Property
revaluation coming up
sooner: in 2025
The
County of Johnston
announced this week that
Pearson's Appraisal
Service, Inc. has begun
field work that will lead
to an across-the-board
reappraisal of Johnston's
real-estate valuations for
taxation, effective
January 1, 2025.
State law requires North
Carolina's counties to
reappraise property at
least once every eight
years, and that's what
Johnston County has been
doing – till now. The
County Commissioners
decided following the last
revaluation in 2019 that
Johnston will move to more
frequent reappraisals.
This one is coming six
years after the last, and
after that they'll be done
every four years.
It's a move toward fairer
taxation in one of the
state's fastest growing
counties. (While
valuations overall are
likely to go up based on
real-estate market
conditions, actual
property-tax changes will
be dependent upon the rate
of taxation adopted by the
County Commissioners two
years from now.)
Pearson's
Appraisal Service will
be traveling around the
county in marked cars
with signs that display
"Johnston County
Revaluation Contractor,"
the county announced
this week.
"These cars will travel
the entire county taking
photographs of
structures, which will
help validate Tax
Department information.
Vendor staff will not be
entering or requesting
to enter any residents'
homes or structures and
will provide
identification upon
request."
For more information,
property owners are
asked to call the Tax
Administration Office at
919-989-5130 or visit the
department's
website>
New
"jail" and Public Safety
Center almost ready
It won't be called the
"Johnston County Jail"
anymore because the new
building looks more like a
maximum-security prison
than the present-day
Courthouse jail. The
Johnston County Detention
Center was originally
scheduled to be in service
by now, but equipment
delivery delays have
pushed back its opening
till later this spring,
County Manager Rick Hester
told the Weekly Sun
this week.
Nearing completion in
front of the Detention
Center is the county's
Public Safety Center that
will house operations of
the Sheriff's Department,
Emergency Services, and
9-1-1 Communications. Mr.
Hester said those agencies
will begin moving in this
summer as things now
stand. Both facilities are
located on US 70 Business
east of Smithfield. (Photos
taken by drone for the "State of
the County" video
report)
County
Commissioners returning
to Campbell for retreat
Commissioners'
Chairman Butch Lawter made
that announcement at the
end of an
uncharacteristically short
eight-minute meeting of
the board Monday evening.
The annual planning
retreat will be held once
again on the campus of
Campbell University in
Buies Creek March 15-16
and will be live-streamed
via the Internet.
Johnston's commissioners
did that last March, and
Johnston's Board of
Education followed suit
last August (but those
sessions were not
live-streamed).
So far as Monday's meeting
of the commissioners was
concerned, the agenda
included no business items
requiring discussion, no
one appeared to address
the board during the
Public Comments segment,
and neither the county
manager nor board members
brought up matters
requiring action. The
board did go into closed
session at the end of
Monday's short meeting –
as allowed by state
statutes – but took no
action before adjourning.
Two
tractors added to JCC
Truck Driver Training
fleet
Johnston
Community College has
purchased two Freightliner
road tractors with a
$443,000 grant from the
Golden LEAF Foundation.
The additional trucks will
allow JCC's
driver-training program to
increase its enrollment
from 185 to 241.
"The
funding also allows 30
incumbent workers to
enroll in new continuing
education courses and 20
high-school students to
participate in a new CTE
Pathway through the Career
and College Promise
program," the school's
announcement states. "JCC
Truck Driver Training
School remains one of the
most afforadable in the
region and takes eight to
16 weeks to complete." For
more information, visit the
JCC website or call
919-464-2339. (Photo
from JCC)
EDITOR'S NOTE:: The
Golden LEAF Foundation
is a non-profit
organization created to
receive and distribute a
portion of North
Carolina's funding from
the 1998 Master
Settlement Agreement
with cigarette
manufacturers. Its focus
is to increase economic
opportunities in the
state's "rural and
tobacco-dependent
communities."
Love
the Space You're In!
And
to make sure that's
the way it is in
your home...
<Call
Pernell today.
Or visit
callpernell.com>
HIGH
SCHOOL SPORTS REPORT
Neuse Charter boys' basketball still
alive in playoffs
The
Cougars' season record
grew to 25-4 after a 74-61
win at home over East
Columbus High School in
the opening round of the
state 1-A playoffs on
Tuesday. Last Thursday the
Neuse Charter team beat
Lakewood 56-48 in the
Carolina 1-A Conference
tournament but lost to
Rosewood 60-38 on Friday.
It was the first
conference loss of the
season for the Cougars.
Top scorers for Neuse
Charter in Thursday's win
were Sire Holmes with 23
points, Jayvin Bradley 12,
and Donollyn Tyrell 10.
Holmes scored 17 in
Friday's game and also led
the Cougars with 25 points
on Tuesday, followed by
Darian Murray with 17,
Tyrell 11, and Philip
Sullivan 10.
The second round of the
playoffs for Neuse Charter
is set for 6 p.m. today
(Thursday) at home versus
Voyager Academy of Durham.
The Cougars are seeded
fourth in the Eastern
bracket of the 1-A
playoffs. Voyager is
seeded 13th.
The
Smithfield Recreation
& Aquatics Center was
the site of last
Saturday's annual Daddy-Daughter
Dance hosted
by the town's Parks &
Recreation Department.
This year's theme was "a
Night in Paris." (Photo
from Town of Smithfield
Facebook page)
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
Smithfield
churches to host six
Lenten luncheon services
They'll be
held at five different
churches with a different
minister leading the service
on six consecutive
Wednesdays, starting next
week. Each service will
begin at noon, followed by
food and fellowship. Here's
the lineup:
• March 1
at First Presbyterian, led
by Rev. Meagan Matthews of
Centenary United Methodist.
• March 8
at Centenary, led by Rev.
Kate Byrd of St. Paul's
Episcopal.
• March 15
at St. Paul's Episcopal, led
by Rev. Kristen Tucker of
First Baptist.
• March 22
at First Baptist, led by
Rev. Troy Lesher-Thomas of
First Presbyterian.
• March 29
at Centenary, led by Rev.
Beth Burton-Williams of
First Christian.
• April 5
at First Christian, led by
Rev. Steve McElroy of
Centenary.
Both
town and county changing
water chemistry March 1
The
Town of Smithfield
will conduct a "free
chlorine burnout" of its
water-distribution system
starting at 8 a.m. March 1
(next Wednesday), continuing
through April 3. "This
annual conversion from
chloramines to free chlorine
is required in order to
maintain a healthy
distribution system," the
town advises. "During this
time
customers MAY notice
discoloration or a change in
taste and smell of their
water. Customers who
experience this are advised
to flush their plumbing
fixtures and water lines
throughout their homes
thoroughly. If any water
quality issues are
experienced, please be
assured that the water is
still safe and there is no
need to boil water or take
any other precautions during
the free chlorine
conversion." For more
information, contact the
Smithfield Water Filtration
Plant during regular
business hours at
919-934-2661.
The
County of Johnston,
beginning March 1, will
temporarily stop feeding
ammonia with chlorine for
customers of its Johnston
West water-distribution
system, which includes
areas northwest of
Smithfield's borders
toward Wilson's Mills and
Clayton. The county will
also conduct flushing of
its system during this
period to speed the
removal of chloramines.
"The flushing process may
result in some minor and
temporary discoloration of
water that does not affect
water quality," the county
advises. For more
information, call
919-989-5075.
WEST
SMITHFIELD LAND FOR
SALE
2.4-acre
vacant lot at 1558 W.
Market Street, US 70
Business. Mostly level
ground with 323-foot road
frontage. It's less than 3
miles from Johnston
Regional Airport and about
5 miles from I-95:
$525,000 (MLS#2447472)
SUSAN
LASSITER, Broker •
FONVILLE MORISEY
REALTY • 919-669-9235
CORONAVIRUS REPORT
COVID
fatalities have topped
500 in Johnston County
The N.C.
Department of Health and
Human Services reported
this week that the total
number of COVID cases in
Johnston County since the
pandemic's start in March
2020 is now 75,584
including 501
deaths. Over the
past month Johnston has
reported new 842 cases – a
drop from the previous
month's increase of 2,026.
For North Carolina as a
whole, this week's totals
are 3,459,600
cases –
up 47,057 since January 25 –
and 28,346
deaths. Nationwide,
the number of cases since
the pandemic's arrival had
reached 103,218,388
including 1,118,388
deaths as of
Wednesday afternoon,
according to data updated
frequently by the
Coronavirus Resource Center
at Johns
Hopkins University.
The worldwide numbers: 674,420,023
cases and 6,865,136
deaths.
Johnston
County Public Schools reported
Wednesday just 15 cases
throughout the system: 9
among students, 6 among
staff. Two of those cases
were reported at West
Smithfield Elementary
School, one at
Smithfield-Selma High.
The state's report shows 59%
of all Johnstonians have
received at least one dose
of coronavirus vaccine,
including 98% of folks age
65 and older. Regarding
booster shots, 53% of all
ages here and 84% of those
65+ have gotten the original
booster, while just 17% of
all and 32% of seniors have
received an updated booster.
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
SAMUEL
LEACH, 82 – died
February 21
CLARA MAVIS
MARSHBURN, 84 – died
February 19
JAIME SAINZ,
58 – died February
19
ELOISE
JOYNER BLACKMAN, 94
– died February 17
PETER JACOB
LAGATTUTA, 34 – died
February 16
ADDIE
ARLISSIA SWINSON BYNUM,
96 – died February
15
ALICE MARIE
HARRIS, 72 – died
February 15
ALICE
BLACKMON MOORE, 85 –
died February 15
DAVID EARL
TOLER, 89 – died
February 15
CORESA LAVEL
MOORE, 67 – died
February 12
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Safe
Driving Class: How to
handle four-way stops
Smithfield
and Johnston County are
seeing more and more
four-way stops at
troublesome intersections
– a relatively inexpensive
way to combat bad driving
habits that seem to be
rampant these days.
The N.C. Department of
Transportation sent us the
rules for four-way stops,
and I must say they read
the same as what I recall
from Coach Roy Brown's
driver-training sessions
half a century ago:
The
first vehicle at the
intersection has the right
of way.
When
two or more vehicles reach
an intersection at the
same time, the vehicle to
the right has the right of
way and may go straight
or, if legal and after
signaling, turn left or
right.
When
two facing vehicles
approach an intersection
simultaneously, both
drivers can move straight
ahead or turn right. If
one driver is going
straight while the other
wants to turn left, the
driver who wants to turn
left must yield.
Even
with the right of way,
drivers should remember to
use appropriate turn
signals and watch for
pedestrians and other
vehicles.
Please slow down, pay
attention to what's in front
of you (and what's behind
you), and stay safe! Keep in
mind you're setting an
example for those rookie
teen-aged drivers out there.
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