As 2024 comes to a close and 2025 is closer to the horizon, there are some decisions that could carry on into the new year.
For both the city councils in Myrtle Beach, and North Myrtle Beach, here are a few of the top discussions from last year that may continue on into the new year as government meetings start back up again after the 2024 holiday season.
1. What will happen with the Pelicans baseball team?
Over the fall, the Myrtle Beach City Council decided to extend the Pelicans baseball team contract for another year.
Records show that 70% of the stadium is owned by the city and 30% is owned by Horry County.
The first ordinance, that passed through the initial stages at city council on Oct. 8, 2024, extends the current lease agreement between the baseball team and the city and the county for an additional year, expiring 30 days after the 2025 season concludes, Ordinance 2024-64 said.
This is the fourth time the original contract has been extended, City Manager Johnathan “Fox” Simons Jr. said at the city council meeting when the ordinance was passed.
This extension means that next fall, in 2025, city officials will have to decide whether to extend the lease a fifth time, or draft a new contract with the Minor League Baseball team.
2. Will AirBnBs be banned in North Myrtle Beach?
This question first popped up at a city council study session presentation by Interim City Manager Ryan Fabbri.
During the presentation, Fabbri equipped city council members with data on how many AirBnBs are locally owned, compared to owned by people who do not live in the area.
According to data presented by Fabbri, approximately 1,700 of the 5,400 short-term rentals in North Myrtle Myrtle do not have local responsible parties.
Some potential ideas for the city to create revenue from the amount of AirBnBs in North Myrtle Beach could include permits or occupancy limits.
Another idea that was floated in 2024 is to hire additional city staff to enforce the short-term rentals.
This discussion will continue into the new year, with city council holding another public meeting about the topic in January 2025.
City Council will host a workshop to discuss short-term rentals on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. in City Hall.
There will also be a livestream link available for the meeting that can be found here.
3. What’s going to happen with Myrtle Beach’s debt?
Within Horry County, the City of Myrtle Beach has the highest total municipal debt at $209,221,369, according to the state treasurer’s report.
For the last fiscal year, Myrtle Beach took on the most amount of government debt compared to any other municipality in Horry County, the South Carolina Office of the Treasurer’s Local Government Debt Report said.
According to the report, the City of Myrtle Beach has the highest total municipal debt in the county at $209,221,369.
Next year’s report will be something to watch when it comes out in the summer 2025, after the 2024 fiscal year ends at the end of June 2025.
Will Myrtle Beach’s municipal debt get higher with the construction of a new downtown theater or convention center repairs?
Or will it remain the same or go down as bonds are paid off?
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