Smithfield’s estimated population
rises to 12,468
Clayton climbs above
30,000; Archer
Lodge tops 5,000
Official
U.S. Census estimates from
last July 1 show
Smithfield added 339
residents during the
previous year, producing a
gain of 10.3% (1,176 new
residents) above the
town’s 2020 Census count
of 11,292.
Clayton remained Johnston
County’s largest and
fastest growing town with
a 2023 estimate of 30,216
– 14.8% above its 2020
Census count of 26,307.
Neighboring Selma showed
an 11% gain since 2020
with an estimated 7,012
residents in 2023.
Suburban Archer Lodge,
incorporated as a
municipality in 2009, is
now Johnston County’s
fourth largest
town with 5,365
residents. (The latest
Census report does not
include municipalities
with fewer than 5,000
residents.)
An earlier report from the
U.S. Census puts Johnston
County’s estimated
population as of last July
1 at 241,955.
John
Parrish receives
Lifetime
Achievement Award
The
Triangle East Chamber of
Commerce last Thursday
evening presented its
annual Lifetime
Achievement Award to
Smithfield’s John Parrish
in recognition of his many
years
of service as an industrial
supervisor and community
volunteer.
Shown here
with his wife Sharon, John
worked for 37 years with
what is now the Grifols
pharmaceutical
plant at Clayton, operated
by Cutter Laboratories
when he began his work
there in 1980. He retired
from Grifols in 2017 as
vice president of quality
operations.
After his
retirement, Mr. Parrish
stepped up his volunteer
service, most notably at
Centenary United Methodist
Church – where he serves
as chairman of the
Pastor-Parish Relations
Committee and manages the
Smithfield Area Ministries
Food Closet – and with the
Central Johnston County
Rotary Club, which he
guided through the
challenging days of the
coronavirus pandemic
during his term as
president.
Along the way he has
served as a leader of the
Johnston County Education
Foundation and developer
of an apprenticeship
program at Johnston
Community College, where
he serves as a former
president on the board of
the JCC Foundation.
”He does not seek the
spotlight,” said Eric
Brownlee, a Chamber leader
who was master of
ceremonies at last week’s
award banquet. "I think I
did the right thing," Mr.
Parrish said of his work
and service over the
years. The audience
acknowledged that simple
statement with applause.
Other award recipients at
last week’s Legacy Awards
banquet:
• Ron Hester,
a Selma real-estate
entrepreneur named
“Citizen of the Year” in
recognition of his
volunteer service,
especially in promoting
public arts in the town.
• Zena Rose,
named “Small
Businessperson of the
Year” for establishing a
Downtown Selma shop,
Coffee on Raiford, along
with her brother during
the COVID pandemic after
working 35 years as a
commercial painter.
• Stephanie
Norris Hufnagle,
an attorney with
Smithfield’s Narron Wenzel
law firm who received the
Emerging Leader
Award. She is
presently serving as
president of the Johnston
County Education
Foundation.
Hearings
next week on county and
town budgets
Both would leave tax rates the same while
adding more staff
The
required public hearing on
County Manager Rick
Hester’s proposed budget
for 2024-25 is scheduled
during the County
Commissioners’ 10 a.m.
meeting Monday at the
Courthouse. The hearing on
Town Manager Mike Scott’s
proposed budget will be
held during the Smithfield
Town Council’s meeting at
7 p.m. Tuesday at Town
Hall.
Mr. Hester’s budget is
balanced without changing
the county’s property-tax
rate of 69 cents per $100
valuation. He recommends
36 new positions in the
Department of Social
Services, nine new
positions in Public
Utilities, seven in
Emergency Services, five
in Public Health, four in
9-1-1 Communications, and
single additions in
Building Inspections,
Veterans Service Office,
Internal Audit, Board of
Elections, Technology
Services, and Solid Waste.
Mr. Hester’s proposal
includes an increase of
$4.8 million in county
support for operations of
Johnston County Public
Schools. The Board of
Education has requested an
increase of $22.8 million.
Mr. Scott’s budget, based
on discussions with the
Town Council over the past
couple of months, keeps
the town’s property-tax
rate at 57 cents yet
proposes a 6% increase in
the town’s electricity
rates, a 6% hike in
charges for sewage
disposal, and a 55-cent
increase – to $11.55
– in the monthly
yard-waste pickup fee.
The town manager’s budget
adds six police SROs
(school resource officers)
for campuses of public
schools in Smithfield, a
full-time code-enforcement
officer, two laborers in
the appearance division of
Public Works, and
employment of an assistant
town manager.
Mr. Scott's proposal also
includes funding to hire
additional part-time
firefighters and increase
expense reimbursements to
the Fire Department’s
volunteers.
Both County Manager Hester
and Town Manager Scott are
deferring recommendations
on exact amounts of
across-the-board employee
pay raises until later in
the budget process. Mr.
Scott and the Town Council
are awaiting results of a
pay classification study
nearing completion. The
manager is recommending a
raise in the town’s 401(k)
match – from 3% to 5%.
What else is new in proposed Smithfield
budget?
The
proposed Town of
Smithfield budget under
consideration for the new
fiscal year that starts
July 1 is a mixture of
Town Manager Mike Scott’s
recommendations in
response to departmental
requests and additional
new expenditures put forth
by the Town Council during
recent budget workshops.
Here are some notable
highlights:
• 50% pay raises for the
mayor and council members.
Mr. Scott told the elected
officials "it’s a staff
recommendation without
talking to any of you
about that.” He said it's
based on what other
municipalities in the
region are paying their
leaders yet still below
compensation paid by
nearby Clayton and Garner.
For Smithfield, the
manager's proposal
would raise the
mayor’s annual
compensation from $7,500
to $10,000 and from $5,000
to $7,500 for the seven
council members.
• $398,195 for resurfacing
of streets deemed most
urgently in need of repair
– an increase from
$279,593 in the current
year’s budget.
• $220,000 to repave the
driveways in Sunset
Memorial Park, $80,000 for
sidewalk and curb repairs
including replacement of
the brick inlays along
Downtown’s Market Street,
$50,000 to repave the Town
Hall parking lot, and
$48,000 for removal
of 203 Bradford Pear trees
lining several residential
streets.
• $60,000 to update crew
quarters in the Fire
Department’s main station
Downtown and $75,000 for
architectural plans for a
new fire station in North
Smithfield (the town has
requested a federal
appropriation to help pay
for its construction).
• $20,000 to purchase two
drones – one for the Fire
Department, one for
Police.
• $210,000 for a plan
leading to construction of
a soccer park on 20 acres
off NC 210 in West
Smithfield which the town
purchased four years ago.
• $30,000 for
entertainment at the Neuse
River Amphitheater (a
doubling from this year’s
budgeted amount of
$15,000).
• $27,000 for the Ava
Gardner Museum – up from
this year’s $22,000.
Continuing at this year's
levels are contributions
to the Public Library of
Johnston County and
Smithfield ($285,000), the
Downtown Smithfield
Development Corporation
($161,460 including
receipts from the special
Downtown property-tax
levy), eight public
schools located in
Smithfield including
addition of the Early
College Academy ($1,500
each), Community &
Senior Services ($3,500),
Harbor Inc.($2,500),
Triangle East Economic
Development Foundation
($1,000), and the
Partnership for Children
($1,000).
VIEW the
complete proposed budget
along with the town
manager’s summary>
Johnston's
jobless rate reduced to
3.0% in April
The
N.C. Department of
Commerce reports that
108,761 Johnston County
residents held jobs in
April – down from 109,304
in March – yet the
number of Johnstonians
filing unemployment claims
dropped from 3,815 to
3,366, reducing the
county’s jobless rate from
3.4% to 3.0%. The
statewide rate also
declined last month,
from 3.7% to 3.3%,
while the national
rate rose from 3.8%
to 3.9%.
Courthouse kiosks to ease access to
judicial matters
Announcement
from N.C. Administrative
Office of the Courts
Starting
in June, kiosks will be
available in several North
Carolina courthouses,
including Johnston’s, to
provide on-site access to
search court dates and
case events, file
documents electronically,
make payments, and use a
scanner, printer, or other
services available through
eCourts,
the digital
case-management system
provided by the state's
Judicial Branch.
Johnston is one of 27
counties taking part in
eCourts, a pilot program
to increase the public’s
electronic access to the
judicial system. Prior to
eCourts, citizens
could only access court
records and case events at
a clerk's office or at
public computer terminals
at courthouses. In
counties with eCourts, the
public can file and access
court records and make
payments online from
anywhere with an Internet
connection.
WALKING TRAIL AT SMITH-COLLINS PARK
GETS A NAME
It
was officially
“christened” last Thursday
afternoon as the Jackie
Ray Bryant Walking Trail
in memory of a long-time
volunteer coach and
employee of the town’s
Parks & Recreation
Department. Shown here
following the sign’s
unveiling is Mayor Pro Tem
Roger Wood along with
members of the Bryant
family.
The concrete sidewalk –
built in late 2022 with a
grant from the state –
extends for more than a
mile around East
Smithfield’s Smith-Collins
Park and the large holding
pond across from Johnston
Community College. Shade
shelters have recently
been added along the way.
Following Thursday's
trail-naming, the town
turned on, for the first
time, the expanded Splash
Pad at Eva E. Ennis Park
next door. Opened three
years ago, the get-wet
place for youngsters has
been doubled in size,
thanks to another state
grant. The site is
unattended, but a timer
allows users to turn on
the water anytime during
daylight hours.
SSS salutes senior symphonic band
students
Smithfield-Selma
High School’s Principal
Crystal Gregory pointed
out in her weekly Facebook
post that “these students
started high-school band
virtually and were
instrumental in sustaining
our band program during
the pandemic”: (left
to right)
seated – Jake Reed,
Colby Jones, Keilana
Mutchler, Haley Casper,
Davis Schmidt, Madison
Falzarano, Aaron Dailey,
Hailey Stephens, Hector
Jaramillo Piedra, Samuel
Baker; standing
– Greg Scarboro,
Emily Buffey, Miya
Newsome, Corbin Vaughan,
Aileen Luna-Damian, Erick
Jaramillo-Piedra, Van
Lawrence, and Garrett
Garrett.
WHAT'S COMING
UP
County
Commissioners will meet
twice on Monday
A
public hearing on the
proposed 2024-25 county
budget is scheduled during
the 10 a.m. session at the
Courthouse. A decision by
commissioners on a
requested county bond
issue for Johnston County
Public Schools and
Johnston Community College
is likely to be discussed
Monday. The 6 p.m. session
generally deals with
land-use zoning requests.
VIEW the
agendas for Monday's
sessions once they're
posted>
Town
Council faces Buffalo
Road rezoning request
again
In addition to a public hearing on the
proposed 2024-25 budget,
the Smithfield Town
Council during its
meeting at 7 p.m.
Tuesday at Town Hall is
scheduled to revisit a
controversial request to
rezone 138.63 acres
adjacent to the Bradford
Park neighborhood on
Buffalo Road to allow a
222-lot residential
subdivision.
VIEW the
complete agenda for
Tuesday’s meeting>
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Memorial Day service had effective
personal touch
Instead
of patriotic speeches
we've likely heard many
times before, this year's
Memorial Day observance
inside the Courthouse on
Monday highlighted the
individual stories of a
number of Johnstonians who
made the Ultimate
Sacrifice in defense of
this nation and what it
stands for.
Representatives of local
veterans organizations
including the American
Legion, Veterans of
Foreign Wars (VFW),
Disabled American Veterans
(DAV), and the Marine
Corps League talked about
young soldiers and sailors
who died in harm's way
from the First World War
through the smaller yet
deadly conflicts since
911.
Putting names and faces on
a Memorial Day remembrance
was a moving method of
paying tribute to those
home folks who were taken
from us.
Kudos to Director Robert
Boyette and the Johnston
County Veterans Service
Office for putting
together the visual
presentation. Here's a
sample of what was shown
as each individual was
remembered:
It's worth your time to
watch the entire program,
which also included slides
naming the many
Johnstonians who perished
in the far-off wars of the
past 100 years.
VIEW the
one-hour Memorial Day
program on the county's
Facebook channel>
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find it in the
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archives>
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