Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Government topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Horry County Council approves multiple zoning ordinances, proclaims Child Abuse Prevention Month; personal electric-device ordinance amended and passed
Summary
The council voted unanimously on a slate of zoning ordinance readings and passed a resolution proclaiming April 2026 as Child Abuse Prevention Month. The council also amended and approved Ordinance 31-2026 (personal electric devices) to narrow the definition and exclude typical stand‑up scooters.
The Horry County Council on April 21 approved multiple ordinance readings, adopted a resolution declaring April 2026 Child Abuse Prevention Month, and passed an amended ordinance regulating personal electric devices.
Resolution on child abuse prevention: The council adopted a proclamation noting that during state fiscal year 2024–2025 there were 7,024 substantiated child protective services investigations involving 12,371 children statewide and 487 investigations involving 766 children in Horry County. Michelle Murphy of Sea Haven for Youth described programs the organization provides, said Sea Haven serves more than 800 youth annually and announced a new Sarah's House residence opening this spring.
Zoning and ordinance votes: The council conducted second readings and public hearings on several zoning matters and approved them by voice vote after no public comments. Items approved included Ordinances 17‑2026, 18‑2026, 20‑2026, 21‑2026, 22‑2026, 24‑2026 (amusement uses), 205‑2026 (Highway 17 Business South overlay), 26‑2026 (temporary vending overlay zones), and 29‑2026 (code amendments). On first reading, Ordinance 46‑2026 (rezoning PIN 26310040010) passed its first reading; Ordinance 47‑2026 (rezoning PIN 33715010014) failed on first reading after a councilmember urged colleagues to vote no.
Ordinance 31‑2026 (personal electric devices): Councilmember DeCivato moved an amendment to narrow the ordinance's definition of "personal electric device" to focus on electric‑powered seated wheel devices and to exclude stand‑up scooters and personal‑assisted mobility devices. The amendment was intended to target electric dirt bikes and similar devices that traverse private yards and neighborhood terrain while avoiding restrictions on small stand‑up scooters used by children. After the amendment was accepted, member Doug Wickham of the public thanked councilmembers for clarifying the scope and said the change addressed his concerns about children’s scooters being swept up by the original language. The ordinance passed as amended unanimously.
Procedural notes: Where votes were announced, the chair called for voice votes and recorded "ayes" and "nays"; on many items the council indicated unanimous approval by voice. For matters requiring additional drafting or stakeholder input (for example, landscape buffer/tree preservation), councilmembers said staff and developers will meet and second readings may be deferred.
What happens next: Several ordinances move to further hearings or implementation steps according to the county calendar; items requiring additional work (landscape buffers) will return after stakeholder meetings.
