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Public hearing on landuse plan update set for March 10
March 3, 2015

Members of the public will have a chance this month to weigh in on proposed updates to the land use element of the county’s comprehensive plan. A public hearing is scheduled to take place during the March 10 County Council meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in the historic courthouse.

The plan has to be updated every five years and rewritten every 10 years.

“We ended up doing so much work on it, I’m not sure this doesn’t almost qualify as a rewrite,” said Boyd Johnson, the county’s planning director.

Among the changes are updates of tables and figures to reflect new development and building permits issued. More than 50 acres of commercial property have been added on the Waccamaw Neck since the last update, and 1,010 homes and 133 mobile homes have been permitted. Landuse strategies and goals have been altered, including the addition of a “complete streets” concept, which calls for sidewalks and bike paths. Accomplishments such as efforts toward better tree protection and development of affordable housing are also included.

See proposed updates

County to participate in full-scale disaster preparedness exercise March 3-12 
Feb. 27, 2015

Georgetown County will be the site of and perform a key role in a major multi-state, multi-agency disaster preparedness exercise March 3 -12. During this time, the public should expect to see unusual activity, including military aircraft flying overhead, as well as a large military presence on land and water throughout the county.

The bulk of the activity for the exercise will take place March 6-9. Public viewing areas will be set up to allow area residents to observe some of the exercise activities during this period. Additionally, the county will need to temporarily close some of its parks and recreational facilities during this time to accommodate exercise activities. A full list of observation opportunities and closings is included below.

Known as Operation Vigilant Guard, this national exercise is sponsored by U.S. Northern Command in conjunction with the National Guard Bureau, and takes place in communities throughout the country. Part of its purpose is to test and enhance relationships between civilian, local, federal and military partners as participants react to simulated emergencies. Local emergency responders and emergency management staff, along with other county and municipal personnel will have a chance to train alongside military personnel and get a feel for how those agencies will interact and be able to help each other in a real emergency.

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New Waccamaw Library is open; Ribbon cutting celebration set for March 19
Feb. 14, 2015

Usually a day for lovers, Valentine’s Day was a day for book lovers this year, at least on the Waccamaw Neck. Feb. 14 was the first day of operations for the new Waccamaw Branch Library, located at 41 St. Paul Place.

It was a soft opening, as the facility’s computers hadn’t yet been installed, but the day still drew a large crowd of folks eager to lay eyes on this long-awaited addition to the community, and check out books and other materials. Those who came through the doors expressed excitement and pleasure over the new facility and its many offerings. That has continued over the following weeks, said library staff, especially since computers in the adult, teen and children’s section of the library are now up and running.

An official ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 19. All members of the public are welcome...

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Midway Fire Rescue improves ISO rating to Class 2
Jan. 13, 2015

Midway Fire Rescue has a reason to celebrate this month as department was recently notified that its fire protection rating from the Insurance Services Office will improve to a Class 2 effective April 1. This change not only means the department’s level of fire protection service has increased, according the ISO analysis, but it could also earn lower property insurance rates for home and business owners in the department’s coverage area. With the update, the department’s rating drops from a Class 4.

ISO ratings play an important role in the underwriting process at insurance companies. In fact, most U.S. insurers — including the largest ones — use these ratings as part of their decision-making when deciding what business to write, coverages to offer or prices to charge for personal or commercial property insurance...

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Capital Project Sales Tax to go into effect in 2015
Nov. 5, 2014

In the November 2014 general election, Georgetown County residents voted to implement a 1 percent Capital Project Sales Tax to help fund vital capital projects, including dredging at the Port of Georgetown.

The sales tax will begin being applied to taxable purchases in Georgetown County on May 1, 2015, and will remain in place for exactly four years, disappearing on April 30, 2019.

It is anticipated the tax will generate about $7 million per year, for a total of $28 million during the life of the tax. These funds will be used to pay for projects in three key areas: Dredging, countywide road improvements and enhancements to fire and rescue service.

For more information about the tax and the projects to be funded, see the links below or call (843) 545-3164.

Roads list

Projects Flyer

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