MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Myrtle Beach A-tax Advisory Board made its recommendations on how city residents and tourists tax dollars should be spent.
At least one mayoral candidate has criticized the way accommodations tax funds are spent, claiming more should go to public safety.
The money comes from the tax people pay when they stay in hotels and other lodging.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department has asked for more than $6 million to use along the oceanfront to keep community members and visitors safe, but the recommendation made Wednesday came with a much lower price tag.
The department applied for $6.4 million. Chief Amy Prock says they need the cash for overtime costs, water rescue programs, and equipment.
“We want to ensure that we have safety throughout the community, and that includes on the waterfront, in addition to the beach services,” states Chief Prock. “The beach is as important as any other area of the community, and we want to make sure that we address those areas as well.”
However, the A-tax advisory board recommended just under $3 million – $2,966,305 – go towards patrols near Ocean Boulevard and about $400,000 go towards beach patrol.
Complete list of Myrtle Beach A-tax Board money recommendations
The board also voted to distribute money towards different art organizations, beach renourishment, Carolina Country Music Fest, and sports tourism – events like Beach Ball Classic.
“Accommodations tax funds is essentially coming from heads in beds and what we want to do is recycle that money so we can get more heads in beds,” justifies Chairperson of A-tax Advisory Board, Mary Henry.
Right now, the recommendation for Beach Ball Classic is $50,000.
Tax records on FoundationCenter.org show Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes has gotten a salary from the basketball tournament, between $46,000 – $57,000, for the last three years.
Henry says the board supports the tournament because it brings in revenue during the off-season.
“We want to help as much as we can because the hits that they get on the web, the hits that they get on the TV programming, when it’s carried by some of the networks, is an outreach that people see,” claims Henry. “I’ve had friends who watch in Puerto Rico and around the world that see some of the things that we do here because it’s picked up because Myrtle Beach is on the map.”
The board’s recommendations still have to go through Myrtle Beach City Council before they are approved. Council is expected to vote at the beginning of 2018.
