SURFSIDE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Town council gave final approval to a stormwater fee that leaders say will pay for more than $3 million in needed drainage projects.
Homeowners will pay an $82 annual fee. The amount businesses pay will be based on property size. Council passed final reading of an ordinance for the fee at a meeting Tuesday night.
Public works director John Adair says Surfside could collect at least $400,000 annually from the fee. The fee would fund several drainage projects worth an estimated $3,450,000. Surfside’s north end alone would get $2 million.
Here’s a list of the capital improvement projects Adair says could be funded by the fee:
- Phase II North Side Drainage Project – $1,000,000
- Phase III North Side Drainage Project – $1,000,000
- Dogwood Swash – Replace Ocean Boulevard Culvert Bridge – $700,000
- Melody Basin – Eliminate Discharge into Garden City – $400,000
- Floral Swash – Replace Bulkheads – $350,000
The town stopped pursuing a fee in 2017, but resumed after several flooding events, especially Hurricane Florence. A stormwater management program would also be created to make sure Surfside meets national water runoff standards.
The fee will be added to next year’s Horry County property tax bills.
