This North Myrtle Beach tax increase has raised concerns among residents.

North Myrtle Beach residents could see their property tax bills climb by $225 a year under a budget proposal that city staff unveiled at the annual retreat last weekend. **The plan calls for a 5-mil increase to the city’s property tax rate — from 45 mils to 50 mils — the largest single-year jump in recent memory.** Paired with utility fee hikes, the combined hit lands squarely on homeowners already absorbing the aftershocks of Horry County’s 2024 property reassessment.

No votes have been taken. City Council heard the proposal at a two-day budget retreat April 27-28 at the Wampee Conference Center, and every elected official interviewed stressed that the numbers are preliminary. The first public hearing and first reading are scheduled for May 18, 2026. A second reading and potential adoption would follow June 15 [City of NMB, 2026].

Those two dates are the ones that matter for anyone who plans to weigh in.

Understanding the North Myrtle Beach Tax Increase

## What the Budget Proposes

For many, the North Myrtle Beach tax increase is a significant topic of discussion and concern.

City Manager Ryan Fabbri, who was appointed in June 2025, presented a general fund budget of $93,294,241 — a 5.2 percent increase over the current fiscal year [MyHorryNews, 2026]. The capital asset fund is where the real growth sits: $77,538,053, up 22.9 percent over FY2026. That capital number breaks down into $58,232,521 in capital improvements, $12,446,410 in asset replacements, and $9,529,122 in comprehensive maintenance [MyHorryNews, 2026].

The proposal also includes an $18 million bond with a 15-year term at 4.8 percent interest — long-term debt that will outlast this council’s tenure and likely the next one [WBTW, 2026].

Fabbri framed the increase as a matter of keeping pace. We need to keep up with the rate of inflation and the cost of things. Really, is getting us to keep pace,” the city manager said [MyHorryNews, 2026].

That framing deserves scrutiny. Inflation explains rising costs, but it does not automatically justify passing every dollar of those costs through to taxpayers. The question residents should ask is whether the city has exhausted efficiency measures, renegotiated contracts, or deferred lower-priority projects before reaching into homeowners’ pockets. Nothing in the retreat presentation suggests those conversations happened — or didn’t. The public hearings are the place to find out.

## What It Costs a Homeowner

For a home assessed at $500,000, **the property tax increase alone adds $8.33 per month** [WBTW, 2026]. But property tax is only part of the picture. The proposal also raises utility billing by $10.42 per month on that same home, bumps the stormwater fee by $2 per month for all dwellings, and doubles the water and sewer setup fee from $25 to $50 [MyHorryNews, 2026].

Combined, a homeowner at the $500,000 mark faces an additional $18.75 per month — $225 per year.

That number looks modest in isolation. It looks different when stacked on top of what Horry County homeowners have already absorbed. The county conducted a full property reassessment in 2024, and while South Carolina law mandated rollback millage rates to prevent windfall revenue, roughly 75 percent of homeowners still saw assessment increases of $200 or less [MyHorryNews, 2024]. For those on the higher end of that range, the NMB increase stacks directly on top.

And North Myrtle Beach is not the only Grand Strand municipality reaching for more revenue. Myrtle Beach is simultaneously proposing to cut its property tax relief credit from 67.45 percent to 53.4 percent, a change that would add approximately $117.59 per year to a $250,000 home [WMBF News, 2026]. Residents who own property in both jurisdictions — or who simply feel the cumulative weight of rising fees across the region — are absorbing hits from multiple directions.

## Where the Money Goes

Public safety commands 41 percent of the general fund — the single largest line item and the political justification most likely to survive public scrutiny [MyHorryNews, 2026]. Parks and recreation takes 18 percent, followed by general government and public works at 14 percent each. On the revenue side, property and other taxes generate 36 percent of income, charges for services bring in 21 percent, licenses and permits contribute 20 percent, and transfers account for 17 percent [MyHorryNews, 2026].

**The capital projects list reveals the real ambitions.** The centerpiece is an expansion of the Aquatic and Fitness Center — roughly $15 million for a 31,000-square-foot addition [MyHorryNews, 2026]. The list also includes remaining funding for the Central Park pickleball court, the R. Burgess Preserve Boardwalk, the Barefoot Landing Bridge, and a Main Street Streetscape design study. Equipment replacements run the gamut: five refuse trucks, two recycle trucks, a ladder truck, an engine, a street sweeper, a motor grader, and a dump truck [MyHorryNews, 2026].

The Sports Complex is projected to generate $2,612,827 in revenue — more than double FY2026 figures [MyHorryNews, 2026]. That projection deserves close watching. Revenue projections for recreational facilities have a long history of underperforming forecasts in municipalities across the country, and doubling revenue in a single year is an aggressive assumption.

Personnel costs also grow under this proposal. A 4 percent salary increase takes effect October 4, 2026, with four new positions added. The budget introduces premium pay — time-and-a-half — for mandatory minimum staffing, raises the employer health insurance contribution by 16 percent to $18,374 per year, and includes a pay raise for seasonal beach services staff [MyHorryNews, 2026].

Councilman Bubba Collins acknowledged the weight of the proposal. “I’ve read the budget three times. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Collins said [MyHorryNews, 2026].

## The Millage Rate in Context

North Myrtle Beach’s tax rate has not moved in a straight line. Before the pandemic, the city operated at approximately 37.1 mils. In FY2021, council approved a jump to 45 mils unanimously as COVID-era revenue collapsed — a move that came alongside roughly 190 furloughs and million in shelved capital projects [NMB Times, 2020]. The rate held at 45 mils for three years before climbing to 48 mils in FY2025 under then-Mayor Marilyn Hatley to fund public safety [WMBF News, 2024]. South Carolina’s reassessment-driven rollback brought it back to 45 mils for FY2026 [MyHorryNews, 2024].

The proposed 5-mil increase to 50 mils would be the largest single jump since the COVID-era hike. It exceeds the 3-mil increase that passed in FY2025.

**Even at 50 mils, North Myrtle Beach would remain among the lowest-taxed municipalities in Horry County** — roughly 37 percent below Myrtle Beach’s rate of approximately 78.9 mils [City of NMB, 2026]. Conway sits at about 98.1 mils, Loris at roughly 108 mils, and Atlantic Beach at approximately 82 mils. Surfside Beach, the closest comparison at 43 mils, would sit below NMB’s proposed rate [WBTW, 2026].

That regional context is real, but it cuts both ways. A low rate relative to neighbors does not mean the rate is right. It means North Myrtle Beach has historically been a lower-cost place to own property — a selling point that erodes with each increase.

## A Political Test for New Leadership

This budget is the first under Mayor J.O. Baldwin III, who was elected in November 2025 and replaced six-term Mayor Marilyn Hatley [City of NMB, 2026]. It is also the first full budget cycle for City Manager Fabbri. Both are being tested.

Baldwin struck a cautious tone at the retreat. “We’re not there yet. We’ve not even got that far. Right now, we’re just going over what the department heads need,” the mayor said. He added: “I understand. I want to see what they are asking for and what we need before I make a decision” [MyHorryNews, 2026].

Mayor Pro Tem Hank Thomas, Vice Mayor Pro Tem Fred Coyne, and council members Melissa Wober, Bubba Collins, Jeri McCumbee, and Trey Skidmore round out the body that will vote [City of NMB, 2026]. Coyne offered a pragmatic take: “Everything in the world costs more. If you go to the fast food restaurant, a hamburger costs more” [MyHorryNews, 2026].

That logic — everything costs more, so government should too — is the argument residents will hear most often between now and June 15. **The counterargument is straightforward: households absorb inflation by cutting spending, not by demanding raises from their employers.** Whether this council treats taxpayer money with the same discipline will define Baldwin’s first year.

The May 18 public hearing is the first and best opportunity for residents to put their questions on the record. The June 15 vote is the deadline. Between now and then, the budget is a proposal — and proposals can be changed.

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## Further Reading

– MyHorryNews.com — “Proposed North Myrtle Beach budget includes tax increase” (April 2026): [https://www.myhorrynews.com/news/proposed-north-myrtle-beach-budget-includes-tax-increase/article_dcc7e93f-89dd-4e7c-8c57-7dd282a5dd6c.html](https://www.myhorrynews.com/news/proposed-north-myrtle-beach-budget-includes-tax-increase/article_dcc7e93f-89dd-4e7c-8c57-7dd282a5dd6c.html)

– WBTW News 13 — “North Myrtle Beach considers property tax increase in budget proposal” (April 2026): [https://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/north-myrtle-beach/north-myrtle-beach-considers-property-tax-increase-in-budget-proposal/](https://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/north-myrtle-beach/north-myrtle-beach-considers-property-tax-increase-in-budget-proposal/)

– WMBF News — “North Myrtle Beach proposed budget includes property tax increase” (April 2024): [https://www.wmbfnews.com/2024/04/16/north-myrtle-beach-proposed-budget-includes-property-tax-increase/](https://www.wmbfnews.com/2024/04/16/north-myrtle-beach-proposed-budget-includes-property-tax-increase/)

– NMB Times — “NMB City Council Approves Budget” (June 2020): [https://www.nmbtimes.com/nmb-city-council-approves-budget/](https://www.nmbtimes.com/nmb-city-council-approves-budget/)

– City of NMB — FY2026 Budget Retreat Recap: [https://www.nmb.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1231](https://www.nmb.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1231)

– City of NMB — City Council: [https://www.nmb.us/259/City-Council](https://www.nmb.us/259/City-Council)

– WMBF News — “Myrtle Beach seeks solution for property tax relief” (March 2026): [https://www.wmbfnews.com/2026/03/21/not-sustainable-myrtle-beach-seeks-solution-property-tax-relief-amid-rise-property-value/](https://www.wmbfnews.com/2026/03/21/not-sustainable-myrtle-beach-seeks-solution-property-tax-relief-amid-rise-property-value/)

– MyHorryNews.com — “Horry County rolls out rollback millage rates” (2024): [https://www.myhorrynews.com/news/horry-county-rolls-out-rollback-millage-rates-what-that-means-for-taxpayers/article_0610c41a-3e68-11ef-b14b-ef11be2f8a4e.html](https://www.myhorrynews.com/news/horry-county-rolls-out-rollback-millage-rates-what-that-means-for-taxpayers/article_0610c41a-3e68-11ef-b14b-ef11be2f8a4e.html)