Horry County Council decided to make people who live along Legends Drive in the Carolina Forest area to vote whether or not they should pay to improve the road.
Council accepted a petition that calls for an election to decide whether or not to create a special tax district.
Neighbors packed council chambers wanting to halt an election, because they said signatures on the petition were unfairly gathered. Some people said they thought they were signing a sign-in sheet at a meeting and didn’t realize they were signing the petition.
It was also argued there were too many different versions of the petition, including confusion over the total cost of the project.
Council said fear of legal action was the reason they approved the petition, even though many council members were vocal about their disapproval of the proposed tax district.
“That was my point: if it’s gonna fail, then why should we go through the whole exercise of having a referendum and all that,” Councilman Johnny Vaught said.
Five council members voted against, and seven members voted for, the referendum, which also needed 15 percent, or 105 voter signatures out of 715 voters, to move forward.
Supporters of the tax district say it will help with road widening and repair and also increase property values. Those against the district argue the repairs shouldn’t fall on taxpayers, because legends drive is privately owned.
“The developer should pay for his road,” Jennifer McClellan, who lives on Legends Drive, said. “We should not have to pay for his property.”
The vote is scheduled for May 29. Some neighbors and council members said that was unfair to happen right after a holiday weekend, so that date could change.
No matter how the people vote, the referendum is non-binding and council will still have the final say.
