HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) – Horry County officials say tourist cost local tax payers millions of dollars due to their use of public safety; an area receiving millions of dollars if next week’s tax increase passes.
Next week, Horry County Council will decide if a tax increase is needed to balance the 2016 fiscal year budget.
A lot of the money from the proposed increase would go towards public safety.
County officials say it is not just property tax payers who use public safety resources, but tourists as well.
Officials said during a budget workshop that tourists come to town, use ambulances, get arrested, spend nights in J. Reuben Long Detention center; all services provided by property tax dollars.
County officials say they expect tourists will cost public safety more than $10 million next year.
Every year, money is collected for accommodations taxes and hospitality taxes.
These are the dollars tourists bring into the county and those dollars are specified for tourist related expenses.
A majority goes towards things like advertising, beach renourishment, chamber of commerce, and some goes towards public safety for tourist related events.
However, the usage of public safety comes from property tax dollars; not tourism taxes.
The state has rules for how the county can spend tourism tax money.
“We should get a higher percentage that we can attribute another $10 million towards public safety,” said Mark Lazarus.
Lazarus is the Horry County Council Chairman.
He says council plans to appeal to the state to hopefully allow Horry County to invest more tourism tax money into public safety and make up the $10 million difference in the future.
“If we were receiving that money and more of a share or our accommodations tax dollars we wouldn’t be looking at an increase in our property tax dollars,” said Lazarus.
However, there are millions of dollars left on the table every year by the county.
News 13 reported in February, $5 million was written off by unpaid EMS expenses from 2011.
EMS is used by everyone, but the county says it does not have the resources to collect fees from people who live out of state.
The county is working to bring in a third party company to collect those dollars, but a plan will not be completed before budget talks and final decision on a tax increase next Tuesday.