Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire Rescue crews want you to vote in their favor for a referendum to increase its districts’ tax millage cap. It comes with the stance that by paying more on your property taxes, you could actually save money in the long run. On top of that, the district would be able to get an entire new station.

The fire department already owns a plot of land on McDowell Shortcut Road. It’s the same spot the department has been trying to build a fourth station for the district since 2007 when the land was purchased. A vote on the property tax increase, described as minimal, would allow the department to finally build it.

“We’re at 10 mills now, we’re asking to go to 14 mills, which is not a whole lot,” says Al Hitchcock, the Chairman for Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire Rescue. “Georgetown County is at 29 mills, Horry County is at 21 mills. So this is not an unreasonable request.”

To put it in a dollar amount, “It would be about 37 dollars on the average home in our district,” Hitchcock calculates. “The average home is about $235,000 dollars. “

Hitchcock says the increase in taxes could save you more on fire insurance when the department is evaluated. This could happen once the fourth station is built and new equipment is purchased. Without the increase, your fire insurance could go up.