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PUBLISHED ONLINE
OCTOBER 8, 2026
• VOL. 8, NO.
37 |
Content
produced by WINGATE
LASSITER unless
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the editor
Historic
flooding 10 years ago this
week
Third Street at
Spring Branch just south of
Downtown Smithfield was made
impassable when the swollen
Neuse River reached a record
depth of 29.09 feet on the
morning of October 10, 2016.
The flooding resulted from
torrential rainfall caused
by the outer bands of Hurricane
Matthew, the eye
of which skirted North
Carolina's coast October
8-9. VIEW the editor's
photos taken throughout
Smithfield at the time of
the record-setting river
depth on this
edition's FEATURE PAGE>
Lower
Neuse water supply may
cost $736M
County
takes $5-million step
toward construction
Johnston's
County Commissioners took a
major step Monday toward
development of a second
source of water for the
countywide water system when
they unanimously adopted a
$5-million budget for the
first phase of constructing
a new treatment plant near
Princeton.
That's the price tag for
site planning and
preliminary engineering for
the plant to be built beside
an abandoned rock quarry
north of Princeton that was
purchased by the county 15
years ago for future use as
a reservoir for its
countywide water system.
 Also
adopted by commissioners
Monday is a resolution
authorizing revenue-bond
financing not to exceed $736
million for the total cost
of developing the secondary
water source.
That includes not only the
new treatment plant but also
facilities to draw water
from the Neuse River near
Richardson's Bridge Road
south of Princeton, pipe the
"raw water" to the new
plant, and then transmit the
treated water into the
countywide system.
The map on the right
shows locations of
"inactive" and "active"
rock quarries and their
water-storage potential in
billions of gallons (BD);
black lines show existing
and proposed pipeline
connections.
Most of the cost of all that
will be financed over time
by customers of the county's
water system (state and
federal grants will be
sought to reduce that
obligation). Chandra Farmer,
the county's director of
utilities, told
commissioners Monday that
the initial $5 million for
planning the treatment plant
is coming from "system
development fees" already
collected from recent
real-estate projects
throughout unincorporated
areas of Johnston.
The "Lower Neuse Water
Supply" plan resulted from
consultants' studies
projecting future water
demands as Johnston County
continues to experience
unprecedented residential
development.
During Monday's
presentation, it was noted
that a second rock quarry
still in operation near
Princeton is being eyed as
an additional storage
reservoir. Ms. Farmer
explained that the abandoned
quarries will be needed as
sources of water during
low-flow periods on the
Neuse, which carries higher
volumes at Richardson's
Bridge than what flows past
the county's existing
treatment plant at Wilson's
Mills.
That plant's treatment
capacity is currently being
expanded from 14 MGD to 18
MGD (million gallons per
day). Meanwhile, the County
of Johnston is purchasing
water from the Town of
Smithfield's treatment plant
and from sources outside
Johnston, including the City
of Raleigh, that may not be
available in the future.
VIEW the full
plan for water supplies
posted on the county's
website>
Appointments
made to numerous advisory
boards
Commissioners
approved a batch of
appointments Monday. Most
were uncontested while four
candidates for six seats on
the Fire Protection
District Commission were
chosen by written ballots.
All four were
reappointments: John
Beasley, Chris W. Ellington,
Alan Johnson, and Barry
Stanley.
Nakunda Everett was newly
appointed as the only
candidate for an opening on
the Public
Library Board of Trustees.
The following were
reappointed without
opposition:
Alcoholic Beverage
Control Board –
D. Lee Jackson.
Heritage Commission
– Pam Baumgartner, John M.
Booker, Suzanne Benton Cook,
Matthew Dean, Warren Grimes,
Nathaniel L. Sanders Jr.,
Vann F. Stancil.
Tourism Authority
– James A. Lassiter,
Kimberly PIckett, Nicole
Youngblood.
Firefighter's Relief
Fund Board of Trustees
– Charles. E. Wood, Adam
Stanley, David Brewer, Timmy
W. Stanley, Andy Mack Penny,
Joey Creech, Allan Daughtry,
William F. Jordan III,
Dennis Max Johnson.
Moccasin Creek
Service District Board
– Rodney Cabe, John T.
Stallings.
Proclamations
for this month's
observances
Commissioners
adopted resolutions
proclaiming the following:
Employee
Appreciation Week
October 19-23 honoring more
than 1,000 employees of 31
county service departments
and agencies.
National 4-H Week
October 4-10
saluting more than 4,000
youth and more than 200
volunteers associated with
Johnston's 4-H clubs.
Domestic Violence
Awareness Month recognizing
the work of Harbor Inc.,
which serves more than 3,000
victims and survivors of
domestic violence each year.
Commissioners also adopted a
resolution for Operation
Green Light, an
annual observance that asks
citizens to display a green
light from now through
Veterans Day (November 11)
to honor the nation's
military veterans.
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Smithfield
residents facing
electric-rate hike
The Smithfield Town
Council got a consultant's
recommendation Tuesday night
for an increase of 3-3.5% in
the town's electric rates.
Approval by the council may
come next month upon receipt
of proposed new rates for
all classes of customers.
Consultant Mark
Beauchamp of Utility Financial
Solutions presented an
analysis by his firm that
shows current rates paid by
residential customers fall
short of covering the cost of
service and therefore need to
be gradually increased over
the next several years. His
report shows projected annual
revenue from residential
customers at $4,924,259 while
the town's cost of providing
that service is estimated at
$5,519,826.
The gap between revenue and
cost is not as great for
commercial customers, the
analysis shows.
Despite that analysis, Mr.
Beauchamp said the town's
Electric Fund is in good shape
and that his recommended rate
adjustments is a move toward
more equitable treatment of
customers regarding cost of
service over the next several
years.
Looming behind his rate
recommendation is the future
of wholesale electric rates
Duke Energy charges
municipalities including
Smithfield through the town's
affiliation with ElectriCities
of North Carolina. Mr.
Beauchamp said Duke is looking
at an 8.6% increase in its
wholesale rates.
Presently, the Town of
Smithfield charges the lowest
rates among the principal
power providers in Johnston
County. That includes the
towns of Clayton, Selma, and
Benson as well as Duke Energy.
A comparison is
posted on the town's
website>
Town to
relieve county of sewer
responsibilities
The Town Council
unanimously approved a
"Memorandum of Understanding"
(MOU) with the County of
Johnston to negotiate terms of
a transfer of sewer
infrastructure in Smithfield
the county no longer uses now
that it sends wastewater from
Selma and Pine Level to its
new treatment plant through
separate new pipelines.
"I just hope this is to
benefit Smithfield, not hurt
Smithfield," said Councilor
Travis Scott, who has been
critical of the town's
transfer of its sewage plant
to the county years ago. That
plant, on the Neuse River
below Smithfield, is now
secondary to the county's new
plant off NC 210 beside the
county's landfill west of
Smithfield.
Johnston's County
Commissioners approved the
"non-binding" MOU with the
town during its morning
session on Monday of this
week.
Hiring
of new town manager
awaiting procedure
Also during
Tuesday's council session, Mr.
Scott questioned why the
town's administration has been
slow to advance the process
for selecting a new town
manager. Assistant Town
Manager Kim Pickett has been
serving as interim manager
since Mike Scott retired at
the end of January.
Council members agreed last
spring to delay selection of a
new manager until after
adoption of the town's budget
for Fiscal 2026-27. That was
accomplished in late June.
Mayor Andy Moore said Tuesday
the matter will be addressed
upon next month's expected
return of Councilor Roger
Wood, who's on medical leave.
New
scoreboard approved for
SRAC's competition pool
The council
approved purchase of a
replacement scoreboard for the
competition pool at the
Recreation & Aquatics
Center. The town's share of
the purchase of the Colorado
Time Systems device plus
removal of the present
scoreboard is $27,100.
Johnston County Public Schools
will shoulder the balance of
the $57,400 total expense as
the SRAC is a joint venture of
the two governing bodies.
Proclamations
issued for three annual
observances
The council
adopted resolutions
proclaiming:
Fire Prevention Week
October 4-10 – this year with
emphasis on safe disposal of
rechargeable lithium-ion
batteries used in a variety of
electronic devices.
Public Power Week
October 4-10 – recognizing
Smithfield's municipal
electric system as one of 70
operating in North Carolina
for more than 100 years.
National Family
Literacy Day
November 1 – an observance
initiated in 1994 by the
National Society of Daughters
of the American Revolution
(DAR).
NC
ends license-plate
stickers, registration
cards
The
N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles
will no longer issue
license-plate stickers or
automatically provide printed
registration cards. The change,
directed by the N.C. General
Assembly, moves the state to a
digital vehicle-registration
system.
While the end
product customers receive is
changing, the core registration
process for North Carolina
vehicle owners remains the same.
Customers will still:
•
Receive a renewal notice in
the mail 90 days before their
registration expires.
• Need to complete necessary
inspections.
• Need to pay registration
fees and vehicle property
taxes on time to keep their
registration valid.
• Be able to complete those
payments in the same four
ways: by mail, in person at a
license-plate agency, online,
or at a self-service kiosk.
At the end of each
registration or renewal
transaction, customers will
receive a receipt that
includes most of the
information previously found
on the printed registration
card. The receipt will show
fees paid, the vehicle
identification number (VIN),
plate number, and a barcode
that inspection stations can
scan the following year. It
will also include a link
allowing customers to download
a digital copy of their
registration card to save on a
phone or print themselves.
Customers who prefer a printed
copy of the digital
registration card may obtain
one instantly at any
license-plate agency or order
one online to be mailed for a
$5 fee.
Printed registration cards are
no longer required.
Law-enforcement officers
already use electronic
verification systems to
confirm a vehicle’s
registration status in real
time, making physical cards
and stickers unnecessary for
enforcement purposes.
Vehicle registration remains
valid as long as fees and
property taxes are paid on
time. For full details,
frequently asked questions,
and options to access or print
registration information,
visit ncdmv.gov/registration>
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WHAT'S COMING UP
NAACP
hosting forum for
candidates Friday evening
The Johnston
County Branch of the NAACP
will host a forum for
candidates running for
office in the November 3
General Election at 6 p.m.
Friday in the Wood Building
on the Smithfield campus of
Johnston Community College.
Following the forum at 7:30
is a "mix and mingle"
session. Refreshments will
be served.
All-female
band at Neuse amphitheater
Friday evening
The
second installment in this
year's Fall Fridays on Front
concert series will feature
Riggsbee Road, an all-female
band "that brings together
country, bluegrass, pop, and
classic," states an
announcement from the Town of
Smithfield, which hosts the
free event at its Neuse River
Amphitheater on Front Street.
The concert begins at 7 p.m.
this Friday. Food trucks will
be on site.
Two
town-sanctioned events in
Smithfield on Saturday
Smithfield's
Downtown Development
Corporation is hosting an
"Oktoberfest Beer Festival"
featuring German foods, games,
crafts, and music from noon
till 4 p.m. while the
Smithfield Police Department
is hosting "Faith & Blue"
activities for children from
noon till 4 p.m. at
Smith-Collins Park.
School
board's monthly meeting
Tuesday evening
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 I-95.
The meeting normally begins
with a closed session
followed by the open
business session about an
hour later. VIEW
the agenda once it's
posted>
Smithfield-Selma
High homecoming parade
next week
The procession
will be staged along Durwood
Stephenson Parkway in front
of the school after classes
are dismissed next Wednesday
afternoon (October 14). As a
result, the roadway will be
temporarily closed to
vehicular traffic at 3:55
p.m. between Buffalo Road
and Kellie Drive.
DEATHS AND FUNERALS
Click on the
name to read an obituary,
usually posted by the
funeral home:
A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
What
will we lose by
eliminating or limiting
taxes?
Have you noticed
all the repaving of roads
and streets around here in
recent weeks?
We've highlighted the Town
of Smithfield's stepped-up
work after the Town Council
authorized dipping into a
healthy build-up of reserve
funds to repave some of our
crumbling streets.
Perhaps less publicized is
recent resurfacing of
state-maintained roads like
Bright Leaf Boulevard and
Brogden Road. How's that
being paid for? The
quick-and-simple answer:
North Carolina's 41-cent tax
on each gallon of gasoline
we purchase.
And if Governor Stein signs
off on legislation that
cleared the N.C. General
Assembly this week, that tax
will temporarily go away for
the rest of this month and
all of November.
That's timely relief for
consumers battling
inflation, not to mention
the political fallout as we
move closer to the November
3 General Election.
What's the cost of that?
State leaders say the
gas-tax suspension will
produce an estimated
$362.3-million loss in
revenue for taking care of
the state's road system.
Legislative leaders say the
shortfall will be covered by
drawing money out of the
state's "inflationary
reserve fund," which
presently holds about $518
million.
Sounds reasonable. But it
raises a question about
other revenue losses
expected as a result of
recent actions by the
General Assembly. Cuts in
the state income-tax rate
are already scheduled, yet
there's a proposition on
November's ballot that would
permanently cap that rate at
3.5%. Another constitutional
amendment before voters
would restrict local
governments' authority to
raise property taxes.
What are we going to do to
make up for those potential
losses of revenue that pays
for public education, public
safety, public health, and
the "safety net" for those
among us facing financial
ruin?
The bigger question: How far
will we go in our
present-day pursuit of
short-term personal gain
ahead of long-term benefits
for the good of all?
MISS
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