Horry County won’t raise taxes this year. But, leaders say, future planning is needed
First the good news: Horry County leaders aren’t increasing any taxes or fees this year.
That means the tax bill you get in October should look remarkably similar to the one you just paid in February.
And, overall, the county is in a stable financial position as it works on next year’s budget.
But, county leaders said at a day-long budget hearing Thursday, the county needs to do more to plan for the future. Horry County won’t stop growing any time soon, they said, and the county will need more money to keep up with demands for services and infrastructure.
“We know what the projections are — projections of growth and projections of what our budget is going to be, expenses and revenue — (but) we need to look hard at what we’re doing,” County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner said.
That means the county — with its $660 million budget — is in good financial shape for now, but continued growth will mean serious pressures on the budget in coming years. Council voted to raise taxes and fees significantly last year because of that growth.
U.S. Census data last year showed the county gained more than 80,000 new residents between 2010 and 2020. County officials project a continued population increase of more than 3% each year.
Council members on Thursday gave an initial approval to the county’s budget for July 2022 through June 2023.
One way Horry County needs to address growth, County Council member Harold Worley said, is to take a critical look at its paving schedule for neighborhoods. Developers are building new subdivisions constantly, he said, and if those roads are included in the county’s system of public roads, the county will eventually be on the hook to repave those roads.
“It’s going to be a lot of money. I don’t want that slipping up on us and us not being ready for it,” Worley said. “If (those roads) have been put in the county system, that’ll cost money.”
And council member Al Allen raised a concern that if the county doesn’t keep up on wages for public employees, those workers may be forced to live outside of Horry County because housing costs are rising so rapidly. That can lead to employee turnover, he said. Low wages contribute to employee turnover, The Sun News previously reported.
“These are real costs that are eating away at our budget right now,” Allen said.
Additionally, Assistant Administrator Barry Spivey said, the county’s population growth has made it necessary to expand the building the county uses to store court records and evidence. The county will also need to staff a new police precinct in Carolina Forest in the coming years.
Raises, and what else is in the budget
Thursday’s budget hearing also included a lengthy discussion about giving public safety employees raises using the impact fees the county charges on new homes and buildings. Impact fees, by law, can’t be used for salaries, but Worley proposed replacing capital funds — those used for buildings and facilities — with the fee money, and using the newly-freed capital money for salaries.
Council members didn’t make a final decision on the matter Thursday — members said they’d need to wait for a study on impact fees to be updated — but some said the need for increased salaries was more evidence of the county’s need for better future planning.
Public Safety Director Randy Webster, for example, noted that it costs the county nearly $200,000 to hire a new police officer when training and equipment are factored in. Allen said the county needs to do more to retain officers to keep those on-boarding costs down.
“If we’re going to maintain, just maintain, guys, we are going to have to step up and do something, much less add on,” Allen said. “If you pay people a decent living wage and if you treat them right, then all that investment you have in them, they’ll be more prone to stay, they’ll be more prone to represent Horry County.”
Webster noted the public safety departments he oversees will need staff and equipment totaling $17 million in the near future.
Even without the impact-fee-backed salary increases, the county’s proposed budget includes small wage and health care increases for employees. The budget includes raises to match inflation, as well as a 1% increase in pension contributions and an 18% increase in health insurance coverage.
Here are some other highlights from Horry County’s proposed budget. The county won’t pass a final budget until June.
- Hiring an additional 39 county staffers, including 11 site attendants for the Solid Waste Authority, six custodians at the airport, a librarian, and employees for the museum, assessor and public works departments.
- $10 million for construction of a public safety training facility
- $6.5 million to purchase office space in Conway
- $3.8 million for a new public works equipment building with office space
- $3 million for a new waste and recycling facility
- $2.5 million to renovate the historic Conway courthouse
Smaller projects include building a boat launch at Lees Landing Circle Park outside Conway, a “snag and drag” cleanup of the Waccamaw River, a study of the river and a stormwater study in Bucksport. Various rehabs of county buildings are also included in the budget.
The public will be able to weigh in on the budget the next time the council votes on it, likely in May.
Gardner noted that he would like to work out a way to use impact fees to boost this year’s budget. That would decrease employee turnover and spread the costs to both longtime residents and newcomers.
“Then we’re getting the people who are causing the extra expenditures,” Gardner said. “You’ve been living here 20 years, why should you pay for the new stuff that someone else caused by moving here? That’s what we’re trying to do.”
