Horry County Council/File Photo
Horry County Council decided Tuesday night to postpone a final vote on whether to allow concrete batch plants to operate at night.
The council was supposed to have third and final hearing on the proposal, but Councilman Gary Loftus said he felt more input was needed.
Several large-scale construction projects in Horry County are underway, and the concrete plants say it will be difficult to stay on task when they aren't allowed to operate at night.
Current law mandates the plants close at 9:00 p.m., but the new ordinance would allow around-the-clock operation with the special permitting of Horry County.
Residents who live near the plants have complained that the noise levels will be too great, but Council Chairman Liz Gilland said both sides will need to compromise.
"The batch plants will probably have to figure out some way to make the noise less, with buffers, and the neighbors are going to have to put up with a little more noise infrequently for a specified amount of time. Not every night for a year, but a few nights here and there," Gilland said.
The council planned a workshop for the issue in the next few weeks, and a final vote should come sometime before Thanksgiving.
Also at the council meeting, the council passed final reading of an ordinance that will allow county employees to seize or sink abandoned boats on the Intracoastal Waterway.
