News and Announcements

The Horry County Board of Architectural Review and Historic Preservation, the Horry County Historical Society, and the Ivy Garden Club will host a dedication for the Horry County Patriot Tree Project on Friday, August 8, at 11 a.m. at the Sasser Home located on the corner of Elm Street and 7^th Avenue in downtown Conway. Attendees are asked to park at the First Baptist Church of Conway located at 600 Elm Street.

The Horry County Patriot Tree Project pairs live oak trees with soldiers from Horry County who served during the Civil War.  Each one of the trees will have a QR code marker which will direct smart phone users to a website listing the soldier’s name, birth date, birth place, death date, burial place, and other available details of the soldier’s service. 

During the dedication, seven trees will be paired with Civil War veterans of Horry County.  Honored at the ceremony will be:

• John R. Long
• Lorenzo D. Long
• W.S. McCaskill
• William Privett
• Russell Hardee
• Charles McDermott
• Henry Clay Moore

The ceremony is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Adam Emrick, Senior Planner with Horry County Planning & Zoning and 843-915-5340.

Horry County is in the process of preparing various property tax mailings, as detailed below.

A state-mandated, countywide reassessment of all real properties in Horry County has occurred for tax year 2014, based on values as of December 31, 2013. Horry County’s last reassessment determined the fair market value of real properties as of December 31, 2008, and the amounts of real estate (property) tax paid on those values through tax year 2013.

In September, a notice of reassessment will be mailed to all property owners in Horry County whose property’s market value increases $1,000 or more as a result of reassessment. Only real property is appraised during a reassessment, which includes land and any improvements on it such as a house, outbuilding, swimming pool, or dock. During a reassessment, the Assessor’s Office will review the market values of all properties in the county. Based on changes in the real estate market, the Assessor’s Office will determine which property values need to be increased or decreased.

Each property owner has 90 days after the date of the assessment notice to notify the Assessor’s Office if they would like to appeal the value as shown on the reassessment notice. The appeal form is available at http://www.horrycounty.org/portals/0/Docs/assessor/appeal-2014.pdf. Filing an appeal does not waive the tax liability, so while the appeals process is underway, it is recommended that you pay the tax liability prior to the penalty period to avoid further penalties. For more information on property reassessment notices, please contact the Horry County Assessor’s Department at (843) 915-5040.

In October, the Horry County Auditor’s office will mail personal property tax bills. Personal property tax must be paid on all personal property, including business personal property used to generate business income within Horry County. This includes business personal property, such as furniture, which is located within a condominium or house that is rented to third parties to generate revenue for the owner. The tax is assessed on the values that the business owners report to the County when they file the Form PR 26 by April 30^th each year. More information regarding this filing requirement, including the form and the instructions, are available at http://www.horrycounty.org/portals/0/Docs/auditor/PersonalPropertyReturn2014.pdf. If you have questions regarding the personal property tax bill that you receive, or if you filed a Form PR 26 but do not receive a personal property tax bill, please call the Auditor’s Office at (843) 915-5054.

Also in October, the county will mail real property tax bills. Approximately 250,000 bills will be mailed. However, if you have been making installment payments during the year as payments to be applied against your 2014 real property tax bill, your tax bill will not be mailed to you until November 15th. The reason for this delay is that the installment payment that you make during the month of October needs to be processed in order to determine the remaining balance due on your 2014 taxes. Tax bills relating to 2014 can be paid without penalty up to January 15, 2015. Payments postmarked after January 15, 2015, and payments paid at the County’s Treasurer’s Office locations after January 15, 2015 will be subject to a 3% penalty, and additional penalty of 7% if not paid on or before February 1, 2015, and a third penalty of 5% if not paid on or before March 16, 2015. Additional information relating to paying real property taxes on-line, or signing up for the installment payment plan, is available at http://www.horrycounty.org/Departments/Treasurer.aspx. New applications for the 2015 tax year Installment Payment Program deadline is January 15, 2015. For more information concerning tax payments please contact the Horry County Treasurer’s Office at (843) 915-5470.

Conway, South Carolina – Horry County announced the three winners of the Horry County Employee Quarterly Awards, and a winner from each of the three divisions was chosen.

Rebekah Cooke, Administrative Assistant for the Horry County Memorial Library System, won the Administration Division Quarterly Award for saving Horry County taxpayers over $20,000 on office supplies, non-asset equipment and furniture through product research. Ms. Cooke also keeps personnel records for the Library staff including time clock. She checks the time clock edit daily for missed or incorrect punches and notifies the appropriate staff. Her diligence prevents unapproved overtime. In addition, Ms. Cooke created a database for leave time so that employees could easily access it. She also manages the Library’s Family Medical Leave coordination. Her excellent attention to detail increases efficiency and effectiveness for the Horry County Memorial Library System as a whole.

Lance Corporal Erik Karney, Beach Patrol for the Horry County Police, won the Public Safety Division Quarterly Award for his volunteer work as the Area Director for Special Olympics South Carolina Area 16 (Horry County). Lance Corporal Karney volunteers his time as a representative of the Horry County Police raising money for the many events Special Olympics puts on for the children each year. The two largest fund raising events are the St. Patrick’s Day festival and Oktoberfest which are both held on Ocean Boulevard. Other very successful campaigns include the annual Polar Plunge, Cop on Top, and the Red Robin fundraisers. Erik assists in getting other law enforcement officers to participate. He also organizes the different sporting events for the children. Horry County Special Olympics was able to assist over 400 children/athletes last year! Lance

Corporal Karney used his partnership with LETR (Law Enforcement Torch Run) to form the Horry County Police Department Unified Basketball Team, one of which was chosen to play on the national level at the 2014 USA Special Olympics in Princeton, New Jersey. This team won the Gold Medal and received national recognition!

Lance Corporal Karney understands his mission as one of service, and gives of his time freely which sheds a very positive light on the Horry County Police Department and all law enforcement in general.

Dennis Taylor, Supervisor III for Horry County Fleet Service, won the Infrastructure & Regulation Division Quarterly Award for consistent performance of his duties at a level above and beyond all expectations. Mr. Taylor saved Horry County taxpayers over $30,000 in vehicle repairs through collections from the manufacturer for faulty parts and by working closely with insurance companies. He has also worked with representatives from the Ford Motor Company and General Motors to get county vehicles repaired at little or no cost. Dennis evaluates each vehicle repair to determine how to provide it with the highest quality and the most minimum cost. Dennis Taylor has demonstrated creativity, discretion and endurance and is a valued member of the Horry County Fleet Service Department.

These three winners of the Horry County Employee Quarterly Awards received $250, a designated parking space, a certificate of achievement, and are eligible for the Employee of the Year Award of $1,000.

Other outstanding nominees were:

• Tabitha Barfield-Veteran’s Affairs
• Paul Gullans-Animal Care Center
• Joyce Jordan-Public Works
• Billy Pavlick-E911
• Alicia Shelley-Planning
• Richard Staggs-Assessor
• Melissa Ward-Finance
• Kysha Wright-Detention Center
• Nicole Zielbauer-Airport

The Employee Quarterly Award Program focuses on an act or performance accomplished by an employee that is significant or of great value to the department or county organization as a whole and is beyond normal expectations of the employee. Considerations are also given to customer service, cost/time savings, recognized increased efficiency, and/or effectiveness, or revenue generated funds.

Conway, South Carolina – Contractors will strip the remaining overhang brackets, remove the remaining traffic protection and perform the asphalt buildup which will cover the entire intersection requiring the temporary closure of the US 17 Bypass/SC 707 Intersection on Tuesday, July 22, and Wednesday, July 23, from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m., weather permitting. Thursday, July 24, will be a backup, inclement weather date or if an additional night is needed to complete the work.

During this time period, motorists will be able to travel north and south bound on US 17 Bypass, however no left turns will be allowed from US 17 Bypass at the intersection of SC 707 and Farrow Parkway. Motorists traveling on SC 707 and Farrow Parkway when approaching the intersection will not be allowed to travel through the intersection or make left turns. Only right turns will be allowed off of SC 707 and Farrow Parkway onto US 17 Bypass.

The recommended access for south bound US 17 Bypass and SC 707 wanting to go east on Farrow Parkway would be to use the US 17/SC 544 Interchange. The recommended access for north bound US 17 and Farrow Parkway wanting to go west on SC 707 would be to use the Fantasy Harbour/US 17 Interchange. The alternative detours/routes are placed on signage throughout the vicinity of the project.

Conway, South Carolina – The Horry County Animal Care Center will hold a vaccination clinic, 24 July 2014, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the animal shelter located at 1923 Industrial Park Road in Conway. The Clinic will offer the following services:

• Distemper/Parvo $10--must be at least 8-weeks old (canine)
• Bordatella $10--must be at least 8-weeks old (canine)
• Rabies $10--must be at least 4-months old (canine & feline)
• Microchip $15--must be at least 8-weeks old (canine & feline)
• Rhinotracheitis/Calici $10--must be at least 8-weeks old (feline)

Dogs and cats are both welcome; dogs must be on a hand-held leash and cats must be in a pet carrier.

The Animal Care Center holds these clinics monthly.

To help homeless animals in Horry County find loving homes, the Animal Care Center will offer discounted adoptions the first Friday and Saturday of each month. Potential adopters are encouraged to visit and spend time with the animal they are interested in. Most of the animals are already spayed or neutered and have their shots up to date, however younger animals may need to be returned later to have shots and/or spay/neutering done. The paperwork is easy and only takes a few minutes to fill out. Adoption fees are discounted and typically include spaying/neutering, vaccines, heartworm or leukemia testing, heartworm and flea preventative, intestinal parasite treatment and micro-chipping. Qualifying new pet parents also get 30-days free pet health insurance and coupons from local pet businesses.

To view the animals currently available for adoption or for more information on the monthly vaccination clinics, contact the Horry County Animal Care Center at 843-915-5172, follow us on Facebook, or visit our website.