CAROLINA STATION STATUS
We are ONE VOTE away from stopping Carolina Station at 3rd reading July 1!

TAXPAYER ADVOCACY IS ALIVE AND WELL!

SUMMARY: Although the Horry County Council approved the 2nd of 3 readings on the Carolina Station development Tuesday night (June 17), IT WAS A CLOSE VOTE…6-4! (See Voting Specifics at end of email to see why we only need one more vote.)

For the 40 or so of you who went to Conway, we want you to know you made a difference. Your presence, clapping, and cheering made a huge impression on Council members and developer representatives. According to our records, at least one Council member was still undecided as to how to vote Tuesday night. Your presence, your energy, and your enthusiasm helped him or her (can’t tell you who) decide to vote NO!

For those of you who were not there, your friends made you proud. HCP leaders Pam Creech and Jim Paullin and Growth Impact Action Committee leader George Edwards presented EXCELLENT statements outlining specific, logical, economic, and business reasons for opposing approval of the Development Agreement with Carolina Station until they are paying their fair share and it is a GOOD DEAL FOR TAXPAYERS. We say excellent because that’s the feedback we’re getting from Council members and the public.

Pam told Council members “No business person would sign the International Paper Development Agreement because they would go BANKRUPT, and the only reason you would sign such an agreement is because you can raise taxes. If you vote yes, you will be making it possible for the developer to make hundreds of millions of dollars AND you will be consigning taxpayers to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to build and maintain the infrastructure needed. A business person would not sign this contract. I would not sign this contract, and I am asking you to not sign this contract for me as a taxpayer.”

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County Leaders Treat Carolina Station Development Like Sub-Prime Mortgages
This was sent to the Sun News as a letter to the editor but unfortunately did not get pulished

Horry County leaders are treating the proposed giant development of Carolina Station like banks and homeowners treated sub-prime mortgages—with little thought to their ability to pay in the future.

Consider. The County’s development impact modeling software shows Carolina Station will produce an estimated operations deficit of $2M a year for the next twenty years (including the $15.6M developer contribution which we believe is inflated by approximately $7M). That’s $40M over the next twenty years for the existing taxpayers in Horry County to cover—in addition to our individual current taxes.
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Carolina Station will cost taxpayers an estimated $40M over 20 years if approved by the County Council as currently planned. The County has no place to go but to the taxpayers to make up this loss…AND…some of our Council members think this is a good deal.

A. The Development Agreement between the County and the developer is still being negotiated by staff, AND
B. Their plan to pay for the three new schools, new fire and police station, new sewage disposal plant, new parks and recreation areas, and maintenance of 97 acres of new roads…is US.
If you’ve ever thought or said that developers should PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE of infrastructure costs in Horry County, NEXT WEEK IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO ACT!

WHEN: Tuesday, June 17, 6 PM
WHERE: Government & Justice Center, 1301 Second Avenue, Conway, 2nd floor Council Chambers
WHAT: The County Council will vote on the 2nd (AND MOST IMPORTANT) of 3 readings to approve the Carolina Station development…despite the fact that negotiations on the Development Agreement have yet to be completed.

ACTION REQUESTED!
This is the time for taxpayers to make a strong statement. The vote is expected to be close. If hundreds of taxpayers attend the County Council meeting Tuesday evening, we can take a giant step toward changing the way development is approved in Horry County!
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