Tag: Horry County Council

WestJet Guarantee to Cost Horry County Half Million

If current passenger expectations remain valid through the end of October, Horry County will pay WestJet over $500,000 pursuant to a guarantee to the airline county council approved in February 2013.

According to a source familiar with airport operations, the county is already in the hole to WestJet to the tune of $325,000 and expects the bottom line, after WestJet ends this year’s operations October 31st, to be approximately $510,000.

County council approved setting aside a contingency fund of up to $1 million that would be used to guarantee WestJet 60% occupancy, the break-even point for WestJet, on each flight to Myrtle Beach. The county would buy up empty seats on each flight so WestJet would not lose money.

WestJet won’t lose money, but the county did.

First Blood to County in Adult Entertainment Battle

Horry County drew first blood in what looks to be a long and protracted battle over its adult entertainment ordinances when a federal judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order Monday.

The judge ruled against a petition by the Gold Club for the order against the county’s two new adult entertainment ordinances, which received final approval September 3rd.

This means the new ordinances remain in effect and the county is free to enforce them, at least until further court action is taken.

Adult Entertainment Battle Joined

By a vote of 9-2, Horry County Council approved third reading of its new adult entertainment ordinances Tuesday night.

Horry County Council is putting its faith in Tennessee attorney Scott Bergthold to prevail in federal court to keep these ordinances in effect.

One thing to make clear is that adult entertainment establishments will continue to operate in Horry County. This ordinance will not end the industry in the county.

The only question is how many tax dollars the county will transfer to Bergthold in the process.

Horry County Adult Entertainment

Altering the Adult Entertainment Game

Horry County Council will consider third reading of the new adult entertainment ordinances Tuesday night.

Expect the ordinances to pass by a fairly wide margin.

By passing the new ordinances, all strip clubs and adult bookstores/novelty shops in the unincorporated areas of the county will be out of compliance and subject to closure.

Does this mean the end of strip clubs and adult retail businesses in the county area? NO!

More HCSWA Smoke and Mirrors

Horry County Solid Waste Authority (HCSWA) Executive Director Danny Knight was quoted in a local media outlet Thursday attempting to give justifications why the authority form of governance should not be changed.

Knight was talking about the grandiose plan the HCSWA has for horse and walking trails, ball fields and other recreational facilities on its landfill site after the landfill closes in 2035. His theme was if the county council decides to change the form of governance of the HCSWA from the present authority to a committee or commission, all will be lost for the citizens of Horry County.

To this we have one thing to say – bullsheisse!

HCSWA Laying Low

For the past several months, officials at the Horry County Solid Waste Authority (HCSWA) have been pushing changes with the agency’s by-laws so that HCSWA would not have to file a Form 990 with the IRS.

All of a sudden those changes are not a priority anymore because the Horry County Infrastructure and Regulation Committee is taking a closer look at the form of its oversight of the HCSWA.

Actually, oversight is a misnomer as Horry County Council has done little oversight of this agency for the past decade.

We won’t get into the specifics of the reasons for the changes. Suffice it to say the HCSWA does not want to explain to the IRS why it has $37 million in the bank – $22 million in questionable future expense reserves and $15 million excess reserves.

The Adult Entertainment Issue Churns On – Udated

After the meeting between county government officials and members of the Carolina Forest Civic Association on adult entertainment sites Wednesday night, we received the following email from Todd Martin, Corporate Spokesperson for Adult Entertainment Video, LLC:

Press Release

Representatives of our organization were in attendance at tonight’s Carolina Forest Civic Association meeting. Janet Carter offered, yet again, another vague and misleading presentation. She cannot identify specific parcels of property on the Carolina Forest 501 corridor, yet she continually refers to them. While these overly broad, Constitutionally defective proposed ordinances were discussed, the folks in Carolina Forest did not receive one bit of clarification or further information than what has already been reported by the media.

Airport Express Video on Adult Entertainment Issue

It is and has always been the position and vision of Airport Express Video that “if” this adult entertainment ordinance passes we want to do everything within our power to be a proper corporate citizen, including relocation of our business, if that is what Planning Director Janet Carter, and the County’s Top Gun legal counsel Scott Bergthold would like to see happen.

In that regard they have left us with only one viable option and this is the 501 Corridor area of Carolina Forest. We have never said, suggested or indicated that we planned to relocate “inside” of Carolina Forest proper, due solely to the fact that the development agreement prohibits that until 2017.

Of course once that agreement expires then presumably it would open up several more developable locations for the clubs and stores which sell adult related merchandise. Having been a part of this community for many years, we truly feel that all property from Highway 31 West to the Carolina Forest Wal Mart is truly Carolina Forest, regardless of what specific roadway you are physically on.

Adult Entertainment and Carolina Forest

Adult entertainment locations will be the topic of discussion at the Carolina Forest Civic Association Wednesday night.

Scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Carolina Forest Rec Center on Carolina Forest Boulevard, the meeting will allow Carolina Forest residents to be briefed on how they are facing the “Fork in the Road.”

Carolina Forest has become ground zero on the clash between quality of life for residents of one of the fastest growing spots in the county with tourism interests if the county’s new adult entertainment ordinances receive third reading approval.

Disparity in Treatment – Coast RTA vs. MBREDC

Watching the last several months of county council deliberations, one must wonder why there is such disparate treatment between Coast RTA and the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation by our elected officials.

The MBREDC was at county council Tuesday night pushing its $60 million, 15 year funding proposal with a presentation on how the money would be used to try to entice businesses to the area.

A resolution to restore Coast RTA’s FY 2014 fourth quarter funding was pulled off the county council agenda.