOTICE CONCERNING PUBLIC COMMENT
Public Comment will be taken ONLY on items scheduled for a public hearing. See list below.
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 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8, 2020. You will receive a call during the meeting and patched into the meeting when the item on which you wish to speak comes up on the agenda. 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. The Public Input segment that is held at the beginning of each meeting remains suspended until further notice.
Public Hearings that are scheduled for December 8th include:
Ordinances to approve the request to amend the official zoning maps:
Ord 112-2020 Venture Engineering, agent for Natalie Ruperto Rogers
Ord 113-2020 Janice Stevens
Ord 114-2020 Christopher Holmes
Ord 115-2020 Roger Preston & Trina Kirven
Ord 116-2020 Mary Ann Dorio, agent for Equity Trust Co.
Ord 117-2020 Beverly Homes, agent for David Norris
Ord 118-2020 Phillip & Heather Geoghan
Ord 119-2020 Sam Ward, agent for Shelva Jean Lambert Ward
Ordinance 109-2020 to amend the public hearing noticing requirements for the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan.
Ordinance 110-2020 approving & authorizing the county administrator to execute a lease agreement with the SC Dept of Natural Resources of county-owned office space at the old Aynor Fire Station.
Ordinance 120-2020 to authorize & approve an agreement for the development of a joint industrial and business park by and between Horry County and Marion County with property located in Horry County; to require the payment of a fee in lieu of ad valorem taxes by businesses and industries located in the park; to apply zoning and other laws in the park; to provide for law enforcement jurisdiction in the park, and to provide for the distribution of park revenues within the county.
The following meeting 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).
Infrastructure & Regulation Subcommittee on Flooding
Thursday, December 10, 2020, 9 a.m.
Horry County Legislative Delegations Seeking Applicants for Boards
The Horry County Legislative Delegation is currently seeking applicants for the following board that has vacancy:
Individuals interested in serving should call the Horry County Legislative Delegation office at (843) 915-5130 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. or contact them by email. The deadline for receiving applications is December 11, 2020.
As we prepare for our 2021 Race Series, we want to hear from you!
Whether you participated in one of our races previously or you hope to join us at an event in the future, share your thoughts with us by filling out our survey here.
Juror selection has resumed with precautions in place.
Central Traffic Court is open as well as is the Central Jury Court. Central Jury will only be receiving guilty pleas, so the public will not be required to serve jury duty.
On December 2, 2020 in County News
In light of today’s filings by the South Carolina Supreme Court, the Horry County Government budget retreat scheduled for Friday, December 4, 2020 has been postponed to Friday, January 15, 2021. This will give staff time to evaluate what, if any, impacts this decision will have on our FY21 and FY22 budgets.
As a matter of course, we will not offer any further commentary on substantive matters related to pending litigation.
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