News and Announcements

Conway, South Carolina – Horry County Police Chief Saundra Rhodes was recognized as the 2014 Woman Law Enforcement Executive of the Year. Jointly sponsored by the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE) and Motorola, the WoLEEY award honors an individual who has distinguished herself in the NAWLEE organization, her profession and her community.

For years, women have made their mark in the public safety sector with their dedication to creating safer communities. This year they celebrated the contributions Chief Saundra Rhodes has made during her 21-year career, as well as the selfless contributions of other outstanding women in law enforcement.

Chief Rhodes has exhibited sustained excellence over the course of her career. The first African American and female Police Chief for the Horry County Police Department (HCPD), she is committed to driving change within the department and has led several progressive initiatives to build relationships with the community.

She started her career in 1993 as an undercover narcotics agent, working as a substitute teacher during the day and a narcotics agent at night. Working her way up the ranks, Chief Rhodes has held positions of sergeant, lieutenant and captain throughout every division within the Horry County Police Department.

Of all the positions that she has held, Community Policing has been her favorite; she believes it’s important for the Police Department to have a relationship with the community it serves, and that it assist the community in seeking solutions to solve problems. To help bridge the gap between the community and the HCPD, she established the Community Outreach Team. Members of the team attend numerous community events and are tasked with developing creative ideas to get more involved with the community and have a positive impact. One of the programs is “Shop with a Cop,” where police officers take children, identified by the school district as at risk or under-privileged, to shop at local Walmart stores during the Christmas holidays.

Chief Rhodes is also committed to creating a workforce that is a direct reflection of the people they serve. She revamped the recruiting program to aggressively recruit qualified minority and female candidates, and officers now attend job fairs at colleges across South Carolina to recruit possible police officers.

When Chief Rhodes took office more than two years ago, she also wanted to change the perception of the HCPD, as well as make it more transparent. In a short period of time, she implemented practices that have resulted in positive results, including changing the way that citizen complaints against police officers are taken and openly sharing information through traditional media outlets and social media, like Twitter and Facebook.

*Release contributed by Jackie Wasni, Vice President of Sales and Services for Motorola Solutions, Inc..

Recommendations will be made to County Administrator Chris Eldridge by the Evaluation Committee regarding Request for Proposals (RFP) 2013-14-054 for Fire Apparatus Replacement Program. The recommendation will be made on Tuesday, August 12, at 4:30 p.m. in the Administrator’s Conference Room at the Horry County Government and Justice Center, 1301 Second Avenue in Conway.

Conway, South Carolina – The Horry County Assessor’s Office would like to remind citizens that a 6% assessment ratio is automatically applied to all agriculture property that changed ownership during the 2013 tax year.  If these properties will continue to be used as agriculture properties for the 2014 tax year the new owner will need to apply for the special assessment.

Owners are encouraged to apply for the agriculture special assessment by September 1, 2014, to have the special assessment reflected in their tax bills which will be mailed in October 2014.  The deadline for applications is January 15, 2015.

Agricultural real property shall mean any tract of real property which is used to raise, harvest or store crops, feed, breed or manage livestock, or to produce plants, trees, fowl or animals useful to man, including the preparation of the products raised thereon for man's use and disposed of by marketing or other means. It includes but is not limited to such real property used for agriculture, grazing, horticulture, forestry, dairying and mariculture.

In order to apply for the agriculture special assessment, property owners should download the Horry County Assessor’s application located on Horry County on Horry County Governments website.

The application may be submitted in person or mailed to the Horry County Assessor’s Office 1301 Second Avenue Suite 1CO8 Conway, S.C. 29526.  Applications cannot be emailed or faxed.

For more information contact the Horry County Assessor’s Office at 843-915-5040

Conway, South Carolina – The Horry County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Year 2013-2014 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) is available for public review and comment.  The 2013-2014 CAPER highlights expenditures of CDBG Program funds for the period of July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014.  The report includes information summarizing program resources, status of actions and community accomplishments, and a self-evaluation of progress made during the year.

Copies of the report are available for review at the Horry County Community Development Office, 1515 Fourth Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. from August 20, 2014, through September 5, 2014. The report is also available from the County’s website.

There will be a public meeting on Thursday, August 28, 2014, at 5 p.m. at the CDBG Office to receive further public input regarding 2013-2014 CAPER.  Written comments may be addressed to Diana Seydlorsky at the Horry County Community Development Office or may be sent by email. All comments must be received by 5 p.m. on September 5, 2014.

Horry County will furnish reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with limited English proficiency or disabilities upon 24-hour notice. Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids or services may contact Diana Seydlorsky, Community Development Director, by telephone at (843) 915-7033 or by writing the Community Development Office at 1515 Fourth Avenue, Conway, South Carolina 29526. 

If you have questions, please call the Community Development Office at (843) 915-7033.

Conway, South Carolina-Horry County will begin mosquito spraying, weather permitting, in the following areas:

• Dog Bluff/Gunters Island
• Cates Bay
• Green Sea

Aerial spraying will be conducted in the evenings usually between 7 p.m. - dusk and ground operations from 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. Monday - Thursday weather permitting. 

The chemicals used for mosquito control spraying are approved by the EPA and pose minimal risk to humans or animals.  Individuals with asthma or other respiratory illness may wish to stay indoors and close windows and doors during spraying.  In addition, homegrown fruits and vegetables should be washed, scrubbed, and/or peeled before eating.

To help keep our honeybee population safe, beekeepers are urged to contact Horry County Mosquito & Spraying to identify the location of their colonies.  In addition, citizens with concerns, complaints, or those requesting spraying in their area can also contact Horry County Mosquito & Spraying at 915-5174.

For more information on mosquito abatement and Horry County’s Stormwater Department, visit our website.