County
budget done with more
school funding
Without
discussion, the
County Commissioners
adopted the 2022-23
county budget Monday
evening with a net
increase of almost
$2.8 million in
funding for Johnston
County's public
schools.
That includes an
increase over the
current year's
budget of almost
$5.7 million for
operating expenses
offset by
elimination of
funding for 
capital
expenditures by the
schools.
Johnston's Board of
Education had
requested $6 million
for capital outlay in
addition to an
increase of almost
$8.4 million for
operations in the year
ahead.
No explanation was
given for leaving out
capital funding for
the school system.
Meanwhile,
commissioners have
authorized a
$177-million
school-bond issue to
be put on the ballot
for November's General
Election.
Here's the final tally on
county funding for
Johnston County Public
Schools and Johnston
Community College:
| EDUCATION
FUNDING |
Current
budget |
Requested |
Approved |
| Schools
Current Expense |
$79,900,000 |
$88,271,931 |
$85,573,000 |
| Schools
Capital Outlay |
$2,900,000 |
$6,052,774 |
-
0 -
|
| College
Current Expense |
$4,853,910 |
$6,028,933 |
$6,028,933 |
| College
Capital Outlay |
$2,091,176 |
$1,189,784 |
$1,090,943 |
| Totals |
$89,745,086 |
$101,543,422 |
$92,692,876 |
Property-tax
rate unchanged; fees for
water and sewer going up
The
new budget is balanced
without an increase in the
county's property-tax rate
of 73 cents per $100
valuation. It does include
fee increases for water
and sewer services and
solid-waste disposal plus
higher fees for building
inspections. (Higher rates
for sewer service will
impact the Town of
Smithfield and several
other municipalities that
rely on the county's
treatment plant.)
On top of recently
approved pay raises for
many county employees, the
new budget provides money
for across-the-board
raises of 3% in July with
an additional
performance-pay adjustment
of 2% for qualifying
employees in October.
Also funded are 51 new
positions in 13 county
departments: 11 in the new
Detention Center, 8 in
Emergency Medical
Services, 8 in Social
Services, 6 in Public
Health, 3 in Building
Inspections, 2 in
Planning, and one apiece
in Human Resources,
Buildings and Grounds,
Cooperative Extension,
Animal Services, and
Parks, Greenways &
Open Space, plus 6 in the
Public Utilities
Enterprise Fund and 2 in
the Solid Waste Enterprise
Fund.
Commissioners' Vice
Chairman Patrick Harris
offered the budget
resolution adopted Monday.
He had been designated as
the county board's liaison
to work out funding levels
acceptable to
commissioners and school
leaders especially. Those
negotiations took place
behind the scenes (an
allowable practice since
no meetings took place at
which a majority of
elected board members were
present).
The budget includes
additional Special
Appropriations based on
recent appeals presented
to commissioners for more
money in the year ahead:
• $722,000 to the Public
Library of Johnston County
and Smithfield (the
library's trustees had
requested $843,160; the
past year's appropriation
was $610,000).
• $625,000 to the Triangle
Land Conservancy as
requested for purchases
and easements to protect
environmentally sensitive
properties from
development.
• $250,000 as a one-time
extra contribution to
Harbor Inc., Johnston's
non-profit agency
assisting victims of
domestic violence and
sexual abuse (in addition
to $75,000 normally
budgeted for the service).
• $158,339 to enable the
Johnston Area Transit
Service (JCATS) set up a
pilot program for
on-demand, individual
public transportation
similar to Uber.
• $50,000 in additional
matching-grant funds for
Johnston Regional Airport
(beyond $200,000 in the
county manager's proposed
budget).
• $28,000 for the
Smithfield Rescue Mission
(up from $21,000 this past
year).
• $15,000 for Special
Olympics of Johnston
County (restored after an
interruption because of
the coronavirus pandemic).
Recent funding requests
for more county aid were
not granted for the Town
of Princeton's proposed
community building
($350,000), the ReEntry
program for
domestic-violence
offenders ($15,000
approved instead of
$150,000 requested), the
Youth Advisory Council's
proposal to expand
mentoring for high
schoolers ($20,000), and a
doubling of assistance for
the Partnership for
Children (keeping that
annual appropriation at
$50,000).
The new budget raises
property-tax rates in four
rural fire-protection
districts – Bentonville,
Strickland's Crossroads,
West Johnston, and Wynn
(Four Oaks) – and it
raises the tax rate
assessed on properties
within the Moccasin Creek
Service District. Those
increases range from 1.5
to 4 cents per $100
valuation.
The General Fund budget
for 2022-23 totals
$309,059,934. To keep the
final version in balance
in light of appropriations
added Monday to the county
manager's proposed budget,
commissioners increased
anticipated property-tax
revenue by $3 million to
$183.7 million, sales-tax
revenue by $2 million to
almost $53 million, and
appropriated $2,806,215
from General Fund
reserves.
VIEW more details about the 2022-23 budget on
the county's website>
Commissioners
approve relocation of
graves in West
Smithfield
Granting
a request from developers
of a large residential
subdivision across US 70
Business from the Amazon
distribution center, the
county board approved
removal of 16 graves in an
abandoned cemetery to make
way for construction of
Floyd Landing, a 698-unit
project of single-family
houses, townhouses, and
apartments. The human
remains will be
re-interred in nearby
Sunset Memorial Park, a
cemetery maintained by the
Town of Smithfield. State
law requires county
commissioners to authorize
such removal of graves,
even though these – in
what was once known as the
Parrish-Holt Cemetery –
lie within the town's
jurisdiction.
Friday's
storm felled trees, cut
power, left little rain
Downtown
Smithfield's director
Sarah Edwards got this
sunset view above Market
Street following last
Friday evening's storm
that brought damaging
winds yet a pittance of
rainfall: just 0.19 of an
inch recorded Friday
evening by the National
Weather Service at
Johnston Regional Airport.
Much of South Smithfield
was without power for more
than two hours after a
tree fell on South Second
Street, with another
tree-caused outage along
Outlet Center Drive, Town
Manager Mike Scott
reported. In addition,
"the damage caused a bank
of regulators to blow in
the delivery station on
Hospital Road," he said.
The blasts of wind
interrupted Downtown's
Third StrEATery event,
where folks on hand
"jumped into action" to
secure overturned tables
and move entertainment
devices to safety, Ms.
Edwards reported on
Facebook.
Johnston's 9-1-1 Director
Brett Renfrow reported to
the County Commissioners
Monday that his staff
fielded 1,240 calls
between 6 and 9 p.m.
Friday, mostly about trees
on roadways and power
outages throughout the
county. "We really got no
warning" that "winds of
that magnitude" were
headed this way, he said.
As a result, off-duty
personnel were called back
to duty to help handle the
call volume, and they
"performed admirably," he
reported.
P.S. Our area did get a
bit more rain last night
from remnants of
thunderstorms coming out
of Virginia, but not much:
just 0.33 of an inch
measured at the airport.
Chamber
names Benton Sawrey
"Emerging Leader"
That honor
was presented at last
week's Legacy Awards event
of the Triangle East
Chamber of Commerce.
Pictured here (in the
middle) with
Chamber CEO Maureen
McGuiness and Chamber
board chair Mark
McDonnell, Mr.
Sawrey is an attorney
based in Smithfield who
recently won the
Republican Party's
nomination for election in
November to a seat in the
North Carolina Senate
that's reserved for
Johnston County as a
result of legislative
redistricting. (Triangle
East Chamber photo)
Other awards presented to
individuals by the
Chamber:
• Small Businessperson of
the Year – Kimberly
Wooten, owner of Selma
Jewelry.
• Lifetime Achievement
Award – Jackie Lacey,
former Selma Council
member.
• Citizen of the Year –
Bennie Cherry, a Town of
Wilson's Mills employee
who volunteers with two
fire departments and other
community services.
Formerly the
Smithfield-Selma Area
Chamber of Commerce, the
Triangle East Chamber
represents business
interests in the towns of
Archer Lodge, Kenly,
Micro, Princeton, and
Wilson's Mills in addition
to Selma and Smithfield
plus the unincorporated
Cleveland community.
KS
Bank moves up in ranks
of N.C.-based banks
A
year ago Smithfield-based
KS Bank ranked 31st among
the largest banks and
credit unions based in
N.C., according to Business
North Carolina.
Based on 2021 revenue
reports, KS Bank has moved
up to 29th place.
The independently
published magazine shows
KS Bank's revenue last
year reached $21 million,
a gain of 13.8% over
2020's number. Last year's
net income for the bank
reached $6 million, a gain
of 13.4%.
The largest N.C.-based
bank in 2021 was Bank of
America with revenue of
almost $90 billion and net
income approaching $32
billion. Truist Financial
(formerly BB&T merged
with Sun Trust) was second
with revenue approaching
$22.2 billion and income
of more than $6.4 billion.
Both of those banks are
based in Charlotte.
In third place was First
Citizens Bank (founded in
Smithfield, now
headquartered in Raleigh)
with revenue exceeding $2
billion and net income of
$548 million. State
Employees' Credit Union
was fourth with revenue of
more than $1.5 billion and
net income of $557
million.
VIEW the
magazine's complete 2021
report for the state's
top 50 banks>
On
hand for a
ribbon-cutting for the
automated checkout
locker are (left to
right) library staffers
Dustin Mobley, Katie
Guthrie, and Director
Johnnie Pippin along the
Vice Chair Terri Lee and
Chair Megan Shaner of
the library's Board of
Trustees.
Public Library launches 24/7 checkout service
The
Public Library of Johnston
County and Smithfield has
set up a self-service
system where borrowers can
order books and other items
for pickup from a secure
locker in the vestibule of
the library's main entrance
at the off-street parking
lot.
How the holdings locker
system works:
- Patrons
will select their pickup
library as "Smithfield
Locker" via the PLJCS online
catalog.
- Patrons
will receive a
notification e-mail or
text when their items are
ready for pickup.
- Patrons
will have 24/7 access to
the locker to get their
awaiting holds.
- Walk
up to the locker’s
touchscreen and either
scan your library card or
type in your library card
number.
- One
of the 38 lockers will pop
open to allow patrons
access to retrieve their
borrowed materials. A
due-date receipt will
print for the patron.
Items
will be held within the
locker system up to three
days.
The holdings locker system
has been made possible by
funding from the federal
Institute of Museum and
Library Services under
provisions of the Library
Services and Technology Act
as administered by the State
Library of North Carolina, a
division of the N.C.
Department of Natural and
Cultural Resources.
For more information, visit
www.pljcs.org
or call 984-985-BOOK.
Two
appointed to Public
Library's Board of
Trustees
The
County Commissioners at
Monday's meeting
reappointed Jennifer
Seagraves of Cleveland
Township and appointed a
new member, Emily Gail
Scott of Smithfield, to
the Board of Trustees of
the Public Library of
Johnston County and
Smithfield.
VIEW the
board's current roster
posted on the PLJCS
website>
"Trusted
by families since
1977"
840 S. Bright Leaf
Blvd. • 919-934-7164
• www.carrollpharmacy.com
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
Town
Council hopes to wrap up
budget work next week
Facing
a June 30 deadline for
adoption of a Town of
Smithfield budget for
fiscal 2022-23, the Town
Council has scheduled a
budget session for 6:30
p.m. Monday at Town Hall.
(A second session on
Tuesday may be held if
necessary.)
VIEW the
town manager's proposed
budget as it now
stands>
County's
land-use revisions to be
unveiled Wednesday
Following a year
of public meetings,
committee hearings,
surveys, studies, and
discussions, the
Johnston County
Planning Department
will present proposed
revisions to the
county's Comprehensive
Land Use Plan during a
public forum that
begins at 6 p.m.
Wednesday at the
Agricultural Center
off NC 210 west of
Smithfield. "There
will be a brief presentation
at 6:30 p.m. followed by a
question and answer period
and an informal open house
session," reads the county's
announcement. Approval of
the plan's final details
must come later from the
County Commissioners.
Another
"Shred Event" this
Saturday at SSS parking
lot
Register
of Deeds Craig Olive
announced this week that
another of his office's
"Shred Event" is scheduled
this Saturday from 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m. in the parking
lot of Smithfield-Selma
High School. "I will
continue my efforts to
prevent identity theft as
long as I am in public
service," Mr. Olive
stated. "These shred
events provide our
citizens a free way to
dispose of personal and
sensitive information."
His office hosted a
similar event in
mid-April.
PUBLIC SERVICE
ANNOUNCEMENT
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
JANICE
McLAMB LEE, 76 –
died June 21
LYNDA HARDEE
PARRISH, 75 – died
June 15
SYLVIA GAYE
PEARCE THOMPSON, 81
– died June 15
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
An
update on Smithfield's
billing for electricity
Here's
a bit of news from updated
information compiled by
Councilman Travis Scott:
The Town of Smithfield
will continue to charge
the lowest residential
rates of any electric
utility operating in
Johnston County.
Mr. Scott sent us these
numbers – based on
proposed rate increases by
Duke Energy and
municipalities in Johnston
that operate power systems
– for a typical household
that consumes 1,250
kilowatts in a month:
Smithfield
– $128.45 (unchanged for
another year); Duke
Energy
(including its West
Smithfield customers) –
$153.50 July-October,
$147.24 November-June; Selma
– $149.57; Benson
– $163.63; Clayton
– $178.50.
That's the good news for
many of Smithfield's
households.
Not so good is the fact
that the town's residents
are now being charged more
for water and sewer
service plus garbage and
trash pickup than what
we're paying for
electricity. The latest
monthly bill received by
the editor's household
charged us $60 more for
town services other than
electricity – 80% more, to
put it another way.
And it's apparently going
to get worse since the
coming year's County of
Johnston budget includes
sewer-rate hikes for its
municipal as well as
residential "customers."
That includes the Town of
Smithfield, which sends
its wastewater to the
county's treatment plant
on the Neuse (that was
originally built by the
town yet turned over to
the county some years ago
to serve several towns in
central Johnston).
If that's the cost of
protecting the fragile
environment from our
wastefulness, so be it.
At least we've got that
electric-bill monkey off
our backs, thanks to the
state's action several
years back to eliminate
the burdensome debt
Smithfield and other
municipalities had to bear
after construction of the
Shearon Harris Nuclear
Plant in neighboring Wake
County 35 years ago.
Subscribers
to this edition: 1,362
MISS
A PREVIOUS EDITION?
Rewind
through the Weekly Sun's
archives
the SMITHFIELD
WEEKLY SUN
|
