Results - June 29 Special North Myrtle Beach City Council Meeting

On June 29 at City Hall, City Council met in a 6:00 p.m. executive session, followed by a 7:00 p.m. meeting. 

During the executive session, City Council received a legal briefing regarding an appointment to the Board of Zoning Appeals, and a legal briefing to discuss a potential ordinance regarding wearing facial coverings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Council took no action.

During the meeting, Employee Longevity awards went to Communications Technician/Lead Jailer Rachael Stanley (10 years of service), Communications Technician/Lead Jailer Christi Norton (5 years), Heavy Equipment Operator Ryan Stanley (5 years) and Communications Technician/Jailer Jeffrey Wilson (5 years).

Longevity awards go in five-year increments to employees who consistently provide excellent customer service.

Council passed second (final) reading of an ordinance setting the FY 2021 (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021) tax levy at 45 mils, a 7.9 mils increase over FY 2020. The City’s property tax rate remains the lowest property tax rate for a full-service City in Horry County and among the lowest in South Carolina.

The millage increase enables the City to pay over two years a short-term loan of $4.5 million taken out prior to the COVID-19 emergency to purchase 96 acres for the expansion of the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex.

When City Council passed the City’s current FY 2020 budget, it reduced the City’s millage rate by 6.1 mils from 43.2 mils to 37.1 mils in order to reflect the end of an eight-year bond issue with which the City purchased 162 acres and constructed the original Park & Sports Complex. Since opening in March 2014, the facility generated over $100 million in new, direct revenue for the North Myrtle Beach economy, primarily in the off-season.

City Council passed second reading of an ordinance adopting the FY 2021 (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021) municipal budget.

When City Council passed the FY 2020 budget (ends June 30, 2020), it reduced the City’s millage rate by 6.1 mils from 43.2 mils to 37.1 mils in order to reflect the end of an eight-year bond issue with which the City purchased 162 acres and constructed the original Park & Sports Complex. Since opening in March 2014, the facility generated over $100 million in new, direct revenue for the North Myrtle Beach economy, primarily in the off-season.

The FY 2021 budget that emerged from City Council’s February 24-25 budget retreat, held prior to the onset of the COVID-19 emergency, was $119 million and is now $89 million.

FY 2021 budget reductions include:

·     Freeze 41 full-time vacant and proposed employee positions, saving $2.5 million. 

·     Delay large water and sewer projects at least until FY 2022, saving $6.5 million.

·     Defer the 18^th Avenue North Ocean Outfall project until October 2021, saving $9.5 million

·     Delay the start of construction of the combined emergency operations and data center west of the Intracoastal Waterway, saving $2 million.

·     Delay the placement of utilities underground in the Cherry Grove section as part of the Santee Cooper Underground Utilities Project, saving $1.75 million.

Defer the start of construction on fields and facilities for the expansion of the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex, saving $8 million for Phase I. 

Tommy Dennis to perform Chief of Police duties on an interim basis for the City of North Myrtle Beach

On June 16, North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Director Jay Fernandez announced that Thomas G. Dennis, known to all as Tommy, will perform the duties of chief of police on an interim basis for the City of North Myrtle Beach. During this period, he will retain his rank of lieutenant.

Since joining the City’s public safety department in 1997, Dennis has served as a public safety officer, detective, sergeant and lieutenant.

“Tommy is well-liked and effective at working with all types of people,” Fernandez said. “He has developed into a good and fair-minded leader in the department and the community. We are excited to have Tommy take on these interim duties.”

Results - June 8 North Myrtle Beach City Council Budget Workshop Results

City Council met in a June 8, 2:00 p.m. workshop session to discuss possible changes to the City’s proposed FY 2021 budget. The City’s fiscal year is July 1-June 30.

City Council does not vote at workshops.

The proposed budget that emerged from City Council’s February 24-25 budget retreat, held prior to the onset of the COVID-19 emergency, was $119 million. If Council adopts revisions proposed during the June 8 workshop, the budget would be about $89 million.

Proposed FY 2021 budget reductions include:

·     Freeze 41 full-time vacant and proposed employee positions, saving $2.5 million. 

·     Delay large water and sewer projects at least until FY 2022, saving $6.5 million.

·     Defer the 18^th Avenue North Ocean Outfall project until October 2021, saving $9.5 million

·     Delay the start of construction of the combined emergency operations and data center west of the Intracoastal Waterway, saving $2 million.

·     Delay the placement of utilities underground in the Cherry Grove section as part of the Santee Cooper Underground Utilities Project, saving $1.75 million.

·     Defer construction of the expansion of the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex, saving $8 million.

City Council discussed a proposed property tax increase of 7.9 mils to generate revenue to pay the short-term loan the City assumed prior to the onset of the COVID-19 emergency in order to purchase 95 acres of land for the expansion of the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex.

The City’s current property tax rate is 37.1 mils and the proposed increase would bring the rate to 45 mils, still the lowest property tax rate for a full-service City in Horry County and among the lowest in South Carolina.

The millage increase would enable the City to pay the short-term loan of $4.5 million and existing bills for professional services rendered to prepare the project for bid. However, City Council would defer moving forward on construction of the project until revenues are more favorable.

When City Council passed the City’s current FY 2020 budget, it reduced the City’s millage rate by 6.1 mils from 43.2 mils to the current 37.1 mils in order to reflect the end of the eight-year bond issue with which the City purchased 162 acres and constructed the original Park & Sports Complex. Since opening in March 2014 and up to the onset of the COVID-19 emergency, the facility generated over $100 million in new, direct revenue for the North Myrtle Beach economy, primarily in the off-season.

The first reading of the proposed FY 2021 budget ordinance, which is also a public hearing, is scheduled for the June 15, 7:00 p.m. City Council meeting at City Hall.

City of North Myrtle Beach Hurricane Evacuation & Reentry Procedures and More

The formal hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin (Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico) is June 1 to November 30. According to the experts, and judging from the early storms we have experienced, we may be in for a very active season. Now is the time to prepare for the hurricane season.

Mandatory Evacuation Procedures

IF a hurricane threatens our area and, IF the Governor issues an evacuation order, evacuation routes are as follows:

-- Once the Governor issues a mandatory evacuation, lane reversals may automatically occur for two sections of Highway 501— U.S. Highway 501 from SC 544 to SC 378, and U.S. Highway 501 from SC 22 to the U.S. Highway 501/SC 576 split in Marion. Once you enter a lane reversal pattern, you will not be able to get back out. Never enter a lane reversal pattern unless directed to do so by law enforcement.

-- The Horry County evacuation plan to which all North Myrtle Beach residents and vacationers are subject requires all people located north of Briarcliffe Acres to evacuate via SC 9 North to I-95 and beyond.

-- These requirements stem from the South Carolina Hurricane Evacuation Study for the Northern Conglomerate released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2012.

Reentry Procedures

When reentering the city of North Myrtle Beach after a hurricane evacuation, property owners, renters and business owners should be prepared to show either their driver’s license, a copy of a recent water bill or property tax bill, a rental agreement, or other form of identity that proves residency or property ownership within the city.

Owners of businesses with employees who do not reside within the city limits but who are essential to business recovery should provide those employees with a letter written on company letterhead, identifying them as being essential to the recovery of the business. When identifying an employee, please use their name as shown on their driver’s license so that authorities can match the two for verification.

The City of North Myrtle Beach does not require filing residency or business information prior to a storm.

The City’s goal is for the return of property owners and others to North Myrtle Beach as soon as possible following a hurricane evacuation so that all can help in the recovery process. However, some areas of the city may not be safe or essential utilities damaged, resulting in delayed reentry to the affected locations.

Please be aware that other jurisdictions that you may travel through on your return to North Myrtle Beach from a hurricane evacuation may have different identification requirements or different reentry priorities depending on damage that may have occurred in their jurisdictions.

Do you know your ZONE?

You may remember that different areas of Horry County, including North Myrtle Beach, have been assigned different “Zones” with respect to the potential impact of hurricane storm surge on a given land area.

IF a hurricane is to strike our area with force, and IF the Governor calls for a mandatory evacuation, he might do so by identifying the ZONES that must evacuate. The zone locations in Horry County are as follows:

Zone A

All areas east of U.S. 17 Business (Kings Highway), up to intersection with U.S. 17 (Kings Highway) and then all areas east of U.S. 17 (Kings Highway) to the northern county line.

Zone B

All areas south of S.C. 707 and Longwood Drive, including all areas in Longwood Plantation (Blackmoor) to the Waccamaw River and all areas east of U.S. 17 Bypass (Mark Garner Highway) to U.S. 17 (North Kings Highway) and all areas east of U.S. 17 (North Kings Highway) to the northern county line.

Zone C

All areas between U.S. 701 and S.C. 544, south of Brown's Chapel Avenue and Hwy. 814, plus all areas east of S.C. 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) to S.C. 90 and all areas east of S.C. 90 to U.S. 17 to the northern county line.

The Horry County Emergency Management Department provides an interactive Zone Map. Access County information at www.horrycounty.org.

 How will the City stay in touch with you?

During a hurricane emergency, the City will communicate advisory, damage assessment, reentry and other information to the public using these resources:

-- www.NMB.us (See “Hurricane News & Information"on the home page. This offers the City's hurricane news releases, Facebook and Twitter posts in one location.)

-- www.Facebook.com/cityofnmb

-- www.Twitter.com/cityofnmb

-- Via our Email News Group, whose members receive all news releases at the same time we send them to the news media. This is a free service. To be included in the Email News Group, provide your email address to pcdowling@nmb.us Please specify if you want to receive all City-related news or only hurricane-related news. We will not use your email address for any other purpose and we will not share it with other persons or organizations. You can opt out of the Email News Group at any time.

The City also forwards its information to local and regional news media outlets, Horry County Emergency Management, the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. The North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce shares City of North Myrtle Beach announcements with its members and its social media audiences.

The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce serves as the umbrella agency for the Area Recovery Council (ARC), which serves as a clearinghouse for information from all sources within Horry County during hurricanes and other disasters.

Questions about North Myrtle Beach hurricane procedures?

Contact Pat Dowling at pcdowling@nmb.us

North Myrtle Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival Canceled

North Myrtle Beach, SC – March 13, 2020 – Today, the City of North Myrtle Beach made the difficult decision to cancel its March 14 St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival.

Although as late as yesterday SCDHEC advised through its Twitter account that the status of COVID-19 in South Carolina does not indicate that cancelation of events or schools is needed at this time, over the past 24 hours many national events and more South Carolina events canceled, including the Monday after the Masters event in North Myrtle Beach.

Additionally, over the past 24 hours, some North Myrtle Beach residents who feel they may be more at risk to COVID-19 than others have expressed strong discomfort over a large public event held in the city at this time. As more national and South Carolina events canceled yesterday, some parade and festival participants opted to withdraw from the local event this year.

The weather will be great this weekend and North Myrtle Beach is wide open for business.

We encourage our residents and visitors to make a special effort to patronize North Myrtle Beach businesses this weekend and throughout the coming tourism season.

We ask that you pay special attention to businesses located on Main Street, the route and location for the annual parade and festival. These businesses invested in goods and services in preparation for the now-canceled parade and festival and are deserving of your support.

City officials met with North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce officials and Chamber officials concur with the City’s difficult decision to cancel this event.

Patrick Dowling

Public Information Officer

City of North Myrtle Beach

St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival - North Myrtle Beach, March 14, 2020

March 13 11:00 a.m. Update

The NMB St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festivasl has been canceled. Read more here:

https://blog.century21thomas.com/2020/03/north-myrtle-beach-st-patricks-day.html

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Saturday, March 14, 2020
Parade: 9 a.m.
Festival: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Free Admission | Free Parking

The 32nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival and Parade will be held on Main Street on Saturday, March 14, 2020. This one-day, rain or shine event brings approximately 30,000 to celebrate everything Irish and welcome the coming of spring. A magical parade begins the festivities at 9:00 a.m., followed by three stages of live music and a children’s area with rides and amusements from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Along Main Street over 150 vendors will display their crafts, services, information, products, or serve a variety of treats.

Entertainment Schedule:

Freedom Boat Club Community Stage (Oak Drive)

11:15 AM – Triple Toe Cloggers

11:30 AM – Ocean Drive Mini Chiefs Dance Club

11:45 PM – Parade Awards

12:00 PM – Mark McKinney & Company

2 – 4:00 PM – Cornbread


Flynn’s Irish Tavern Stage (Near Flynn’s)

11:00 AM – Brenden O’Connor

11:45 AM – Coastal Carolina Shields Pipes & Drums

12:00 PM – Brenden O’Connor

12:45 PM – The Academy of Dance and Fine Arts Dancers

1:00 PM – Tan and Sober Gentleman

2:15 PM – Leprechaun Contest

2:30 PM – Shepard’s Pie Eating Contest

2:45 – 4:00 PM – Tan and Sober Gentleman


Boulineau's Ocean Stage (Near Duffy’s)

11:00 AM – Retrograde

1:30 PM – 4:00 PM – The Tonez

Contests:

Leprechaun Contest - Show off your love of all things Irish by competing in the 32nd Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival Leprechaun Contest. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity, appearance, enthusiasm and energy.

Register at the Main Stage @ Flynn’s Irish Tavern before 2:00 pm. Pre-registration is also available at the Festival Information booth (corner of Hillside Drive and Main Street) before 1:30 pm. Meet at the stairs of the Main Stage on festival site at 2:00 pm. Contest begins at 2:15 pm.

Shepard’s Pie Eating Contest - Think you have what it takes? Enter into the Shepherd’s Pie Eating Contest at this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival. First to clear their plate (without using their hands) wins bragging rights and a stylish plaque designed by Coastal Engravers.

Register at the Main Stage @ Flynn’s Irish Tavern before 2:00 PM. Pre-registration is also available at the Festival Information booth (corner of Hillside Drive and Main Street) before 1:30 PM. Meet at the stairs of the Main Stage on festival site at 2:15 PM. Contest begins at 2:30 PM.

For more information visit http://parks.nmb.us/festivalsevents/festivals/st-patricks-day-parade-and-festival/ or email StPatNMB@nmb.us.

South Carolina Severe Weather Preparedness Week March 8-14

The South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) and the National Weather Service jointly sponsor this week to remind you that severe storms, tornadoes, and flash floods are significant hazards in South Carolina and people need to take proper safety precautions.

SCEMD and the National Weather Service are promoting awareness of the hazards associated with severe weather, including tornadoes and floods, and the procedures that help keep people safe.

A highlight of the week is the annual statewide tornado drill. The drill is conducted in close coordination with the South Carolina Broadcasters Association. The State Superintendent of Education is also encouraging schools statewide to participate.

The National Weather Service will use the Tornado Warning product on NOAA tone-alert weather radio when the drill is conducted. During the drill, the National Weather Service will use a real-event code, "TOR" on NOAA Weather Radio. The “TOR” code will activate tone-alert weather radios that are set to receive tornado warnings, and those radios will broadcast the exercise message.

The drill will be conducted on Wednesday, March 11, at 9:00 a.m. Public schools, state and local Emergency Management, the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, and others will participate in this annual event. The purpose of the drill is to test communication systems, safety procedures, mitigation processes, etc.

To learn more about Severe Weather Week and the topics covered, please visit:

https://www.weather.gov/cae/SC_Severe_Weather_Preparedness_Week.html