County advances new Social Services building
Architect employed; construction manager retained

The Johnston County Board of Commissioners took two steps Monday morning toward construction of a long-awaited new home for the Department of Social Services, which presently operates with cramped quarters in five buildings:

(1) Unanimous approval of a contract with Moseley Inc. of Raleigh to design a building of approximately 135,000 square feet of office space on two floors with an additional third-floor "warm shell space for future county growth," producing a total of 202,500 square feet. Moseley will be paid $6,899,293 "for the entirety of the project" from design through the end of construction.

(2) Unanimous approval of a contract with Stephenson General Contractors for a construction manager to oversee the project in the county's behalf at a cost not to exceed $250,200. (Stephenson's Jimmy Boykin apparently will be in charge.)

Both the Moseley and Stephenson firms handled recent construction of the county's Public Safety and Detention centers located across US 70 Business from the acreage where the Social Services building will stand.

County Attorney Jennifer Slusser said the Social Services building's total cost (including the architect's contract) could reach $103 million including "a very generous contingency" allowance of about 7.3%.

Regarding employment of a construction manager by the county, Commissioner Godwin said construction savings produced by that oversight could be "tenfold of the cost" of the contract with the Stephenson firm.

A schedule for the project's construction is yet to be determined.

County accepts grant for another leg of Neuse River Trail

The $225,000 Great Trails Grant from the state will be matched by an appropriation from the county's Open Space Fund to acquire trail access for almost 80 acres along the Neuse River between Wilson's Mills and Selma. The tract is located downstream from a larger acquisition by the county two years ago for the new Wilson's Mills High School as well as a future park site to include part of the envisioned Neuse River Trail's extension from Clayton to Smithfield. Commissioners voted unanimously to accept the state's grant.

County OKs Wildlife Resources contract for canoe launch

The launch is to be built on the Neuse River below East Clayton Elementary School along Castleberry Road off NC 42. Its use will be restricted to canoes and kayaks, and the site will include the county's first public fishing pier on the Neuse, commissioners were told. Under the agreement unanimously adopted by commissioners Monday, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will design and construct a small ramp, parking lot, and pier with the county providing $291,000 for the work and sharing maintenance of the facilities with the Town of Clayton.

Commissioners OK fire-protection cost-sharing formula

The board unanimously adopted a formula for determining shares of funding provided by the county and Johnston's municipalities for fire departments with service districts that extend beyond the towns' jurisdictions. The amounts will be calculated annually based 40% on call volume, 30% on property-tax values, 20% on population, and 10% on square mileage.

Commissioners asked if any of the towns had suggested any alternatives to the policy as presented by the Johnston County Fire Commission. Ryan Parker, the county's director of Emergency Services, said none had done so. Commissioner Butch Lawter pointed out that annual adjustments could be made if needed.

Clerk of Court asks county to front cost of 11 more staffers

Michelle Ball told commissioners Monday morning that her office hasn't gotten state allocations to cover the cost of additions to her staff since 2022, despite increases in the workload fueled by Johnston's population growth. Furthermore, she said, prospects for such funding in the near future appear bleak (the N.C. General Assembly still hasn't adopted a complete state budget for the current fiscal year that started last July 1).

As a result, she asked the commissioners to put up county funds to cover the cost of 11 additional deputy clerks – five to be employed February 1, the other six April 1 – and to budget for maintaining those new positions through fiscal 2026-27. "It's absolutely necessary for timely justice and public safety," Ms. Ball declared.

She said the National Center for State Courts has standards for how much staffing is needed based on volume of judicial proceedings over the past three years, providing justification for her staffing request. "It's a true acknowledgement of the work that needs to be done," she said of the National Center's assessment.

Commissioner Mike Rose asked Ms. Ball if she had room in her Courthouse quarters to house 11 more deputy clerks. "We are willing to live with our space and make it work," she replied. One thing that helps that situation, she said, is the state's new electronic filing system (known as "eCourts") which she said has enabled her office to shred and dispose of 600 boxes of paper records removed from storage.

Following a recommendation from Commissioners' Chairman Patrick Harris, the board took Ms. Ball's request for additional county-funded staff under advisement for a decision to be made later.

Board gets a progress report on water and sewer projects

Kim Rineer, engineering manager for the county's Utilities Department, presented a status report on major water and sewer projects during Monday's evening session. Here's a rundown of the larger ones:

• Water-plant expansion – increasing treatment capacity of the Timothy G. Broome Water Treatment Plant at Wilson's Mills from 14-million gallons daily (MGD) to 18-million is scheduled for completion by June 30. Project's cost: $73 million.
• New sewage plant's expansion – doubling the capacity of the treatment plant off NC 210 beside the landfill from 4 MGD to 8 MGD is scheduled for completion by the end of November. Project's cost: $39.9 million.
• Older sewage-plant improvements – upgrades at the county's plant on the Neuse River at Smithfield should be done by the end of this year. Cost: $12.7 million. (This facility was originally built and operated by the Town of Smithfield.)
• Sewerage upgrades at Selma – an enlarged pumping station on the west side of town is scheduled for completion by the fall of next year. Cost: $17.7 million. This project will handle increased sewage loads from Selma's massive Eastfield development and the Town of Pine Level.

Other county projects in the works include a second sewage pipeline along Buffalo Road north of Smithfield, upgraded sewage-pumping capacity at Four Oaks, and relocation of a sewage-pumping station where the US 301 bridge over the Neuse is being replaced.

Ms Rineer noted that the county's Capital Improvements Plan for water and sewer facilities anticipates expenditures approaching $500 million through 2029. Funding for that work will come from fees paid by customers of the county's systems supplemented by state and federal grants as they become available.
 

Town Council approves mid-year salary raises
Property-tax windfall more than covers budgeted cost

The Smithfield Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve selective pay raises for town employees effective this month after hearing staff assurances that the 2025-26 budget adopted last summer will cover the added expense. Beyond that, the council learned that the town's overall property-tax revenues for the year will exceed budgeted expectations by more than $600,000.

The council had approved 3% pay raises effective last July 1 for all employees, holding off on mid-year raises because of uncertainties surrounding the town's revenue picture in light of last year's revaluation of real estate by the county. That picture got brighter than anticipated with Tuesday night's revelation by Town Manager Mike Scott that final numbers from the county's Tax Office show Smithfield's property-tax levy could yield $10,418,671 – an amount that is $638,671 higher than the $9,780,000 forecast in the town's adopted budget.

While that higher number is based on a tax-collection rate of 100%, Johnston's Tax Office in recent years has consistently produced a rate above 99%.

The salary plan approved Tuesday has three components:
(1) 2% increase in minimum and maximum salaries for numerous rank-and-file employees under what's commonly called a "career ladder" system (no adjustments in schedules for supervisors and department heads).
(2) Merit-pay raises up to 2% depending on results of individual employee evaluations conducted in September. Human Resources Director Shannan Parrish told the council those raises will average 1.68% among the town's 171 employees.
(3) Elimination of a $5,000 signing bonus for new patrol officers now that the Police Department has overcome recent staffing shortages following $10,000 raises in pay for officers at all levels in 2024.

Ms. Parrish told the council her staff checked with other nearby local governments before coming up with the recommended changes in salary schedules. "This puts us in line with regional compensation trends," she said.

Mayor announces appointments to parking task force

Membership of a Market Street Task Force authorized by the council last month is now complete. Near the close of Tuesday's council session, Mayor Andy Moore announced appointment of public representatives who will join four council members on the group charged with negotiating with the N.C. Department of Transportation about alternatives to the state's announced plan to remove all parking along Market Street in the heart of Downtown.

The mayor's appointees include Market Street merchants Daniel Evans of Evans Jewelers (he's a former mayor), Larry Holt of The Diner, and Scott Gandolph of Gotham's Deli, Downtown Smithfield Development's current director Heidi Gilmond and former DSDC director Chris Johnson, and Erin Keller, a Smithfield resident who operates a fitness gym on Market Street in West Smithfield.

Council members appointed earlier to serve on the task force: John Dunn, Steve Rabil, Doris Wallace, and the mayor.

Annexation of rejected subdivision's site moves forward

Without discussion, the council approved under its Consent Agenda the next step toward voluntarily requested annexation of about 500 acres off Wilson's Mills Road north of town. That's the site of a proposed 1,147-unit residential subdivision that was rejected by a 5-2 vote by the Town Council following a rezoning hearing in October that drew considerable public opposition.

In accordance with state law, the council on Tuesday authorized the town clerk "to investigate the sufficiency of the petition" for annexation submitted by E&F Properties Inc. for the acreage adjacent to Lee-Youngblood Road. The next step toward annexation will require a public hearing before the council.

Updated Hazard Mitigation Plan focuses on flooding here

The council approved a revised regional plan for dealing with natural disasters that includes a specific "Action Plan" for Smithfield. Listed among its "high" priorities:

• Completion of a GIS mapping project with elevations showing where deficiencies exist in the town's storm-water system.
• Installation of power generators at two or three "critical" sewer lift stations and backup power at other unspecified "critical facilities."
• Replacement of the Spring Branch culvert under South Second Street.
• Installation of larger drainage piping under the CSX railroad and I-95 east of South Bright Leaf Boulevard.

Smithfield's participation in periodic updates to the Cape Fear Hazard Mitigation Plan is required for the town's eligibility for federal disaster grants, the council was told. This particular regional plan covers five counties: Johnston, Harnett, Lee, Chatham, and Moore.
 

The N.C. Department of Revenue reports retail sales in Johnston County during the months of July, August, and September totaled $934,155,968 – an increase of 12.8% over sales amounting to $828,218,793 during the third quarter of 2024. That follows a 10.55% increase in sales during the second quarter of this year.
 

 WHAT'S COMING UP 

Board of Education's monthly meeting next Tuesday
The Johnston County Board of Education is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the schools' administrative headquarters on US 70 Business East.
VIEW the agenda once it's posted online>

Public reception planned for retiring town manager
A retirement party for Town Manager Mike Scott is scheduled for Friday, January 23 at Town Hall. The public is invited to attend between the hours of 2 and 5 p.m. Mr. Scott has announced his retirement effective at the end of this month.
 

 DEATHS AND FUNERALS 
Click on the name to read an obituary, usually posted by the funeral home:

RUTH MARIE McLAMB, 85 – died January 4

LOUISE TALTON SAULS, 82 – died January 3

MARSHALL CRAVEN NIXON, 82 – died January 1

ROBERTA LUCILLE REED, 91 – died January 1
 

---

 A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR 

Having fun with my miraculous I-phone camera!

This "old school" newspaper photographer has advanced from Polaroids used by The Smithfield Herald years ago to Nikon digital cameras in recent times and now to a mobile-phone device that makes it easier than ever to capture moments and scenes in all sorts of circumstances.

I'll give credit for making the move to my son Frank, a high-school history teacher who's also an accomplished photographer. He and wife Kristin took a trip Out West this past summer which gave him a chance to substitute an Apple I-phone for his trusty Nikon. The results were astounding! And that sold me on joining the crowd.

The first test for this publication came during the Christmas season when I found out how simple it is to photograph nighttime front-yard displays. The other big deal for this journalist is the phone camera's ability to capture indoor shots of persons without using a flash that often distorts the lighting. Not to mention the convenience of carrying the I-phone in my pocket rather than strapped over my shoulder!

What's next? A drone camera would be nice. But that can wait till I've had a lot more fun with this digital phone thing.

Meanwhile, here's a shot taken this week on Downtown Smithfield's South Third Street featuring the lighted snowflakes that will stay up through January....


What turned off the lights last weekend?
Speaking of lighting, Town Manager Mike Scott said the brief power blip that apparently affected most of the town Sunday night was caused by Duke Energy, which feeds the town's electrical grid. "They acknowledged that they experienced the 30-second or so outage but did not report on its cause," he noted.
 

Subscribers to this edition: 1,636

MISS A PREVIOUS EDITION?
You'll find it in the Weekly Sun archives>