Conway officials raise alarm over Horry County 'multi-county' business park; city to discuss legal response in executive session

City officials told Conway City Council on June 16 that Horry County has formed a multi-county business park covering parcels the city has been pursuing for annexation and development, and that the city and several property owners learned about the effort from a newspaper report.

City staff said the county-created district converts property taxes collected in the defined area into a fee that the county may use or waive at its discretion. Because the county’s map intentionally excluded parcels inside Conway city limits, city officials said the city would not have a role in deciding how the converted revenues are used. City staff said that without city consent, the county’s action limits the city’s ability to influence future development and to share in tax revenues from properties that the city has been negotiating to annex.

“We learned about the county’s creation of this park from Minority News,” the city administrator said, noting that neither property owners nor city officials received prior notice. Staff told the council the city already had site plans and annexation petitions ready for some parcels inside the area the county included in the park.

City counsel told council that the county’s multi-county business-park mechanism does not change current property tax bills but converts the collection mechanism and gives the county additional discretion over how the proceeds are used — including fee waivers or incentives. Affected property owners and the city, officials said, did not receive formal notification prior to the county’s public filings.

Council members asked questions about the scope of the map shown in the staff presentation and about whether the county had included parcels that the city had intended to annex. Staff responded that the parcels immediately northeast of U.S. 501 — the area where several developers have submitted plans — are included in the county map and therefore subject to the county’s new district rules. The city attorney advised the council that legal strategies and options for response are appropriate for executive session.

Mayor Barbara Jo Blaine said the council would move to executive session to receive legal advice from the city attorney. The city attorney was present to brief council in closed session later the same night. Staff said they had already contacted multiple affected property owners and would continue outreach. The city did not announce formal action in open session; council moved the matter to closed session to obtain legal counsel before any public decision.