A deal to settle Horry County, Myrtle Beach legal dispute could be decided on Monday
All local councils will likely vote on a potential resolution to the hospitality fee this Monday at 6 p.m.
The initial deal was reached in mediation on Oct. 31. This could bring an end to a months-long debate over the legality of Horry County collecting a 1.5 percent fee on hospitality services within municipal borders.
If the mediation compromise is approved, it will become a public document.
The City of Myrtle Beach sued Horry County over the collection of the fee within its borders on March 20. Since then, a judge has ordered the money be kept in escrow until the matter is settled. As a part of the trial process, Myrtle Beach and Horry County met for over 20 hours of mediation to try and work out a deal that would bring an end to the dispute without further legal action.
A compromise was met, but no further action was taken on the plan.
While the discussions were private, the plan most likely includes an agreement to help fund I-73 and use the revenue to cover legal expenses occurred by Myrtle Beach. Horry County Council Member Harold Worley said last month that he was not in favor of the plan because it was a bad deal for tax payers and was too similar to an earlier compromise to end the lawsuit.
Horry County proposed a deal several months ago that would let the municipalities keep a portion of their hospitality fee with money held back to fund I-73. The deal was never accepted.
This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 12:18 PM.
