Demolish dilapidated buildings, owners pay cost to Horry County
The dilapidated houses seen around unincorporated Horry County are sometimes more than eyesores; they are unfit for human habitation and used by criminals as drug dens and other nefarious activities.
Horry County Council has a proposal that would give the county legal authority to demolish dilapidated houses and other deteriorated dwellings unfit for humans in situations where owners ignore orders to make repairs. Then, under the proposal scheduled for an initial vote on Tuesday, the county would have the power to repair or demolish the building and place a lien on the property to cover the cost of the work.
Similar use of police powers may be used when owners of vacant parcels do not mow and the property soon is overgrown with weeds. This is more than an annoyance to adjoining homeowners who take care of their property. When owners of untended parcels do not mow, the municipality or county can have the mowing done and, in effect, bill the property owners.
In unincorporated Horry County, the need for tougher regulations is long overdue. And why exclude old barns and commercial buildings? They are not mentioned in the proposed ordinance. Councilman Jody Prince has noted that not every dilapidated property is a problem. He cited houses built in the 1920 situated in the back of a 50-acre site. “I want to make sure we’re not setting out to find places like this and tear it down if it’s not impacting someone else.”
Prince’s point is well-taken, and on the minds of council members who specifically asked that any structures targeted be identified by public requests – not solely by county officials. Deputy County Attorney Randolph Haldi says the stronger regulations are to address situations where the building poses a public health or safety risks – such as a precariously standing structure.
The current ordinance is weak. As Councilman Johnny Vaught says, “What we have now has no teeth in it.” The county lacks the authority to issue repair orders. There no doubt are situations where houses have been flooded or weakened by fire and people simply do not have the means to make repairs. Such situations are not the point of the proposed ordinance, nor are we suggesting they should be. It’s a different matter when property owners reside out-of-state. Such owners, particularly, have been known to resist repairing buildings here.
It’s important that adjoining homeowners may initiate action on a dilapidated, neighboring structure, but it’s not necessary to require that complaints originate with the public. What about long-abandoned buildings not in a neighborhood? The county should have the legal authority to deal with such public nuisances. If it means an out-of-state owner is forced to take down a building, so be it.
Horry County Council has an opportunity to better deal with ramshackle buildings, including commercial property. The council should add commercial buildings, tweak the requirements for initiating action, and approve the proposed ordinance.
First council
vote Tuesday
Horry Councy Council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Horry County Government & Justice Center in Conway.
Scheduled for first reading is a proposed ordinance to strengthen the county’s authority to deal with deteriorated houses. The draft ordinance has been approved by the council’s Infrasture and Regulations Committee. Three votes are required for approval.
This story was originally published September 2, 2016 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Demolish dilapidated buildings, owners pay cost to Horry County."