Saturday, November 16, 2024
Horry County District 5 council member Paul Price announced today that he will not seek re-election this year.
Price, who is retired from the military and the highway patrol said it was time to focus on his family.
“When I look at my life as a whole, I’ve served the country, the state and the county for a total of 45 years,” Price said. “It’s time to focus on family now.”
A Horry County Council workshop scheduled for February 6, 2014 at 5 p.m. will consider amending Ordinance 60-90 to add a formal process for dissolving the Horry County Solid Waste Authority (HCSWA).
Free standing, quasi-governmental authorities are the worst form of public agency. They have a tendency to forget they are public agencies trusted with implementation of public policy through the use of public dollars. The HCSWA proves this statement every day.
Since its creation, in December 1990, the Horry County Solid Waste Authority board has acted as if it was the board of a private corporation rather than the implementation arm of Horry County Council’s solid waste policy. And the HCSWA board quickly developed its own peculiar form of corporate arrogance.
The Horry County Solid Waste Authority is looking for a way to continue lobbying activities in Columbia despite last week’s vote by Horry County Council to amend the county’s flow control ordinance.
The HCSWA Finance Committee will consider a request by HCSWA executive director Danny Knight to approve approximately $30,000 initially for continued lobbying activities.
If the committee approves the request, the HCSWA board will consider giving approval at its regular meeting in February.
In the meantime, Knight has approval of the HCSWA board to negotiate a temporary, month-to-month agreement in the $5,000/mo range.
With the RIDE II capital project sales tax set to expire in May 2014, there does not appear to be enough support among Horry County Council members to immediately push for a RIDE III program.
This is a good idea.
For those of you who may not remember, or not have lived in Horry County in 2006, the process of establishing projects to be funded by a one cent local option sales tax (that’s what a capital project sales tax is) is not one that should be rushed.
Almost five years after solid waste flow control was made county government policy, Horry County Council moved to take control of that policy as a management tool rather than the hammer it has been until now.
By a 7-4 vote, council amended its flow control ordinance to allow construction and demolition debris to go to SC DHEC approved landfills, both public and private, outside of the county rather than mandating all C&D go to the Horry County Solid Waste Authority landfill on Hwy 90.
The final vote was not without several desperate, last minute attempts to delay it, which included the spreading of HCSWA propaganda that had become quite old.
As the ordinance to amend the county’s flow control ordinance comes up for third reading at the January 21, 2014 regular meeting of Horry County Council, the political rhetoric of garbage is reaching its apex.
Garbage has two meanings in this article – that which is buried at the Hwy 90 landfill and that which comes from the mouth of some Horry County Solid Waste Authority officials and their supporters.
The garbage that is buried at the landfill will be somewhat less if county council passes third reading of the ordinance.
While the data from the HCSWA says this will result in lost revenue of $927,500 annually, an independent study says the actual cost to the HCSWA will be a miniscule $19,000 annually.
It does not appear that any votes changed sides at yesterday’s Horry County Council solid waste flow control workshop.
Council is currently considering an amendment to the county’s flow control ordinance that would remove construction and demolition debris from regulation.
The workshop allowed the Horry County Solid Waste Authority to make a presentation on the possible effects of the amendment followed by questions and discussion by council members.
Horry County Council will hold a workshop on solid waste flow control and the ordinance amendment now being considered on Monday January 6, 2014 beginning at 3 p.m. in council chambers.
The amendment passed by a 6-5 vote on first reading at council’s December meeting. The workshop is expected to bring a full bore attack by council members opposed to the amendment, which is the same as saying apologists for the Horry County Solid Waste Authority.
Final passage of the amendment would remove construction and demolition debris from flow control regulations.
The “Big Talk” television show will feature a one hour special “Talking Big Trash” Sunday December 29th and Sunday January 5th.
The show is a response to the Horry County Council ordinance that will amend the county’s solid waste flow control ordinance if it passes two more readings.
Since county council introduced the ordinance, opponents led by Horry County Solid Waste Authority officials and several council members who blindly support the HCSWA have been spreading rumors about how much the amendment will cost the county.
By a margin of one vote, Horry County Council moved to benefit future generations of county residents by approving first reading of an amendment to the county’s solid waste flow control ordinance.
The amendment will remove construction and demolition debris from flow control regulation.
By taking this step, the HCSWA estimates it will lose approximately 35,000 tons of C&D waste from going to its Hwy 90 landfill. It must be noted, that estimate is purely speculative, but any loss of waste experienced by the HCSWA extends the life of the landfill to the benefit of future generations of Horry County residents.
Speak Up…