$120
million for public
schools, $30 million
for JCCollege
Those numbers are less than what was
requested by the
Johnston County Board of
Education and trustees
of Johnston Community
College, and also less
than what the county's
financial advisor said
could be handled without
negatively impacting the
county's AAA bond
rating.
But, in setting those
lesser amounts during
Monday evening's
meeting, the County
Commissioners emphasized
that unmet funding needs
could be addressed by
other means, including
Limited Obligation Bond
financing for a proposed
new Clayton High School
and perhaps a direct
appropriation for a
proposed new campus for
the community
college at Clayton.
In both of those cases,
commissioners said they
want more specific plans
for those facilities
before making funding
commitments.
Commissioners were
advised they had to make
decisions no later than
Monday about the
upcoming bond-issue
amount to get the
referendum added to this
year's General Election
ballot. The next step is
approval of the
requested borrowing from
the N.C. Local
Government Commission.
Johnston’s Board of
Education adopted a
resolution back in
mid-March asking for a
$285-million bond issue
for “reconstruction” of
Clayton High School,
“build-outs” at four
elementary schools, and
renovations at 17
campuses throughout the
county.
During Monday’s
discussion,
Commissioners’ Chairman
Butch Lawter suggested
removing the Clayton
High project – estimated
to cost $113 million, he
said – from the bond
request and
reconsidering it next
year after plans are
drawn to show how the
existing campus can be
re-configured. Then it
could be financed with a
Limited Obligation Bond
that wouldn’t require
county
voters’ approval,
he said.
The board settled on
$120 million for this
fall’s referendum on a
General Obligation Bond
issue by a vote of 6-1.
Commissioner Patrick
Harris cast the
dissenting vote. “We ran
models based on $200
million,” he said.
Commissioners made it
clear that a priority
for spending that $120
million should be
elimination of mobile
classrooms. Chairman
Lawter said Johnston’s
schools currently have
187 such units, 126 of
are to be eliminated as
a result of proposed
construction and
renovation projects
along with changes in
attendance districts.
Trustees of the
community college,
meanwhile, had requested
an $85-million bond
issue to construct a
“medical campus
facility” at Clayton and
to upgrade Public Safety
training facilities at
JCC’s Smithfield campus.
Again, Commissioners’
Chairman Lawter
suggested taking the
Clayton facility “off
the table” until a site
could be identified and
building plans drawn.
The board could then
consider “alternate
funding” outside a bond
issue for that project,
he said.
The board unanimously
approved the reduced
amount for the college’s
share of the proposed
bond issue, even though
Commissioners Harris and
Bill Stovall voiced
support for a higher
amount. Mr. Harris said
“$30 million won’t do
it.” Added Mr. Stovall:
“I question if $30
million is enough.”
Facilities for Public
Safety training at JCC
“ought to be the primary
focus” in putting that
bond money to use,
Chairman Lawter
concluded.
County staff asked to figure on a two-cent
tax reduction…
Following the bond discussion, Chairman
Lawter asked for
suggestions regarding
County Manager Rick
Hester’s proposed budget
for
2024-25. Commissioner
Fred Smith got the ball
rolling by asking for a
two-cent cut in the
county’s property-tax
rate, which is
now 69 cents per
$100 valuation.
“Last year we reduced it
four cents… and it was
not a problem,” said Mr.
Smith. “We ended up with
more revenue this year
than we had last year,
and we went from a 65%
fund balance to a 71%
fund balance.” He said a
two-cent tax cut would
reduce projected revenue
about $6 million.
Chairman Lawter said
that amount “should
be of minimal
impact to our
budget.”
Mr. Smith said a
two-cent cut would
offset a two-cent
increase in what many of
Johnston’s rural
residents will be paying
under the new countywide
fire-tax plan.
Mr. Hester said he would
re-figure his proposed
budget accordingly.
...and $8 million for new building at Neuse
Charter School
Commissioner Smith went to bat for funding
Neuse Charter School’s
request for $8 million
from the county to help
pay for a second
multi-story classroom
building at the school’s
Smithfield campus.
(Contributions of local
tax dollars for
construction at charter
schools are now
permitted as a result of
recent changes in state
law.)
Mr. Smith said schools
like Neuse Charter are
“more efficient” with
their operations, and
that “leaves more money
available” to support
traditional public
schools.
None of the
commissioners objected
to adding the $8 million
to the new budget.
Public hearing on county budget draws minimal
interest
The
required hearing was
conducted during the
commissioners’ Monday
morning session
with only three persons
representing
organizations addressing
the board about
particulars in the
county manager's
proposed budget:
• Josh Jensen,
executive director of
Community & Senior
Services, said the manager's
proposal falls $275,000
short of funding a
second year for the JCATS
QuickRide service in the
Smithfield-Selma area. Mr.
Hester said that was an
oversight that will be
corrected. “We fully support
that,” he told Mr. Jensen.
• Ranger Mike
Winslow of the N.C. Forest
Service’s Johnston County
office asked commissioners
for a $9,788 increase in
county support for his
agency – from $163,604 this
year to $173,397 in the year
ahead. The state provided
$245,407 for Johnston’s
operation this year, with an
expected increase in
2024-25, Mr. Winslow noted.
Mr. Hester’s proposed budget
leaves the county’s
appropriation unchanged.
• Michael
Grannis of the Clayton
Civitan Club asked for a
$150,000 county contribution
to help pay for new lighting
systems at the club’s five
fields used for youth
sports. Mr. Hester’s
proposal includes an
appropriation of $75,000 for
that.
And while they
chose to speak during Public
Comment portions at both of
Monday's sessions rather
than during the budget
hearing, several
citizens associated
with Down Home N.C. – which
lobbies for "poor and
working-class people in
small towns and rural
communities" –
asked commissioners to fund
an "energy navigator" in the
new year's budget to seek
federal grants to help
households afford rising
costs for electricity and
natural gas.
The big question
that remains unanswered as
the commissioners move
toward adoption of the
coming year’s budget is how
much will be appropriated
for Johnston County’s public
schools. The Board of
Education has requested
$111.8 million for
operations and $28.8 million
for capital outlay. Mr.
Hester’s proposed budget
includes $93.3 million for
operations and $3 million
for capital projects.
No one stood
before the board to address
school funding during
Monday’s hearing.
Commissioners
have scheduled a special
budget session at 6 p.m.
Monday with a stated goal of
adopting the 2024-25 budget
at their June 17 regular
meeting.
VIEW details
of Mr. Hester’s proposed
budget posted on the
county’s website>
Commissioner Godwin objects to price of land
purchase
As
he did regarding a
previous purchase there,
Ted Godwin objected
to Monday’s action by
the board to exercise an
option to buy 86.27 acres
adjacent to the new
Detention and Public
Safety centers east of
Smithfield at a price of
$81,000 an acre.
“I think we could have
gotten it a lot cheaper,”
insisted Mr. Godwin, who
noted that the county had
purchased 24 acres in the
vicinity for $21,000 in
2018 yet $81,000 an acre
for a 5.5-acre tract
nearby in 2022. “That
changed the entire dynamic
of the real-estate market
on the eastern side of
town,” he said.
Although he voted in favor
of the latest purchase,
Commissioner Bill Stovall
said he agreed “in
principle" with Mr.
Godwin’s
comments, adding that
the “we need to have a
little more diligence in
the future when we start
negotiating.”
The county for several
years has been purchasing
acreage near the
intersection of US 70
Business and Yelverton
Grove Road as the
potential site of a future
administrative campus for
County Government.
Commissioners again use ballots to make
appointments
As
they have done before when
applications exceed seats
that are available,
commissioners voted with
ballots between Monday’s
morning and evening
sessions to select
volunteers to fill three
positions:
• Public Library Board of
Trustees – Amy Stanley of
Brogden Road, Smithfield
was newly appointed.
• Local Emergency Planning
Commission – Todd Ramsey
of Woodall Farm Lane,
Princeton and Marie Rogers
of Sarazen Drive, Clayton
were reappointed.
Newly appointed without
opposition:
• Board of Equalization
and Review – Joseph Warta,
Wildflower Circle,
Clayton.
• Veterans Service
Advisory Board – John T.
Blake, Old Fairground
Road, Benson.
County proclaims June 15 "Elder Abuse
Awareness Day"
The
proclamation adopted by
commissioners notes that
Johnston County has "over
35,000 citizens age 60 and
older that deserve to life
safely with dignity and as
independently as possible
with the supports they
need." Requested by the
staff o Johnston's
Department of Social
Services, the proclamation
says "all residents should
watch for signs of
physical abuse,
withdrawal, depression,
anxiety, fear, and living
without necessities" and
"make it known to proper
institutions."
Town
Council adopts
Smithfield budget for
2024-25
Following
a hearing Tuesday evening
that drew no comments from
the public, the Smithfield
Town Council adopted the
new year's budget put
together as a result of
several work sessions held
since mid-March. But the
vote was not unanimous.
Three of the seven council
members – Marlon Lee,
Steve Rabil, and Travis
Scott – voted no.
Councilman Scott had
recommended reducing an
electric-rate increase
from 6% to 3% while
Councilman Rabil had
expressed support for
restoring a $1,000
donation made this past
year to Recovery Alive, a
faith-based rehabilitation
program operated out of
Selma's Temple City
Church. Neither proposal
was included in the final
motion to adopt the
budget.
Voting to adopt the budget
were Councilmen David
Barbour, John Dunn, Sloan
Stevens, and Roger Wood.
(Mayor Andy Moore was not
required to vote.)
During Tuesday's summary
of the budget's main
points, Town Manager Mike
Scott noted that the
electric-rate increase
along with a 6% hike in
sewer charges and 55-cent
increase in the yard-waste
pickup fee would add $7.96
to each month's utility
bill for a typical
residential customer.
The new budget, which
takes effect July 1,
retains the town's current
property-tax rate of 57
cents per $100 valuation
for another year
(countywide revaluation of
real estate for taxation
is scheduled to take
effect in fiscal 2025-26).
Mr. Scott noted in his
summary that property-tax
collections for Town
Government have grown from
$5.6 million in 2019 to
almost $8.5 million this
year.
He pointed out that state
sales-tax allocations to
the town have increased
from $2.5 million in 2018
to $3.8 million this past
year. "Our businesses are
strong," he said.
Of the new budget's
General Fund total of
$19,882,512, the town
manager noted, 47% pays
for police and fire
protection, 21% for Public
Works (including garbage
and trash collection and
maintenance of buildings
and grounds, streets and
drainage), 14% for Parks
and Recreation, and just
2% for debt service.
Left unresolved are
across-the-board pay
raises for town employees
other than those in the
Police Department, who are
getting $10,000 raises.
Manager Scott has budgeted
a lump sum for higher
salaries, but exactly how
that money will be
distributed is awaiting
results of a consultant's
pay study that's nearing
completion.
VIEW the
complete budget summary
presented at Tuesday's
meeting>
Grounds
contract awarded against
staff recommendation
JDR
Lawn Care, based in
Williamston, bid $50,400
on an annual contract for
maintaining the grounds of
town facilities, certain
NCDOT rights-of-way, and
other easements while Lane
Lawn Care of Smithfield
bid $52,228 for renewal of
its contract. Public Works
Director Lawrence Davis
recommended JDR, the low
bidder, which he said had
gotten good reviews from
reference checks. But
Councilman Scott moved to
renew the contract with
Lane, and the rest of the
council concurred. (Lane
Lawn Care is the business
of Mark Lane, who is
presently chairman of the
town's Planning Board.)
Resolution
asks state for naming of
"Carl Lamm Highway"
The
council adopted a
resolution asking the N.C.
Department of
Transportation to name a
section of I-95 between
Smithfield and Four Oaks
in honor of retired radio
personality Carl Lamm,
long-time owner of WMPM
and later WTSB (the family
has sold both since his
retirement in 2019). The
resolution notes that both
the State of North
Carolina and the United
States Federal Highway
System "have programs
whereby sections of
roadways may be named for
leaders in their
communities." Mr. Lamm,
who resides outside Four
Oaks not far from I-95, is
97 years old.
Buffalo
Road subdivision request
tabled till July's
meeting
A
developer's plan for a
222-lot subdivision off
Buffalo Road adjacent to
the Bradford Park
neighborhood first came
before the Town Council in
late January, but
opposition from nearby
residents along with
concerns among council
members about the plan's
housing density sent it
back to the drawing board.
Since then the proposal
has appeared on agendas
for several council
meetings, and Tuesday it
was tabled once again –
this time until the
council's July 19 meeting.
Stormwater
fee proposal unveiled;
decision to come later
Planning
Director Stephen Wensman
presented results of a
consultant's study that
has produced options for
funding stormwater
drainage projects through
monthly fees on residences
and businesses.
The basis for the fees, he
explained, is Equivalent
Residential Unit (ERU),
which is a measure of the
average amount of
impervious surface on a
single-family residential
property. In Smithfield's
case, the study
determined, that average
is 4,111 square feet, Mr.
Wensman reported.
If the town determines
that $1 million is needed
annually to fix
Smithfield's drainage
issues, then a fee of $6
per month per ERU would be
required. That's the
recommendation presented
to the council, which took
no action on it Tuesday.
That $6 monthly fee for
the average household
seems modest, but when the
formula is applied to
commercial and
institutional properties
(including some that are
exempt from property
taxation), the numbers get
much bigger. Mr. Wensman
presented a chart showing
those fees could be as
high as $32,236 for
Carolina Premium Outlets,
$30,219 for Johnston
Community College, $24,131
for UNC Health Johnston,
$8,849 for Lowes Home
Improvement, and $7,281
for Pine Needle Square.
Mr. Wensman said
stormwater fees are
typically added to monthly
utility bills but could
possibly be added to
annual property-tax bills.
He provided a list of
cities and towns in the
region that presently
impose such fees,
including Raleigh,
Fayetteville, Wilson,
Knightdale, Holly Springs,
Dunn, and Erwin.
"We gotta do something,"
exclaimed Councilman
Travis Scott. "We need
guys out there cleaning
out pipes."
The council has been
receiving more and more
complaints in recent
months about street and
yard flooding after
rainstorms no longer
considered out of the
ordinary. And there's
likely more to come, said
Mayor Andy Moore,
referring to stepped-up
residential development
now going on in
Smithfield. "We're gonna
start seeing issues we
haven't seen before," he
concluded.
May’s
10.34 inches doubled our
rainfall for the year!
After April's
paltry 1.16 inches, the
month of May brought us an
astounding 10.34 inches
recorded by Cornell
Cox's Backyard Weather
Station in South Smithfield.
That’s close to
the total of 10.63 inches
that had fallen here during
the first four months of
2024. As a result, our
five-month total of 20.97
inches is two inches above
our normal January-May
rainfall of 18.78, according
to U.S.
Climate Data. Mr. Cox notes
that 3.56 inches of this
past month’s
precipitation fell on
May 18 – a single-day amount
that’s close to a normal
full month’s total.
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DRIVE-THRU
SSS senior gets $30,000 JoCo TEACH
scholarship
Story
& photo from Johnston
County Public Schools
Gabrielle Chestnut, a senior at Smithfield-Selma High, has been awarded the Johnston County Public Schools' JoCo TEACH Scholarship in the amount of $30,000 to attend the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).
Established in 2019 and offered exclusively at Smithfield-Selma High, JoCo TEACH is designed to recruit students seeking a degree in education by providing a seamless pathway toward an Associate in Arts in Teacher Preparation degree through Johnston Community College while attending a traditional public high school.
After graduating from college, Gabrielle will return to Johnston County Public Schools to teach for three years – a requirement of the program.
One of the primary benefits of the scholarship is that it alleviates some of the financial burdens of college. For Gabrielle, it will allow her to participate in the UNCG Study Abroad program, where she will teach English to students in China for one semester. This will enhance her study of elementary education at UNCG. The program also has given her a head start on her college career because she will enter UNCG as a junior, thus saving additional money.
It was through the field experience of the JoCo TEACH program that Gabrielle discovered her passion for teaching elementary children, specifically first graders.
“Gabby demonstrates an exceptional ability to connect with students and inspire them to learn,” said JoCo TEACH Coordinator Suzanne Sweat. “During her sophomore year, Gabby worked throughout the school year with students in second grade as part of her field experience in Teacher Cadet."
Ms. Sweat said "Gabby has a talent for making complex concepts simple and easy to understand, and she speaks to students with a soft and welcoming tone, which creates a positive learning environment. Gabby is going to make a great teacher.”
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WHAT'S COMING
UP
SSS graduation will take place in the
morning this Friday
In
the past the ceremony at
Smithfield-Selma High
School has been conducted
on Friday evenings. This
year it will be held at 10
a.m. this Friday at
Charles Tucker Stadium. If
it rains, the event will
be moved to 10 a.m.
Saturday.
River
Jam concert series
continues at
amphitheater Friday
A
Rock 'n' Roll band that
goes by the name of The
Switch will perform at
6:30 p.m. at the Neuse
River Amphitheater on
Front Street. Admission is
free of charge to these
monthly concerts hosted by
the Smithfield Parks &
Recreation Department.
Downtown’s
re-branded “Summer
Market” opens
Saturday
A successor to
last summer’s Farmers
Market, the first of two
daytime events planned for
the 100 block of South Third
Street in Downtown
Smithfield is scheduled from
9 a.m. till 2 p.m. this
Saturday (June 8), a second
on Saturday, July 22.
“Artisan crafts, produce,
plants, baked sweets, music”
is the billing. For the rest
of the summer,
a “Downtown Smithfield
Night Market” is being
planned for the second and
fourth Friday evenings in
July and August.
NC
210 at Middle Creek to
be closed for bridge
replacement
The Middle Creek crossing
on NC 210 below the
Johnston County
Agricultural Center
west of Smithfield is
scheduled to close at
8 a.m. Monday
for 13 months. Wilson-based S.T. Wooten
Corp. will replace the
Depression-era bridge
there under a
$3.2-million contract
awarded by the N.C.
Department of
Transportation.
School
board’s monthly meeting
scheduled next Tuesday
The
Johnston County Board of
Education will convene at
4 p.m. Tuesday at the
school system's
headquarters on US 70
Business east of
Smithfield. The monthly
meeting usually begins
with a closed session,
followed by the open
business session around 5
p.m. The Public Comment
portion of the meeting is
scheduled for 6 p.m. VIEW next
Tuesday's agenda once
it's posted online>
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
More
complaints about "out of
control" speeding
Two
residents stood before the
Smithfield Town Council
Tuesday evening to
complain about speeding
motorists – again.
"People driving down that
road are insane,"
exclaimed Anna Wallace,
who resides on Second
Street across from St.
Paul's Episcopal Church.
The 25-mph speed limit
there, she said, is "never
happening."
Alisa Bizzell brought up a
complaint heard before
about motorists –
including police –
barreling down Martin
Luther King Drive where
here mother resides. It's
"out of control," she told
the council. "Something's
got to be done."
That particular situation
was addressed recently
with an electronic sign
flashing speeds above the
posted 35 mph whenever
motorists were breaking
the law. Apparently, that
measure is at best a
temporary deterrent.
"Speeding is an issue all
over town," declared Mayor
Andy Moore as he looked to
the back of the room where
the police chief and his
deputy were seated. But
they're battling an
ongoing shortage of patrol
officers and are presently
limited in how much
enforcement of speed
limits they can provide.
What's needed is a massive
change in attitude among
the motoring public. Too
many drivers, it appears,
see everyone else ignoring
speed limits so they
figure they might as well
follow suit. That, and the
defiance among many
drivers not to use turn
signals, could be labeled
as a public-health
epidemic of carelessness.
It's up to the rest of us
to demonstrate civility
and respect for fellow
motorists.
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the SMITHFIELD
WEEKLY SUN
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The
Smithfield-based attorney,
entrepreneur, politician –
and now first-time
novelist – autographed
copies of his Talmadge
Farm for a house
full of fans Tuesday
afternoon, including Lea
Blankinship (above).