No new ambulance for Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire after tax vote fails, chairman says
After voters overwhelmingly opposed their property tax increase request, Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District will need to regroup to decide how to move forward financially.
Purchasing a new ambulance and hiring a fourth ambulatory unit, which district officials said were needed ahead of the vote, are “obviously off the table,” according to board chairman George Oldroyd.
Oldroyd said plans to adjust employee salaries to remain competitive in the industry will still be considered.
The board will meet to discuss its immediate financial future during its regular monthly meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at its Murrells Inlet headquarters, 3641 Hwy 17 Business.
The district was seeking to raise its property tax rate from 14 to 19 mills, but more than 65 percent of voters during Tuesday’s election opposed the referendum, with 1,117 voting no and 587 voting yes, according to unofficial results from Horry and Georgetown counties election offices.
Oldroyd said he’s disappointed with the result, and it will be up to the full board whether to try again at a later date, but he fully accepts the decision as the will of the people.
Residents had approved the district’s request to increase property taxes from 10 to 14 mills in 2015, but questions about the district’s financial transparency shrouded public support this time.
Tom Swatzel, chairman of a group called Friends of Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District, sent out a mailer last week to potential voters urging them to vote against the referendum.
In the mailer, Swatzel explained that his decision to publicly oppose the request was difficult because the firefighters, paramedics and EMTs continue to provide excellent protection and service, but he felt “the fire district board has stumbled badly in its fiduciary duties over the last five years.”
Oldroyd, who initially asked Swatzel to help advocate for the tax increase, said he believes the mailer had a “massive” impact on the voting results.
Oldroyd said some of Swatzel’s assertions, including that the district has a $4.3 million surplus, were only “half-truths” because they left out certain pieces of information, but he applauds everyone who voted for doing their civic duty.
This story was originally published July 17, 2019 at 12:25 PM.
