Plan for increased Horry County police, repaved roads include tax and fee increase

An increased vehicle registration fee and a property tax increase are part of a comprehensive plan the Horry County Council will consider next week as needs for improved roads and more county police grow.

Council Chairman Mark Lazarus has said for months that the council has some “tough decisions” to make and those decisions will have to be made by July 1, which is the start of the new fiscal year.

“Our expenses are outpacing our revenues 2-to-1,” Lazarus said. “We’re continuing to grow and the only way I can see is some type of millage increase. The other side is, if we don’t do that, then what services do we cut? What employees do we cut?”

South Carolina law states Horry County can increase its millage by 7.5 mils because it hasn’t increased millage in three years.

Though Lazarus declined to give details about the comprehensive plan until next week, he did say the plan outlines the cost for salary raises in law enforcement, raises for county employees based on performance and increases for entry level pay for law enforcement.

It’s a hot button topic for Bennie Swans, co-chairman of the Alert Community Coalition who is hosting a 400-person dinner for police officers on June 11. Swans said at Tuesday’s council meeting that a recent rash of crime in the county has put him on alert.

“I’m deeply concerned with the crime and safety here in Horry County,” Swans said.

Since February, eight people have been killed in or around the rural communities of Loris and Longs, which Swans said could be prevented with a larger police presence.

“It’s a shame and disgrace,” Swans said. “We cannot let young people die in the streets. Please, please, public safety committee, elected officials, we need your help. People are dying and mothers are crying. How much longer can we go through this without a word from you and the county administrator that sends a message that says that we know we cannot do it alone?”

The council will have a budget workshop at 2 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers in Conway, where Lazarus and staff will present the funding plan.

Lazarus said the presentation will include how much the proposed property tax increase would cost on a 4-percent residential valuation, 6-percent valuation for rentals and 10 percent valuations for businesses.

He said a millage hike isn’t the only increase the plan will propose.

The county collects a $30 fee per vehicle, which is used to repave county roads. The repaving schedule is behind, so Lazarus said the plan will include a proposal to raise the fee to $50 “to stabilize that program for the next 15 years so we can get ahead of the game and get our roads back up to standards,” he said.

And Lazarus said the county continues to grow, which means the plan will include revenue ideas for the future. Those ideas include potential increases in impact fees, alternative ways to handle the county’s health insurance and rewards for the county’s more than 2,100 employees if they identify ways the county can save money.

“We want all of the employees a part of the process,” Lazarus said.

But first, Lazarus knows next Wednesday’s council workshop is a very important one for the comprehensive plan to move forward.

“My goal is to get a consensus of council,” Lazarus said. “I would like to get unanimous. I don’t think that we will, but I would like to get a unanimous consent from council to move forward with the plan that we put in front of them. I think it’s a comprehensive plan that puts us on stable grounds that will hopefully carry us.”

He said he will continue to spend time polishing the plan to best sell it to council.

“I understand how council functions and the way a lot of them think,” Lazarus said. “I’m having one meeting with just myself and staff to go through the presentation one last time before last week to refine it and make sure they’re presenting it in a way that I think we can sell it to council to get their support.

“I think once we do it, the community will support it and understand it.”

This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Plan for increased Horry County police, repaved roads include tax and fee increase."