Myrtle Beach City Council hopes to fill vacancies, complete capital projects with budget

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - A $357 million budget for the city is waiting to be finalized by Myrtle Beach City Council. With it, the city council and other Myrtle Beach city staff are prioritizing city projects and hiring more employees.

$85 million will be going to capital projects. These projects were just one of several things staff and city council members discussed at last week’s budget retreat in Berkley County.

The vacant positions are a hot topic the city is looking to make some changes that could help, such as possibly increasing current and new employees’ salaries by 5%.

As far as taxes go, Myrtle Beach residents won’t see an increase there but could see an increase to some fees, such as water, sewer, and stormwater utilities.

They say the increase will be moderate but are necessary for some overall city improvement projects.

“We’re going replace the scale house at the Jake Abraham Transfer Center, we’re going to upgrade Fire Station 3. There are a number of capital projects that we need to do to make sure the city continues to operate,” said City of Myrtle Beach spokesperson Mark Kruea.

City officials say Myrtle Beach’s overall financial position is strong. They added some challenges they’re facing are inflation, low unemployment, and supply chain issues.

The city said the majority of their vacant positions come from the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

This fiscal year budget will be voted on later on in the Spring by Myrtle Beach City Council and Mayor Brenda Bethune to become official.

The fiscal year begins July 1, 2023.

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