Horry County Road Funding

Horry County Road Funding

By Dennis Mitchell

Horry County Council passed first reading last week of an ordinance to establish road projects, funded by a one-cent local option sales tax, for up to the next 25 years. This is the most ambitious consideration of future road projects ever discussed by council. If approved, this initiative would replace the more common seven-year project lists such as RIDE II and RIDE III.

The final approval for institution of the one-cent local option tax will be voted on in a binding referendum question on the November 2024 general election. Therein lies the first big question the voters must answer – do they wish to approve a list of road projects in November which will restrict new projects over up to 25 years?

The local option tax is projected to raise approximately $5 billion over 25 years. This amount could be bonded against to speed up construction of the projects rather than the pay as you go system used with the last two RIDE plans. However, it also confines new projects to the list of roads approved by voters in the referendum question.

With the growth experienced in the county over the lase few years continuing unabated at this time, the county is way behind in expanding roads which are seeing new sub-divisions started nearly monthly. Highways 90, 905 and 701 south of Conway immediately spring to mind. What once were roads traveled by tractors working tobacco fields, now they are mainly used by new residents in the new sub-divisions in the county for daily travel. Congestion grows daily.

Horry County’s road needs have been met with local option taxes for 30 years while areas such as Charleston, Columbia and Greenville have received generous state grants to help with their road projects. As voters consider whether to commit to a 25-year plan, they should also question what changes could help bring a fair

Saturday Cartoon 3-16-24

It's pronounced Or-ree!!!

This first edition offers some insights into this weekly article and provides a brief history of Horry County. Our readers can expect an array of subjects, topics, and stories, both current and past, that have opinion, fact, and some stories passed down over time with no collaboration aka Horry County lure. No subject will be off-limits, and the goal is to be entertaining, informative, thought provoking, and simply a fun read. Horry County: Pronounced (OR-ree), was occupied primarily by the Chicora Indian before English settlement in the early 1700’s. Not named Horry County until 1801, initial settlement was in 1732 by English settlers that made their way up the Waccamaw River from Georgetown to settle on a high bluff area overlooking the river where history claims the group of explores killed a bear eventually naming the area Kings Town in honor of the English King to later be named Conway. Located in the easternmost region of the State, from settlement through the early 19

Rankin Out of Touch

Luke Rankin is out of Touch with Voters Horry County Senator Luke Rankin put himself in a political box last week that he will find it difficult to get out of as reelection time rolls around. With reform of the process which elects judges in the state being a hot topic among the voters and other elected officials, Rankin chose last week to voice support, in an hour-long speech on the Senate floor last week, for the current process. As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Vice Chairman of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission, Rankin has a lot of say in who becomes judges in South Carolina. He probably can’t be blamed for wanting to keep that power in his hands. However, 695,791 voters in the recent South Carolina Presidential Primary election answered a question included on the ballot of whether the current process of electing judges in the state should be reformed. Over 91 percent, 634,345 to be exact, said YES. When 9 out of every 10 voters disagree with the position of

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