PINOPOLIS, SC (WBTW) – Horry County leaders voted Thursday to withdraw funds they’ve been giving to the City of Myrtle Beach.
In the past, the county has given the city $200,000 for the Pelicans Stadium, but now that that project is finished, the city asked that the county continue giving the money to put towards its Superblock project. The money would go toward the building of the new Chapin Memorial Library and the Children’s Museum of South Carolina
During Wednesday’s county council budget retreat session, Horry County Council Chairman Mark Lazarus said the decision to fund or to withdraw money from the project may come down to the city’s willingness to work with the county on parking issues.
At the end of January, Myrtle Beach leaders amended the parking regulations to allow anyone who lives outside the city limits and purchased the city’s $100 parking permit to park in any city-owned lot in commercial areas, including 21st Avenue North to 6th Avenue South, and at the northern end of the city from 69th to 77th Avenue North. That change, however, does not include the legendary “Golden Mile” of Myrtle Beach, where many county residents have enjoyed parking for years, argues county council.
Thursday, during the second day of the county’s budget retreat, county council passed the first reading of the proposed budget voting to not give the City of Myrtle Beach money to go towards the new children’s museum project.
“We as council members said, you know, are we going to really do that and yet our citizens, one, don’t get a free library card where a City of Myrtle Beach resident uses a county library where they do get a free library card, free use of the library, and the second is, citizens that buy the $100 placard or parking ticket can’t park in all the metered spaces that a citizen of Myrtle Beach can,” questions Lazarus. “So, a little discrepancy there.”
Each year, Horry County also gives Myrtle Beach $35,000 to go towards the Chapin Memorial Library, but this year, council leaders say they will request that county residents be able to use the library for free in exchange for the $35K.
