Horry County takes first steps toward spending leftover road money on radios

Horry County Council on Wednesday moved forward with plans to spend up to $16 million in leftover road tax money on a new digital radio system.

Despite receiving criticism from some residents who want to see the extra money spent on highway projects, council members stressed that the county desperately needs the radio system and using the money for that purpose will not affect the completion of the remaining projects in RIDE II, the road-building program voters approved in 2006.

“This is money that was not planned for,” County Councilman Johnny Vaught said. “This money that we spend on this radio system will have absolutely nothing to do with the RIDE projects. ... Those are totally funded. The money is there. We’re not worried about losing any kind of funding or having to curtail any of those projects or anything.”

When the tax was approved, state law allowed any excess money to be returned to county coffers. Officials had projected the tax would bring in $425 million. The revenues are about $448 million.

Nearly all of the bids are in for the RIDE II road projects, and officials expect the construction to stay within budget projections. Even if there are some cost overruns, officials insist they will still have more than enough funding to pay for the projects and spend up to $16 million on the radio system.

“Every project that was approved by the citizens on RIDE II will be completed,” County Council Chairman Mark Lazarus said. “The money’s in the bank. ... Nobody’s going to miss anything.”

Using the RIDE II funding for radios makes sense, Lazarus said, because the money was collected countywide and police, fire and EMS agencies throughout Horry will need to communicate via the new radio system.

The county’s current analog system has many dead spots where public safety staff can’t get service.

“This system is a public safety issue,” Lazarus said. “It’s a safety issue for our workers, for our personnel and it’s a safety issue for our citizens.”

The radio network dates back to 1992 and will become obsolete after Dec. 31, 2016, officials said. Once that date passes, there will be no more parts available or support from system manufacturer Motorola.

“Unfortunately, Motorola has got us over a barrel,” Lazarus said.

The $16 million will cover radios as well as infrastructure such as antennas, towers and fiber-optic lines. The county has put out a request for proposals on the system. Bids are due by Nov. 24.

Although the road money would pay for the system’s initial expenses, leaders must find a way to pay for maintenance costs, which could top $1 million per year.

Of all the 15 projects in RIDE II, the one facing the most hurdles is the completion of International Drive. The county wants to pave a 5.6-mile stretch of the thoroughfare but has faced opposition from conservationists who want the county to build tunnels for black bears along the road.

Council members said some residents have suggested they use the extra money from RIDE II to build the tunnels, but they don’t want to do that. The county is waiting on a court hearing to settle the dispute over International Drive.

“That is not about spending the extra dollars on what the conservationists are asking for,” Lazarus said. “It’s about is it right. Is it the right thing to do and is it the appropriate thing to do or is it just a waste of taxpayers’ money? ... This (the radio system) is not a waste. This is the right thing to do.”

To spend the RIDE II money on a radio system, the council must approve the allocation two more times by a super-majority of nine council members.

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Horry County takes first steps toward spending leftover road money on radios."