Smithfield
Town Council
    report from Dec. 1 session

Council members present: Mayor Andy Moore, David Barbour, John Dunn, Steve Rabil, David Stevens, Roger Wood
Absent: Marlon Lee, Travis Scott


ANNUAL AUDIT FINDS CONTINUED GROWTH IN RESERVES

The council received a "clean report" from CPA Alan Thompson of the Whiteville-based accounting firm of Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams & Co. employed to perform the annual independent audit of the town's finances. He commended the town for growing, once again, its General Fund balance --- the result of expenditures coming in below budget while revenues exceeded expectations. As of June 30, 2020 (the end of last fiscal year) the town's General Fund reserve had grown to $14,521,940, having climbed from $8,913,863 in 2016, Mr. Thompson noted. He also commended the town's administration for "excellent cash flow" in the Electric, Water, and Sewer funds that rely on billings for those services. And he touted the fact that debt is "going down in all funds." In sum, this year's audit contained "no findings" prompting a letter of alarm to the N.C. Local Government Commission, the auditor concluded.


WATER & SEWER SYSTEMS GET TOP AWARDS AGAIN

The council acknowledged receipt of two awards recently presented by North Carolina's American Water Works Association & Water Environment Federation to the town's Utilities Department: one for "Potable Water Distribution System of the Year," the other for "Sanitary Sewer Collection System of the Year" --- both in a category for "small" service districts. Utilities Director Ted Credle pointed out that this is the fourth consecutive year Smithfield has won both awards. That prompted this boast from Councilman David Barbour: "We have award-winning water!"



The revised East River plan calls for triplex houses (blue) surrounded by single-family housing (yellow) with a private "central park" (green) in the middle. Across Buffalo Road to the east are lots for townhouses (tan). Previously, both the triplexes and the townhouses were planned for the eastern side of the subdivision.

EAST RIVER SUBDIVISION PLAN REVISED AGAIN

Following recommendations from the town's planning staff and Planning Board, the council approved what amounts to a third revision in plans for the East River Subdivision already under construction beside Buffalo Road just north of Durwood Stephenson Parkway. The new plan rearranges the location of attached housing units and moves drainage ponds closer to the Neuse River away from most of the housing units. An added feature is a "central park" that includes a playground, dog park, and other amenities for exclusive use of the subdivision's residents. John Twisdale Jr., whose family owns property adjacent to the development, asked the town to increase requirements for landscape buffers. But the council sided with developer Reid Smith, who said his company is working on buffers according to previously approved plans and shouldn't be asked to do more. The revised plan approved by the council on Tuesday calls for 168 single-family residential lots, 60 attached triplex lots, and 65 townhouse lots --- to be developed in seven phases, two of which are already finished or under construction.


REZONING WILL ALLOW CAR-RENTAL AGENCY TO EXPAND

Hearing no objections during a public hearing, the council approved the rezoning of two tracts totaling 1.98 acres on North Bright Leaf Boulevard between the two intersections with Waddell Drive, a circular residential street. The rezoning moves part of the property from B-2 to B-3 Highway Business and another section from R-8 Residential to B-3. Planning Director Stephen Wensman said Mohamed & Sons, Inc. sought the rezoning primarily to allow Enterprise Car Rental to replace its existing office building with a larger structure (the existing structure housed the In & Out Grill in years gone by). Councilman Barbour said he was "glad to see" Enterprise expanding its service as that shows the company's belief in Smithfield's future growth. Both the town's planning staff and Planning Board had recommended approval of the rezoning.


SOCIAL-MEDIA POLICY FOR OFFICIALS APPROVED

The council approved a Social Media Policy for elected and appointed officers and volunteers serving the town. It includes warnings about "inadvertent disclosure of confidential information" regarding individuals and contractors as well as rules on use of town supplies and equipment. "Officials should be honest and accurate when posting information or news, and if they make a mistake must correct it quickly," reads another provision. "Officials should not post any information or rumors they know to be false about the Town, its employees, constituents, officials, suppliers, vendors, contractors, or any other entities or individuals." The complete policy is included in the agenda packet for Tuesday's meeting>


BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT, RECREATION APPOINTMENTS

The council appointed Richard Upton and Jeremy Pearce to first terms on the town's Board of Adjustment, and reappointed Brenda Waddell to a second term on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee.


 NEW VAN PURCHASED FOR ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT

The council approved purchase of a new Ford Transit Connect work van for the Electric Department at a price of $21,987 --- the low bid submitted by Classic Ford of Smithfield. The town will spend an additional $3,000 "for upfitting," but the total of $24,987 falls well within the $35,000 budgeted for the new vehicle.


EAST HANCOCK APPROVED FOR "NO THROUGH TRUCKS"

The council authorized signs prohibiting "through trucks" on the easternmost portion of Hancock Street beyond Ninth Street. Noted Police Chief Keith Powell in a memo to the council: "Trucks are utilizing this street to cut through residential neighborhoods to get back onto North Bright Leaf Boulevard. This is a residential street with low-hanging utility lines and was not constructed for truck traffic on a regular basis."


ZONING-CODE CHANGES MAY BE ADOPTED NEXT MONDAY

At Councilman Barbour's request, the council postponed adopting several major changes in the town's Unified Development Ordinance until a special meeting set for 6:30 p.m. next Monday (Dec. 7) at Town Hall. One of the changes recommended by the town's Planning Board would institute a new concept known as "conditional zoning," which Planning Director Stephen Wensman has said would provide both citizens and developers a less cumbersome process for handling proposed projects than the current system requiring special-use permits. Another change would require public notice of rezoning requests before they reach the Planning Board, which would then be relieved of conducting quasi-judicial hearings on certain matters. The proposed policy changes are detailed in the agenda packet for this week's meeting>
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