Smithfield
Town Council
    report from March 2 session

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


FEDERAL GRANT SOUGHT FOR SIX MORE FIREMEN

Without a dissenting vote, the council authorized Fire Chief John Blanton to apply for a federal grant that would pay in full the salaries of six new firefighters for three years. After that, the town would be responsible for all expenses related to the new positions --- an amount Town Manager Mike Scott said "would likely balloon beyond $470,000 annually."

Council members took note of the manager's warning, with David Barbour pointing out that future town budgets may not provide sufficient funding to cover all that. Chief Blanton said provisions of the grant --- from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency --- would not require the town to continue those positions after the first three years.

Currently, the Smithfield Fire Department employs 18 full-time firefighters, so the additional six would enable four firemen instead of three to be on duty at all times, the chief noted. Meanwhile, the full-time staff continues to be supplemented by volunteer firemen, and mutual-aid agreements with neighboring towns provide extra help when needed for structure fires.
COLUMBARIA RULES CHANGED FOR SAINT ANN CHURCH

The council amended its recently adopted regulations of church-hosted columbaria to accommodate a large project in the planning stages at Saint Ann Catholic Church. (Columbaria are structures that hold multiple burial compartments for human remains, most commonly after cremation).

The town's height restriction was raised from six feet to seven after Saint Ann parishioners Paul Embler and Dean Penny told the council a standard structure from manufacturers is six feet tall but ought to be placed on top of a slab, or pedestal, that's one foot high.

Also, the town's original rule limiting each columbarium to 200 niches was amended to allow a larger number with approval of a special-use permit. Saint Ann's plan calls for 2,000 niches once it's fully built. With the special-use permit, the church could also put a smaller percentage of fees charged for niches into a perpetual-care trust account --- 15% instead of the 50% required for smaller projects.

Councilman Barbour voted against the rule changes on principle that basic regulations in the town's development code, once adopted, shouldn't be altered to fit a particular situation that could be addressed through the permitting process.

Nonetheless, Planning Director Stephen Wensman said his staff had no reason to object to the changes requested by Saint Ann --- which he termed "reasonable and in the public interest" --- since the town had few samples to follow from other municipalities that have chosen to regulate columbaria.
CONTESTED APPOINTMENTS DECIDED BY BALLOTS

In an unusual move, council members voted by paper ballots to fill seats on two boards. For the town's Planning Board, Michael Sloan Stevens Jr. was chosen by a vote of 5-2 over Teresa Daughtry, who has served on that board for nine years. For a town-appointed seat on the Board of Trustees of the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, five councilmen favored Connie Barbour over Angelique Legette and Stephanie Norris, who got one vote apiece.

Following the votes, Mayor Andy Moore thanked Ms. Daughtry (who was not present) for her years of faithful service on the Planning Board, then voiced appreciation for the public's interest in serving on both boards that produced sufficient applicants to require the balloting procedure.

Here's a rundown of the voting for the two appointments:
Planning Board --- Councilmen Barbour, Lee, Rabil, Stevens, and Wood for Mr. Stevens; Councilmen Dunn and Scott for Ms. Daughtry.
Library Board of Trustees --- Councilmen Barbour, Dunn, Rabil, Stevens, and Wood for Ms. Barbour; Councilman Lee for Ms. Legette; Councilman Scott for Ms. Norris.

OTHER APPOINTMENTS MADE BY UNANIMOUS VOTE

With only one applicant for each of three seats under consideration, the council unanimously reappointed Steve Upton to a fourth term on the town's Board of Adjustment, and to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee: Earl Marett to a sixth term and Tim Johnson to a third term.


 TWO MORE POLICE OFFICERS TAKE OATH OF OFFICE

Mayor Moore administered the oath of office to two new members of the Smithfield Police Department: Jonathan Aaron Boyce, who has no previous law-enforcement experience, and Derek Anthony Leagan, who has previously worked as a policeman in Burgaw and Wilmington. Both were assigned to the department's Patrol Division.



Screenshot from video of Tuesday's meeting, posted on the town's Facebook page>

PROCLAMATION SALUTES AFRICAN-AMERICAN FRATERNITY

The council approved a resolution proclaiming the week of March 22-26 as "Kappa Week" in honor of the Smithfield Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity --- an African-American organization heavily involved in local public service since its establishment in 1966 by Reginald Ennis, John Windley, Romie Grantham, Matthew Sanders, Elias Sanders, Norvell Lee, James Barbour, and Vernon Nixon.

A delegation of current chapter members took center stage for the presentation, including Councilman Marlon Lee.

The proclamation, signed by Mayor Moore, notes that the original chapter, established in 1911 on the campus of Indiana University, was "the first incorporated Black Fraternity in the United States."


HEARING NEXT WEEK ON POLICE-STATION EXPANSION

The council will conduct a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. next Thursday (March 11) at Town Hall that's required before financing can be approved for an upcoming project to enlarge the town's police headquarters on South Fifth Street.
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