Annexation Scare Tactics

[Marcia Lynn]

I read on another site that the threat of annexation is just a scare tactic being used by the incorporation exploratory committee.

First, I don't need that committee to scare me. The reality of what's happening in Little River is enough for me.

The committee's goal is to get enough signatures on a petition that would allow residents to choose or not choose incorporating Little River in November's election.

Back to the scare tactics comments I keep seeing.

There is so much documentation online that anyone who has posted or published that annexation is "just a scare tactic" by that committee isn't researching for factual information... Either that or they're blatantly ignoring the facts.

Here's an additional reference from NMB Comprehensive Plan, Chapter 1:

http://www.n-myrtle-beach.sc.us/html/in ... ousing.pdf

See the chart on page 14... the City of North Myrtle Beach is planning on having almost 26,000 residents ACROSS the waterway by 2030.

And these figures were compiled years before a few of the big annexations, including the 1300+ acres currently tabled.

These are published plans by the City of North Myrtle Beach.

So let's see if the County is doing anything to stop the annexations...
Well, in RFP#2007-08-66-BA (you'll have to get a copy at the county offices), they published and I quote:

The City of North Myrtle Beach is a thriving resort community that will in time expand further west of the ICWW, annexing much of the area of study by the specified build-out year of 2035.

There are no scare tactics.

If something doesn't change, both the City of North Myrtle Beach and the County of Horry have plans for a LOT of land west of the waterway to be annexed into the City of North Myrtle Beach.

[caroline]

You are wrong about the Keep Little River Free Group . We do care about annexation and don't want it to happen. Incorporation divides what we have now and sets up the left out portion ( hwy 90 area), which is what will go first with annexation, the main street connector area. WE DO CARE! It is silly to think that a group that doesn't want a change to incorporation should want or not care about annexation. All we are saying is that the Incorporation ad hoc committee is using that to get their project through. THE PEOPLE (RESIDENTS OF 29566) have got to get their act together and work toward positive changes. We ALL don't want a change that is going to hurt what we have now. WHY does it seem that some people are using this difference to push their agenda through. We know there must be a hidden agenda, it has been said out loud at the ad hoc meetings. Maybe you have found out what that hidden agenda is with all your research. Some members on the ad hoc committee have spoken out at NMB association group meetings about the incorporation of Little River and the development of NMB. See the North Myrtle Beach Times Article dated May 3, 2007. Who is working with who? It looks like we, Seaport Natives and Against Incorporation residents, should be joining forces to help ourselves and not being skeptical of each other and helping them (incorporation and annexation people).
It is funny too that we, the committee against incorporation, have been accused by many about being in hiding or underground not revealing ourselves to the public. We, many of us, have written publicly, spoken out publicly, posted notices publicly and come on your chat publicly with nothing to hide and yet I have no idea and I am sure no one else does who is writing this postings for Incorporation.

[Marcia Lynn]

You are wrong about the Keep Little River Free Group . We do care about annexation and don't want it to happen.

Caroline, do you know where Little River, on the west side of the waterway, is contiguous to North Myrtle Beach?

And, how do you propose stopping the next waterfront annexation request?

[tmlong]

caroline wrote "the residents of Little River need to get their act together"

I agree but just fighting incorportion (which I also do not want) is that enough? Does any commitee have a plan to go to the county or to Harold Worley to make sure there are things we can start doing to protect us? Is anyone keeping tabs on what is being presented to the County on a monthly basis? This is my purpose on this site to hopefully get people aware and help come up with solutions. It is for people that don't know about these meetings that are going on or can't attend them.

I think the committe has done an excellent job getting the word and signs out opposing incorporation.

I personally have never heard of anyone saying the committee against incorporation is hiding underground - I know alot of the people. I don't know alot of the people that are FOR incorporation.

I think you assume because there are some people that are scared of the possibility of annexation that that puts us in the category of wanting incorporation- WRONG. It may be an issue of 25 years down the road but I have children in Little River and hope to keep my husband & his familys fishing history ongoing.

[Marcia Lynn]

It is very disheartening to read some of the information on the Keep Little River Free website, and most especially the annexation section, which may lead Little River residents to think everything is OK just the way it is.

Some developers have requested annexation, that is true. But annexation is NOT the way it will happen unless you allow it.

FALSE. Annexations will continue to happen, and you'll have no say about it whatsoever. It may not be YOUR property being annexed, but it may be another marina (we already lost one to annexation) and/or additional valuable waterfront property of Little River.

Incorporation is NOT the answer. Just go to the SC Government site and see for yourself. The committee against incorporation has done just that. We have spoken to people in the Secretary of states office that have told us that annexation is of land is impossible unless the OWNER allows it.

TRUE, MISLEADING. True, no one ever said otherwise. However, THE OWNER (developers) allowing it is still BAD. Here, let me say it again: The OWNER allowing annexation is still bad, because we still lose the waterfront property of Little River.

Also Boundaries CANNOT be skipped. If one developer wants annexation and the next does not the boundaries cannot skip over the one that does not want to be annexed. That goes for personal property owners also.

FALSE. Any waterfront property where the city limits of North Myrtle Beach are across the waterway can be annexed by owner petition/city ordinance.

The parcels do NOT have to touch, be adjacent, be next to, or anywhere near each other on the same side of the waterway.

They only have to meet the contiguity rule across the waterway at this point. Just look at the annexed land of the failed Bahama Island project, and the annexed land of the Kingsport Road parcels. They are no where near each other, with lots of property in between on the west side of the waterway.

No one wants to give up the Little River waterways. The committee against incorporation has many members who have vested interests in that particular area also. We have found out the facts and are therefore fighting against incorporation because we know that annexation is not the other possibility.

FALSE. Again, annexation of Little River waterway property isn't only a possibility, it is happening and will continue to happen unless something changes.

While I appreciate the effort at informing residents, the information on Keep Little Free's web site and most especially the annexation page is very misleading, and would have readers believe that annexation isn't happening and/or isn't even a problem.

Nothing could be farther from the truth, and I sincerely hope the information on that site is updated to reflect factual information.