CHERRY GROVE, SC (WBTW)- North Myrtle Beach City Council wants to move forward with dredging in Cherry Grove, but first they must go through almost 200 written objections to the project.
City Council voted on a special tax district to help fund the project. The district consists of 700 properties located along the canals. Each owner within the district would be responsible for up to $24,000 over 10 years. North Myrtle Beach would pay $1.6 million.
Shirley Williams’ home on 45th Avenue North is located within the special tax district.
“We just shouldn’t have to bare all of the burden,” she said.
Williams says the entire city should pay for dredging, not just a select group of property owners that live on the canals.
“You could put a tax on all property owners in North Myrtle Beach, at which point it would be a vote and it would go down in flames,” explained Spokesperson Pat Dowling.
Dowling says they’ve asked the state and federal government for money, with no luck. He says the only way the canals will get dredged is if property owners pay for it themselves.
“We have a 10 year permit, a couple of years have gone by so it’s really an eight year window this is the time dredge,” stated Dowling.
If they don’t dredge within the next eight years, Dowling says the project may not happen at all.
“If you allow them to continue to silt in, you’re going to get more marsh grass, you’re going to get more oyster beds and it’s going to be harder and harder to convince the Army Corps of Engineers,” he said.
The city received almost 200 written objections to project, which means about 1/3 of property owners within the special tax district don’t want to pay for it; however, Dowling says the city is moving forward.
City staff and consultants organized each objection into categories.
According to Pat Dowling the largest category is cost, followed by dredge width. Residents along the “Z” canal and Fisherman’s Wharf also make up separate categories.
City Council will vote on each category and decide whether or not a property owner is exempt from payment. If a large number of properties exempt, Dowling says the city will need to find additional money elsewhere.
City Council will discuss changes to the special tax district on December 7 at 7 p.m.
