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Georgetown County offices and facilities (with the exception of the landfill and recycling centers) will be closed for the holidays on Dec. 24-26 and Jan. 1. The landfill and recycling centers will close at 1 p.m. on Dec. 24 and will remain closed on Dec. 25 (open for normal hours Dec. 26). The landfill and recycling centers will be closed all day Jan. 1.

News Releases:​

New time for December Planning Commission Meeting
Dec. 5, 2019

  The Georgetown County Planning Commission has moved its Dec. 19 meeting to 4 p.m. to accommodate schedules of necessary individuals. The hearing will take place in County Council Chambers at the historic courthouse, located at 129 Screven St., Georgetown. 

Council votes to continue administrator search with help from consulting group
Nov. 15, 2019

Georgetown County Council members met individually on Nov. 7 with representatives from a consulting group that will assist the county in locating and hiring a new County Administrator.

The County entered a contract that day with Slavin Management Consultants, which will conduct an administrator search for a cost of $14,050 plus expenses.

Council’s first pick for the job, Abbeville County Administrator David Garner, declined the offer on Oct. 28, before negotiations could be completed. He cited “personal circumstances beyond anyone’s control.” Council had agreed 4-3 to hire Garner, with Council Chairman John Thomas and Council Members Lillie Jean Johnson and Louis Morant opposed.

After Garner turned down the job, Council had a special meeting Oct. 30, during which they voted — again 4-3 with the same members in opposition — to engage a professional recruiter to continue the search rather than hiring one of the other top three finalists.

Current Administrator Sel Hemingway, who planned to retire on Jan. 1, has agreed to remain on the job for up to 60 additional days to accommodate the search and hiring process. According to the proposal from Slavin, the group plans to be able to submit a final report and recommendations to the county within 45-60 days. According to the contract, the group will also follow up with the County and the new administrator during the first year and assist in making any adjustments that may be necessary.

The firm is also to keep the County informed, involved in decisions and involved in the search process, providing frequent progress reports to County Council.

The firm additionally guarantees its work and will redo the search if the position is vacated, for any reason, within two years of the employment date of a candidate selected by the County through the firm’s efforts. The firm’s references include Mayors of the Cities of Georgetown, Myrtle Beach and Rock Hill.

Drawings from Highway 17 Charrette available for viewing
Nov. 4, 2019

Drawings and documents from the Companion Corridor Study charrette held at the Waccamaw Neck Library Oct. 21-24 are now available for online viewing. The link is below. These drawings are draft documents that were produced that week. The consultants from Stantec will be back in mid to late January to get input on preliminary recommendations for the Study. More information about that public meeting will be provided as it becomes available. 

Please contact the Planning Department for more information. 

Highway 17 Charrette Drawings

US 17 Corridor Plan Public Workshop

County names new Emergency Manager
Aug. 29, 2019

Georgetown County is pleased to announce that Brandon Ellis of Pawleys Island has been hired as its new Emergency Manager. His first day on the job will be Sept. 16. Ellis will replace Sam Hodge, who has held the position since 2007 and retires on Aug. 31.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Brandon’s extensive background in Emergency Management taking the helm in this area, as we all know how critical this position is,” said County Administrator Sel Hemingway.

Ellis is a seasoned Emergency Management professional with more than 10 years of experience at both the county and state levels. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Francis Marion University while serving as a part-time and volunteer firefighter in Mullins.  He continued to serve in the fire service in Marion after graduation, where he became the Marion County Director of Emergency Management. Ellis served in this capacity for five years, until he was hired by the South Carolina Emergency Management Division as one of six Regional Emergency Managers, covering eight counties, including Georgetown. He has served in this capacity since 2014, and has been an integral part of the Georgetown County team in all of the emergency response efforts during that time.

In addition to his experience, Ellis has extensive training in Emergency Management at the federal, state and local level. He was recognized as the S.C. Emergency Management Division’s Employee of the Quarter in April of 2018, and most recently as the Employee of the Year in January of 2019.
Ellis resides in the Pawleys Island area with his wife Brittany and two young daughters, Olivia and Amelia.
In the period between Hodge’s departure and Ellis’ start date, Cindy Grace, the county’s emergency management coordinator, will lead the department.

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