CAROLINA FOREST, SC (WBTW) – Carolina Forest residents reacted to a new referendum that was approved by Horry County Council during Tuesday night’s meeting that would let residents vote to raise taxes to fund public safety improvements.
According to Horry County Council, public safety measures are lacking across the county, but especially in Carolina Forest.
“The fire stations that we have are not large enough to support the operations of an entire precinct,” says Dennis DiSabato of Horry County Council. “I think a new precinct is necessary in the county.”
Come November, Horry County residents will be able to decide if they want to fund the new precinct that is proposed to be based in Carolina Forest.
“We wanna hear back from the community. We want to have you decide what you want us to do in regards to public safety,” says Councilman DiSabato.
However, the residents want specific numbers of potential tax raises before they can decide to vote yes or no.
“I don’t just wanna blow the budget up; add a bunch of services that aren’t gonna give us real results,” says Michael Ritchie, a 12-year Carolina Forest resident.
He says he would have no problem paying more taxes to potentially help improve public safety salaries and create a fifth police and fire precinct, but he wants to make sure the funds are needed first.
Horry County Council will address the exact details of what could be included in the ballot question at their next meeting in July.
