Proposed
county budget incomplete
(as usual)
Funding
requests from schools
and college unsettled
County
Manager Rick Hester this
week released his proposed
county budget for fiscal
2023-24. As usual, his
numbers fall short of
funding requests from
Johnston County Public
Schools and Johnston
Community College, but he
calls those figures
"preliminary allocations"
that "may change prior to
the budget meetings based
on additional
information."
That's standard procedure
leading up to budget
negotiations in the month
ahead, especially between
commissioners and members
of Johnston's Board of
Education. The county's
budget is usually agreed
upon and adopted by the
start of the new fiscal
year July 1.
The school system seeks
$88,497,179 for operations
and $10 million for
capital projects – a total
of $98,497,179 that's
$12,924,179 (15.1%) above
the current year's
$85,573,000 in support
from the county (the state
provides the bulk of
funding for public
schools). Mr. Hester's
proposal as it now stands
allocates a total of $83
million – almost $15.5
million short of the
school board's request.
Johnston Community College
is requesting $6,912,390
for operations and $1.2
million for capital
projects from the county –
a total that's 13.94%
above the current year's
$7,119,876 (the state also
provides most of the
funding for JCC). Mr.
Hester's proposal
allocates $6.5 million for
operations and $850,000
for capital needs.
He does note in his budget
message to commissioners
that his recommended
allocation "includes funds
to continue (the) JoCo
Commissioners Promise
Program," which provides
free tuition for Johnston
high-school graduates who
attend JCC.
The budget request from
the college seeks $480,000
in the year ahead for the
program – almost double
what the county
appropriated this past
year. (The college
recently announced that
the program would continue
for another year, even
though commissioners have
not yet adopted the
2023-24 budget.)
The county manager is
recommending 28 new
full-time positions in the
General Fund and 11 new
positions in the Public
Utilities Enterprise Fund,
which includes the
county's water and sewer
operations. Along with
that are proposed
increases in water, sewer,
and landfill fees that
will impact not only the
county's retail customers
but also the Town of
Smithfield and other
municipalities that depend
on the county for sewage
treatment and solid-waste
disposal. Those
changes are posted
online>
Regarding pay raises for
county employees, Mr.
Hester said "funds are
included for a pay
adjustment in July with
the potential of a
performance-pay adjustment
in October." He provides
no numbers for those
changes. "My
recommendation is being
finalized and will be
presented during upcoming
budget meetings," he
noted.
A public hearing on the
new budget will be
conducted during Monday's
10 a.m. meeting of the
County Commissioners at
the Courthouse. After
that, just two budget
sessions are scheduled
prior to adoption: at 6
p.m. Monday, June 12 and 6
p.m. Monday, June 19 (as
part of the board's
regular third-Monday
meeting).
Not unexpected is Mr.
Hester's recommendation
that the county's
property-tax rate of 73
cents per $100 valuation
remain the same for
another year.
EXAMINE the
entire proposed budget
along with documents
related to funding
requests from Johnston
County Public Schools
and Johnston Community
College>
The Triangle East
Chamber's 2022 Legacy
Award winners: (left to
right) Jamie Stanley,
Hank Daniels, Lynn
Daniels Bowles, and
Chandler Pernell.
Chamber
of Commerce presents its
annual awards
Four
Smithfield residents
received top honors at
last Thursday's annual
Legacy Awards banquet of
the Triangle East Chamber
of Commerce:
• Chandler
Pernell, who
owns and operates HVAC
contractor Call Pernell
Inc. started by his late
father Carlton in the
1970s, was named Citizen
of the Year for 2022 in
recognition of his
volunteer service in
several community
endeavors.
• Jamie Stanley,
who joined Hinson's
Printing in the late 1980s
and later succeeded his
late father-in-law Nolan
Hinson in managing the
business, received the
Jimmy Creech Small
Businessperson of the Year
award.
• Hank Daniels,
owner and operator of
local hotels over the past
quarter of a century and a
long-time volunteer with a
number of civic
organizations, received
the Chamber's Lifetime
Achievement award
(formerly the
Distinguished Citizen
award).
• Lynn Daniels
Bowles, a
daughter of Hank Daniels
who joined the family
business a decade ago,
received the Emerging
Leader award for her
community service in
various capacities.
READ the
Chamber's summary of
activities by the four
award winners>
Receiving special
recognition at the
Chamber's banquet was the
Smithfield-Selma High
School football team for
last fall's best season
since 1998 and the State
Employees Credit Union
Hospice House operated by
UNC Health Johnston "for
the compassionate care
they provide to people in
Johnston County."
KS
Bank: Earl Worley replaces
retiring Harold Keen
The Board of
Directors of KS Bancorp,
Inc. – the holding company
of Smithfield-based KS Bank
– has appointed Earl W.
Worley Jr. (right)
President and CEO to succeed
Harold T. Keen, President
and CEO of KS Bancorp, Inc.
since July 1990 who has
retired from the Board of
Directors.
Mr.
Worley, who has 31 years
of bank-management
experience, was already
serving as President and
CEO of KS Bank. He has
been employed with KS
Bank since 1992 in
various roles.
Mr. Keen (right)
has been appointed
President Emeritus of
both KS Bancorp, Inc.
and KS Bank, Inc. and
has entered into a
consulting agreement
with the Board of
Directors.
“It has been my honor to
serve as President and
CEO of KS Bancorp for
the past thirty-two and
a half years," Mr. Keen
stated. "As President
Emeritus, I look forward
to consulting with the
Board and continue to
concentrate my efforts
toward customer
acquisition and service
to the community
organizations of which I
am a part of.”
April's
report had 106,408
Johnstonians employed
Johnstonians
holding jobs rose slightly
in April, from 106,242 in
March to yet another record
high of 106,408, according
to the latest monthly report
from the N.C. Department of
Commerce. At the same time,
the number of Johnstonians
looking for work declined
from 3,553 in March to 3,167
in April, producing an
unemployment rate of 2.9% –
down from 3.2% in March and
the same as the rate for
April 2022. The statewide
rate for April was 3.1%
while the rate nationwide
was 3.4%.
Carter Clever and
Lilly Johnson display
their ceremonial checks
for $30,000 to help pay
for their collegiate
training to become
teachers in Johnston's
public schools.
(Photo & story from
Johnston County Public
Schools)
SSS pair first to get JoCo TEACH
scholarships
Smithfield-Selma High seniors Carter Clever
and Lilly Johnson
received Johnston
County Public
Schools’ first
JoCo TEACH
scholarships at a
special check
presentation at
the school last
week.
The Johnston
County Board of
Education approved
creation of
scholarships for
the Johnston
County Teaching
Educators And
Coming Home (JoCo
TEACH) program
last fall. Mr.
Clever and Ms.
Johnson will get
$30,000 each –
$10,000 per year
for up to three
years in college.
Recipients of the
JoCo TEACH
scholarship make a
commitment to come
back and teach in
Johnston's public
schools for a
minimum of three
years after
graduation.
Established in
2019, JoCo TEACH
is a program
designed to
recruit diverse
students seeking a
degree as
educators. It
provides a
seamless pathway
for students to
earn their
Associate Degree
in Science in
Teacher Education
through Johnston
Community College
while attending a
traditional public
high school.
Mr. Clever and Ms.
Johnson are among
the first group of
students to
graduate in the
JoCo TEACH
program. They are
able to apply the
scholarship money
to the college of
their choosing.
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
Fire
Department offering free
smoke alarms this
Saturday
The
Smithfield Fire Department is offering a limited supply of free smoke alarms to homeowners this weekend on “Smoke Alarm Saturday.” As part of a grant program sponsored by the N.C. Office of the State Fire Marshal, this statewide event brings awareness of the need to have working smoke alarms in residences. Homeowners whose alarms aren't functioning, are past their life span, or who have no alarms in their homes are encouraged to contact the Fire Department at 919-934-2468 to schedule a visit this Saturday.
County
Commissioners will meet
twice as usual Monday
The
Johnston County Board of
Commissioners will meet at
10 a.m. and again at 6
p.m. Monday at the
Courthouse as normally
scheduled for the first
Monday of the month.
Besides a public hearing
on the proposed county
budget for 2023-24, the
board will conduct a
hearing on an Economic
Development Incentive
Grant for an unnamed
company that proposes to
build three large
"expandable speculative
buildings to be used for
bio-pharmaceutical use" at
Clayton
VIEW the
complete agenda for the
10 a.m. session>
The
6 p.m. meeting is normally
set aside for hearings on
land-use rezoning
requests, but only one is
scheduled this Monday
after two cases were
postponed. "Continued
discussion" of proposed
revisions to the county's
Comprehensive Land Use
Plan is once again on the agenda
for the 6 p.m.
session>
Town
Council may permit
farmers market through
Oct. 14
The
owners of Oak City
Collections and Twisted
Willow will ask the
Smithfield Town Council at
its monthly meeting next
Tuesday for permission to
continue their farmers
market on South Third
Street Downtown every
other Saturday through
October 14, starting June
10. Previously, the
council had approved a
permit for the market
through last Saturday (it
was rained out) and had
agreed to consider
extending it if all went
well with the event, which
was staged on April 27 and
May 11.
Heading the agenda for
Tuesday's council session,
which starts at 7 p.m. at
Town Hall, is a public
hearing on the town
manager's recommended
2023-24 budget. Also
on the agenda is adoption
of a Parks and Recreation
Comprehensive Master Plan.
VIEW the
entire agenda for
Tuesday's Town Council
meeting>
301's
closing at Four Oaks
postponed without a new
date
The
N.C. Department of
Transportation announced
this week that the closing
of a section of US 301 at
Four Oaks has been
postponed so "some
preliminary water line
work in this same vicinity
can be completed." NCDOT
had announced earlier that
the closing near Forest
Hills Drive would take
place this past Tuesday
and last about a month. A
new start date for the
closing has not yet been
announced.
Prior
to a recent Aquablation
procedure, Dr. Adel
Mohamed (unmasked) posed
for a photo with the
surgical team at UNC
Health Johnston: (left
to right) Chaz Pichette,
nurse anesthetist;
Samantha Smith, RN;
Natalie Thompson, OR
tech; Tammy Aycocke,
certified surgical first
assistant; and Cinzia
Ballantini, OR tech.
(Photo & story from
UNC Health Johnston)
New
therapy treating
enlarged-prostate
symptoms
UNC
Health Johnston is
offering an innovative
therapy to treat lower
urinary-tract symptoms due
to an enlarged prostate.
The hospital in Smithfield
is the first east of
Raleigh to invest in
Aquablation therapy with
the AquaBeam Robotic
System.
'We’re delighted to offer
this therapy, which
provides significant,
long-lasting symptom
relief with lower risk to
sexual function or
continence,” said Tom
Williams, president and
CEO at UNC Johnston.
Dr. Adel Mohamed, a
Smithfield urologist with
more than 40 years of
experience, said patients
are already seeing
"life-changing results."
Aquablation therapy
combines real-time,
multi-dimensional imaging,
automated robotics, and
heat-free waterjet
ablation for targeted,
controlled, and immediate
removal of prostate
tissue. The surgeon
combines cystoscopic
visualization and
ultrasound imaging to
tailor a plan for the
patient’s unique anatomy.
Once the map is complete,
the robotically controlled
waterjet ablates the
prostate tissue, avoiding
critical structures to
preserve sexual function
and continence.
One in two men ages 51 to
60 have an enlarged
prostate, and the
incidence increases every
decade of life. If left
untreated, the condition
can cause significant
health problems, including
irreversible bladder or
kidney damage, bladder
stones, and incontinence.
Current surgical
treatments for enlarged
prostate often limit
patients. They must choose
between a high degree of
symptom relief with high
rates of irreversible
complications, such as
incontinence and erectile
dysfunction, or a low
degree of symptom relief
with low rates of
irreversible
complications.
Learn more about this
therapy at johnstonhealth.org/aquablation>
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
JEAN ROSE
MASSENGILL, 86 –
died May 29
JACK S.
DAUGHTRY, 79 – died
May 28
ANTHONY
EUGENE BEATY, 60 –
died May 26
RUFUS EARL
BENSON, 77 – died
May 26
GEORGE
PATTON JOHNSON, 76 –
died May 25
MARY JO
STEPHENSON KEITH, 70
– died May 25
A
Market Street traffic
jam in the 1940s
Warren Grimes got this old photo from his
cousin, Lucy Hood, that
shows lots of cars
creeping bumper to
bumper along Downtown
Smithfield's Market
Street when it was just
a two-lane roadway for
US 70 through town. The
original First Citizens
Bank is seen in the
center of the photo
along with the drug
store across the street
that was torn down much
later to make way for
the courtyard beside the
Public Library. Towering
above the surrounding
buildings in the
distance is the
Tuscarora Inn built
around 1900 that was
demolished in the 1970s
to make way for the
structure that houses
today's Wells Fargo Bank
across from the
Courthouse.
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Market
Street a long-time
Downtown nuisance
The
old photo above is
evidence that Market
Street for many years has
presented traffic
challenges for Downtown
Smithfield's visitors,
especially pedestrians and
motorists who wish to get
across that busy
thoroughfare. It has been
both a blessing and a
curse – on the one hand
bringing lots of customers
to the central business
district; on the other
hand, making it difficult
at times to patronize the
shops and restaurants
operating there over the
years.
One of the key problems
today are motorists racing
along Market Street in
spite of a posted speed
limit of 25 mph. What
encourages higher speeds
there are the traffic
signals that stay green
far longer than necessary
coupled with a 45-mph
speed limit on 70 Business
West right up to the Neuse
River bridge.
Those situations offer two
"traffic calming" fixes
that could be done without
much expense – if only the
town would press the N.C.
Department of
Transportation to re-set
the traffic lights and
reduce the speed limit
across the river.
Another Downtown traffic
issue, related to the
green-lighting of Market
Street, are motorists who
frequently disregard or
disobey the no-left-turn
signs on Third Street at
the Market Street
intersection. When that
happens, traffic backs up
for as much as a block
away whenever an
inconsiderate driver has
to wait till the light
changes before making the
illegal left turn.
That appears to be a
problem of attitude and
awareness rather than
traffic management that's
beyond changing by
government rules and
regulations.
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