Council discusses FEMA, jury trials, training and baseball registration

By Kaye Collins

Due to inclement weather the Loris City Council meeting scheduled for Monday, Feb. 5, was rescheduled to  Monday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m.  Present at the meeting were Mayor Mike Suggs, Councilmembers Joan Gause, Lewis Hardee, Andrea Coleman, Kelli Gerald, Carroll D. Padgett, Jr. and Tonya Sykes. Also present were Acting City Administrator, Angel Neighbours; Code Enforcement Director, Meredith Holmes, City Attorney, John Zelinski; City Clerk, Melinda Price; Loris Police Lt., Larry Williams; and Loris Recreation Director, Woody Hinson.

The first motion made was to approve the Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 Council Meeting minutes. The minutes will be published on the city website at cityoflorissc.com.

The mayor’s report included thanking the Public Works Department, Loris Police Department and the Loris Fire Department for keeping everyone safe and keeping services running smoothly during the extreme cold temperatures last weekend along with the ice and snow last week.

The mayor represented the City of Loris at the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation annual meeting held in North Myrtle Beach. Sandy Davis, President and CEO, gave the year-end review of 2025. “The keynote speaker, Chuck Sexton, CEO of Strategic Location Services, spoke about the factors industries and businesses look for when choosing a particular site,” said Mayor Mike Suggs, “it was an interesting address.” He reported the event was well attended by officials throughout Horry County.

Mayor Suggs reported that on Wednesday, Jan. 28, Pearl Beach Regional Economic Development visited the Loris area, to have corporation’s industry awareness class. They toured several of our local industries including Eptron Sure Track, Carolina Food Services, Wild West and Little Spider Creations.

Leaders from Horry Georgetown Technical College, Horry County School District and our local schools and McLeod help held a brief meeting at the hospital to further discuss the idea of Horry Georgetown Tech locating a learning center or a campus here in Loris County. Council members Mark Causey and Danny Hardy were there. Principal Jimmy McCullough was at that meeting. The college is still seeking input from members of the community. So if you happen to receive a survey, please be sure to complete it and return it. “This would be a very big asset for Loris for Tech to establish a learning center or a campus here in Loris,” explained Suggs, “that process is still in the works.”

Congratulations were addressed to Meredith Holmes, Planning and Zoning Director. She was recently chosen as one of B2B Grand Strand’s 50 Most Influential People of 2025. She was recognized at a recent award ceremony for her contributions to the greater Grand Strand community, which includes Loris.

Angel Neighbours, Treasurer and acting Administrator, reported the city is continuing with the third phase of sewer line manhole replacement. The 2025 audit is nearly complete. The last few projects for the FEMA grant that has been mentioned in the past, there were two projects not finalized. Neighbours reported she hopes to have the project complete by next week. “There is one project that did not begin and was not finished,” she expressed, “and we had another project that we didn’t realize any kind of grant money that deals with any kind of salaries or work hours usually does not get funded in advance.”

Documentation plays a crucial role in the project, encompassing everything related to hours worked, submitted timesheets, and payroll checks. The previous project was part of the management costs associated with executing some of these initiatives. This involved in-house personnel managing spreadsheets and determining the types of contractors needed for repairs in areas of the city that received FEMA grants. “Unfortunately, that particular project was never funded. It amounted to just over $35,000,” reported Neighbours, “which I was able to submit to FEMA as costs incurred during that timeframe. Instead of having to repay the funds for that project, which we did not receive, we will offset it with the salaries we did manage to secure.” Therefore, by the end of this week, a check will be issued to FEMA for $12,968, when all projects will be finalized and closed. This is significant as everything remained open following Hurricane Florence. Hurricane Florence occurred in 2018, with funds beginning to arrive in 2019, and continuing through 2020 and 2021. “I am very thankful to have gathered sufficient documentation to close out all six completed projects” she said, “and to substantiate the hours worked to claim those $35,000 in funds, which will help offset the remaining $48,000.” Consequently, all projects will be officially closed this week. The City of Loris is in good standing with FEMA. All funds were received from FEMA during the previous administration and under the former mayor’s tenure in 2020-2021.

Lieutenant Williams announced that jury trials have been arranged. “We have spent the last three to four weeks working to finalize the jury trial schedule.” He credited Andrea Washington, the Clerk of Court, as a valuable resource in ensuring everything is organized. LPD officers are now in their fifth year of serving as school resource officers at Loris Elementary School, which is fully funded by grants. SRO Dino Munoz is stationed at the elementary school, while Derrick Grissett is at Loris High School. “We receive significantly fewer complaints from the high school than we did in the past, which is a positive development. Grissett is doing an excellent job, and the children at the elementary school really appreciate Dino.

PD officers have participated in the 40-hour FBI Leader Supervisor Leadership Institute to enhance the fundamental skills of supervisors. The objective is to ensure that all three tiers are achieved prior to attaining a designated level within the department.

The Loris Recreation Center, as reported by Hinsen, is currently tilling the fields in preparation for the upcoming baseball and softball season. They are now accepting applications for baseball, softball, and T-ball registrations, which will close in the last week of this month. “We are in need of softball players. If anyone knows any girls interested in playing softball at the recreation center, we would greatly appreciate their participation. He also mentioned a shortage of umpires and referees, and they held a clinic in Loris on Monday night.

The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 2, at 6 p.m.