CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Horry County Council approved the 2020-2021 fiscal year budget at Tuesday’s council meeting. The Welcome Back Committee also presented new plans to help Horry County residents, visitors, and businesses boost the economy safely.
County council voted 9 to 3 approving the third and final reading of the new fiscal year budget. Tyler Servant, Gary Loftus, Al Allen voted against the proposed budget plans.
“This has been one of the hardest I’ve ever had to deal with,” Paul Prince, Horry County District 9, vice-chairman, said.
In April, the council proposed a $51 million budget-cut due to coronavirus concerns. On Tuesday, the board approved a $459 million budget that decreased $73 million from the current budget.
Business license fees made up close to $2.3 million in cuts to the county budget. The cutback intends to go towards supporting small businesses continuing to recover from the pandemic. There were no tax increases proposed in this year’s budget plans.
“I still don’t know 100 percent where we are because we haven’t been able to have our meetings and workshops like we’ve had in the past department by department like we always did I just hope it works out,” Prince said.
The ongoing pandemic impacted more than budget talks. Horry County’s Welcome Back Committee got approval from the council to move forward with the GreaterGrandStrandisOpen.com website.
“Some businesses were open, and now they have had to close again because of cases of COVID-19 in their workforce,” Karen Riordan, president of Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, said.
The website will be rolled out Wednesday and offer information on restaurant opening status, their guidelines, how to support local businesses, and a message to visitors.
“We do also want our visitors to pack their patience. We are not where we were a year ago in June of 2019. This is very different,” Riordan said.
Businesses are asked to make a promise to keep employees and customers safe. Visitors are asked to act responsibly and follow current guidelines.
“There are some tradeoffs to be made. They can still have a great vacation experience. It’s just going to be a little different than it used to be,” Riordan said.
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