Myrtle Beach's proposed $373M budget includes no tax, business license hikes

Yahoo

13-03-2025

PINOPOLIS, S.C. (WBTW) — Myrtle Beach's top administrator is proposing a nearly $373 million budget for 2026 that includes no tax or business license increases.
'This is a good budget. The city is in a very strong position financially,' City Manager Jonathan 'Fox' Simons said to open up a three-day retreat at the Wampee Conference Center in Pinopolis.
If approved by the city council this spring, the spending plan would mark a $31 million increase over current levels.
State law requires all local governments to approve a balanced budget by June 30 — one day before the new fiscal year starts.
Despite keeping taxes flat, Simons' proposed budget does include increases to solid waste, water and sewer and stormwater fees — bumping them up on average between $1.04 and $5.76 a month for residential rates.
Simons said the upcoming budget does include some challenges, including meeting the needs of a growing population both within the city and Horry County.
Officials saw moderate to no growth in local tourism dollars last year and began this one with lower-than-expected movement.
'The decline that we've seen was in the first three or four months of the fiscal year,' Simons said. 'They have turned a corner, and they are now rising again.'
An aging demographic is also a factor. Chris Finney of the state Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office said the city's goal should be to increase its population of people between the ages of 18 and 64.
'We're going to struggle to find workers. Local areas are going to struggle to find people to take care of the elderly population,' he said. 'There are a lot of people on the sidelines. We need to get them back to work.'
City officials have used the Pinopolis venue, located about 100 miles from Myrtle Beach, for budget retreats several times before.
Last year, it cost about $14,500 for the 50 people who attended. Mayor Brenda Bethune defended the city's decision to host its budget session two hours away from home.
'We have tried doing it back home, but there's something about this place that when you get here you just decompress, you relax, and we can focus. And this is the type of work that we need to focus on,' she said. 'We want everyone to have a great time when it's time to have a great time but when we're in here, we're in here to work.'
News13 will have updates on-air and online about the city's budget retreat.
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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
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Skylar Musick is a multimedia journalist at News13. Skylar is originally from Long Island, New York. She joined the News13 team in June 2024 after graduating from Villanova University in May 2024. Follow Skylar on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
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