Tag: Horry County Council

Coast RTA Resolution Delayed

Coast RTA CEO Myers Rollins asked Horry County Council to delay voting on a resolution to approve releasing the FY 2014 fourth quarter payment, by the county to Coast RTA, of just over $263,000.

Rollins’ request was to allow Coast RTA more time to further act on attempting to change state law so that the composition of its board of directors would more accurately reflect the grant contributions of local governments.

Rollins told council of actions Coast RTA officials have made over the last several weeks to attempt to effect a change in its board population.

Resolutions Will Spice Up Horry County Council Meeting

July is normally a quiet time for local government, but Horry County Council will consider two resolutions at its regular July 16, 2013 meeting that could include a bit of controversy.

One resolution tells Huffman Helicopters, Inc. that the county does not intend to agree to a renewal of the November 1, 2008 lease agreement between the county and the company. This is the lease agreement under which Huffman Helicopters operates its tourist helicopter rides out of a corner of the Myrtle Beach International Airport property.

The noise of helicopter sight-seeing rides conducted by both Huffman Helicopters and Helicopter Adventure have been the source of increasing complaints from residents of neighborhoods negatively affected by noise from the operations.

Horry County Council Needs Counsel

It has become increasingly apparent over the last several months that Horry County Council needs to contract an independent attorney to provide it with legal counsel and guidance exclusively.

The need was uniquely demonstrated during council’s Administration Committee meeting July 12th.

During that meeting, committee members discussed a resolution to be considered by full council at its regular meeting Tuesday July 16,
2013. The resolution states council does not intend to extend its current lease at Myrtle Beach International Airport with Huffman Helicopters.

Coast RTA Meetings

Two meetings will be held today that will look to how Coast RTA will be conducting its operations in the future.

The first will be at 10:30 a.m. at the Coast RTA board room where Coast RTA officials will meet with members of the Horry County legislative delegation, a Georgetown County representative and several members of Horry County council.

The purpose of the morning meeting is to investigate changes in state law to provide Horry County more representation on the Coast RTA board in line with its local grant contributions to the Coast RTA budget.

Grounding Helicopter Amusement Rides

Horry County Council will consider a resolution at its July 16, 2013 regular meeting calling for non-renewal of the lease with Huffman Helicopters at Myrtle Beach International Airport with a view to stopping helicopter amusement rides from that location.

The resolution will notify Huffman Helicopter that the county does not intend to renew its current lease for the Myrtle Beach International location when the lease runs out on October 31, 2013.

Huffman Helicopters has a maintenance shop location at Myrtle Beach International and a helicopter amusement ride at Grand Strand Airport in North Myrtle Beach that will not be affected by the resolution.

Coast RTA Budget, Horry County and Communication

The controversy generated by a county budget amendment regarding a Coast RTA revenue grant, added during third reading of the Fiscal Year 2014 county budget, appears to be the result of lack of communication between county and Coast RTA officials.

A two hour meeting with Coast RTA officials last week revealed how the potential loss of a county payment to Coast RTA of $263,758, for the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2014, would result in a total loss to Coast RTA of $599,733.

The potential loss of the county grant payment costs Coast RTA an additional $236,523 in matching federal funds, $50,000 in ad revenue and $49,460 in lost passenger fares from two routes that will be cut, Entertainment Express and Airport to Ocean Boulevard. The Coast RTA budget, submitted to the Federal Transportation Authority must reflect these potential cuts.

Ad Hoc Committee for Strip Club Law

An Ad Hoc Committee of Horry County Council will take the next three months to consider recommendations that will strongly regulate but not eliminate strip clubs and other adult entertainment establishments in the county.

The committee will consist of council members Harold Worley (chairman), Bob Grabowski, Paul Price, Brent Schulz, Marion Foxworth and Jody Prince. Staff members who will assist the committee are Infrastructure and Regulation Division Director Steve Gosnell, Planning Division Director Janet Carter and Horry County Police Chief Saundra Rhodes.

The appointment of the ad hoc committee by council chairman Mark Lazarus resulted from discussion at a special June 24, 2013 workshop. A majority of council members were not willing to adopt an extremely stringent ordinance drawn up for the county by an attorney in Tennessee, specializing in this type of law.

Coast RTA Funding – Tempest in a Teapot?

It seems that the controversy over funding that erupted last week between Coast RTA and Horry County may be on its way to resolution.

The Coast RTA board passed a resolution at its regular board meeting Wednesday to work with Horry County and the Horry County legislative delegation to reconstitute who appoints board members to more closely reflect local agency funding of the authority.

Why couldn’t this resolution have been passed in the six months since January 2014? If it had, there is a very good chance uncertainty about a $268,000 payment from Horry County to Coast RTA in May 2014 would never have arisen.

Coast RTA vs. Horry County Budget Fight

It never takes much to stir up a political controversy in Horry County, but the one that has erupted in the last couple of days between Coast RTA and Horry County Council, over budgets, is ridiculous beyond belief.

Like any good political battle, egos are up and there are charges and counter-charges and more misinformation than real information in the air. But, the victor in these types of controversies is usually the one who controls the purse strings and that’s not good news for Coast RTA.

The genesis of this foolishness rests with the Horry County advisory referendum of 2010 in which 62.5 percent of voters said they would support giving tax dollars from the county’s general fund to Coast RTA to help fund its operations.

Horry County Strip Club Law Workshop

Horry County Council will hold a workshop on its proposed new strip club law Tuesday June 25, 2013 in council chambers beginning at 4 p.m.

The meat of the agenda is advertised as an explanation of pending federal litigation and proposed Horry County ordinances.

The federal litigation is the stimulus for changing the current county ordinances governing strip clubs, which are woefully inadequate and expected to be struck down with the current litigation.