Tag Archive for: #franklincountynews

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Counties Weigh Revenue Needs Against Tax Rate Levels As June 30 Deadline Approaches

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As counties and municipalities continue to hammer out details for next year’s budgets that are set for adoption by the end of June, residents are awaiting news about whether their tax bills are going to go up. And if so, by how much.

The recent change in value notifications noted spikes in property values since the last revaluation in 2016, which city and county leaders in Vance and other neighboring counties had been quick to point out.

In simple terms, if property values go up (and they did, almost across the board), then the overall tax rate could go down and the amount of tax needed to fund budgets could stay at existing levels.

However, if there are additional projects above and beyond the routine expenditures, then the tax rate may need to be adjusted.

Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry said there have been 329 informal appeals made by property owners, and seven would be continuing on for further review by the Board of Review & Equalization – which is the board of commissioners – on Monday, May 6.

Upcoming budget work sessions would be the time and place to talk about revenue neutrality, she said.

Perry said she expects to send out this week details about an information session that will be held in the county to talk about the revaluation process.

Granville County held a similar event in early April and the Granville County Board of Commissioners is holding budget work sessions at the Granville Convention & Expo Center Monday, May 13, and Wednesday, May 15, and if necessary on Thursday, May 16. Each session begins at 9 a.m.

Granville County Tax Administrator Jennifer Short told WIZS News Wednesday that 1,013 informal appeals were fielded before the April 29 deadline; of those, only one so far will continue to the Board of Equalization and Review.  The deadline for formal appeals is June 3, Short said.

“We are recommending anyone that wants to appeal to contact our office for an appointment date and time to ensure everyone is heard,” Short said in an email. “I would hate to chance someone having to come back because of the possible number of formal appeals and running out of time.”

Counties are scheduled to adopt the new tax rate in June and it would go into effect at the beginning of the new fiscal year, July 1.

According to information contained in a brochure explaining the process in Granville County, until the tax rate is set, it’s not clear how the revaluation numbers will affect individual tax bills.

In Franklin County, property owners have until May 20 to file a formal appeal. According to Franklin County’s Public Information Officer James F. Hicks, III, the vendor contracted to complete appraisals has indicated that “large tracts of land and any assessment that showed more than 100 percent increase would be reviewed again.”

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners will likely receive the proposed budget on May 20 and a public hearing will be in likely in early June., Hicks said.

Franklin Judicial Complex Expansion Could Begin As Early As October 2024

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The Franklin County Board of Commissioners approved the next steps in the judicial complex expansion project

Oakley Collier Architects presented the updated site plan and building layouts for a renovated Courthouse Annex and a three-story addition to commissioners at their April meeting.

Construction could begin as early as October.

Back in October 2019, county leaders made the project a priority and commissioners approved funding for initial surveys and designs in November 2021. A few months after that, commissioners got a judicial update which provided options for placement of the judicial complex on the site. Ultimately, locating expanded facilities adjacent to the current Courthouse Annex in Louisburg minimized the need for more new construction.

This project is brought about by the population growth the county has experiences in recent years, which brings with it increased demands to the courts system and other offices housed in the facility, including the clerk of court’s office.

Dockets for District Court and Superior Court have grown as the County population has increased which has expanded District Attorney staff numbers.

According to N.C. General Statute 7A-302, “each county in which a district court has been established, courtrooms, office space for juvenile court counselors and support staff…shall be provided by the county….”

Legislators granted $15 million in the new state budget to be used for the construction of judicial facilities in Franklin County – taking some of the financial burden off of Franklin County and its taxpayers. The funds must be used by October 2025 per the FY23 State Budget.

 

“Franklin County leadership appreciates the support for this identified need from our state legislators,” said Franklin County Manager Kim Denton.

Franklin County Historic Courthouse (Historic Courthouse) was built in the mid-1800s and has served for nearly 200 years. It was last renovated in 2014. The building houses the Clerk of Superior Court offices, Superior Court Courtroom and the Resident Superior Court Judge and supporting staff.

The Judge Hamilton H. Hobgood Courthouse Annex (Courthouse Annex) was built in 1995 – the last judicial construction in Franklin County – after the County renovated a hardware store to expand judicial facilities.  The Courthouse Annex contains the District Courtroom, a portion of the Clerk of Superior Court’s office, and the Resident District Court Judge and supporting staff offices. The Register of Deeds is also located in the Courthouse Annex.

Both buildings house portions of the District Attorney’s office, Guardian ad Litem and Juvenile Justice offices.

SportsTalk: Lee Dreams Of National Title For Louisburg College Softball

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Louisburg College Softball Coach Eric Lee has a dream.  “I’ve always dreamed of bringing a national title to Louisburg College,” Lee said.  Lee was a guest on Thursday’s SportsTalk.  Sometimes dreams can be funny things though and this year those dreams have almost become a nightmare.  “It’s been the most challenging season of my career,” Lee said.

Starting off the pre-season as the #1 team in the country, Lee found himself immediately dealing with a variety of on and off the field problems.  Injuries to key players have been a part of the challenges but off the field family issues for some of his players has meant that backups have been pressed into service.  “We have had players in games who I never thought would be on the field at all this year,” Lee said.

Nonetheless, Louisburg remains a top 5 team in the country and has compiled at 39-6 record.   The challenges have been beneficial to some degree.  “We are more prepared for the tournament this year than last year,” Lee stated.

The Hurricanes will host the regional and divisional tournaments and, if successful, will move on the World Series.  “I like our chances,” Lee said as a summation.

Louisburg faces Brunswick in a two game series, Friday at 4pm and Saturday at 1pm on the college campus in Louisburg.

Youngsville Library Closed For Renovations Into May; Due Dates For Materials Extended To June 4

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The Youngsville branch of the Franklin County Library will be closed temporarily for renovations through the month of April into May.

The book drop also will be closed and due dates for all materials checked out from Youngsville have been extended to June 4, according to information from Franklin County Public Information Officer James F. Hicks III.

The branch is still expected to host an early voting site for the upcoming second primary on May 14.

The main branch in Louisburg and the Franklinton and Bunn branches are open.

Like or follow the Franklin County NC Library Facebook page for updates on reopening.

 

Franklin Co. Commissioners To Form Capital Committee To Study School Facilities’ Needs

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-information courtesy of Franklin County Public Information Officer James F. Hicks III

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to support creation of a Capital Committee in response to the Franklin County Schools Report, published in September 2023.

“The Board wholeheartedly supports establishing a Capital Committee to address the school capital needs for Franklin County Schools,” said Chairman Harry Foy, who added that the commissioners also would support visiting school facilities and working with the school board and county staff to address capital needs.

In addition to visiting facilities, the committee also will “plan, prioritize, and consult data, other experts and resources as needed to recommend mutually agreeable and cost-efficient capital projects.”

Part of Franklin County’s mission states that the county strives to “create a bright future for our county’s students and residents by keeping educational goals and facilities current and relevant to the economic demands of the County.”

Commissioners directed county representatives on the committee to prioritize projects to ensure compliance with N.C. General Statutes and other legal requirements, with an eye on maintaining cost-effective priorities that recognize the impact on taxpayers and support improvements of the educational environment through compliance with goals and a commitment to safe schools.

“The Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education are in agreement that capital needs must be addressed for Franklin County Schools,” Foy said.

The committee is comprised of two members from the board of commissioners, two members from the board of education, the county manager or designee, school superintendent or designee, chief of Auxiliary Services, assistant county manager and the finance directors from Franklin County Schools and Franklin County.

4-H Dairy Program Interest Meeting April 25 For Warren, Franklin Youth

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A 4-H Dairy Program interest meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 25 at the Franklin County Cooperative Extension office, 103 S. Bickett Blvd. in Louisburg.

Youngsters and their parents who want to learn more about the project are welcome to attend and get answers to questions they may have.

The program spans eight weeks, during which participants will have the chance to learn about dairy calves as they prepare for a local livestock show. In addition to learning about livestock handling, the youth will learn problem solving, effective communication and public speaking, record keeping, teamwork and more.

Contact the Franklin County Center at 919.496.3344 to learn more or email local agents Matthew_Place@ncsu.edu, Meg_Wyatt@ncsu.edu or Martha_Mobley@ncsu.edu

Register at https://go.ncsu.edu/franklin-warren-4h-youth-dairy-interest-mtg

Franklin Property Owners Have Extra Week To File Appeal Revaluations

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— Information courtesy of Franklin County Public Information Officer James F. Hicks III

Franklin County’s Board of Commissioners extended the deadline to file an informal appeal in the 2024 Tax Revaluation process by one week – from Apr. 6 to Apr. 13.

Informal appeal forms were attached to the Change of Value notices that were sent out on Mar. 6, according to information from Franklin County Public Information Officer James F. Hicks III. Forms can be found at appeals.franklincounty.tax. Informal appeal forms can be emailed to 2024reval@franklincountync.gov or submitted online at the Tax Department’s page of www.franklincountync.gov.

Revaluation staff can be reached at 844.286.3532 or 2024reval@franklincountync.gov for any questions about this process.

Additionally, the Board of Equalization and Review — which will convene on Apr. 15 — will consider any formal appeals that are filed. If unsatisfied with the decision of the Board of Equalization and Review, the property owner can file an appeal with the N.C. Property Tax Commission within 30 days of the decision by the Board of Equalization and Review.

Property owners can appeal the market value if the assessed value is significantly higher or lower than the actual current market value, the assessed value is based on inaccurate data, or the assessed value is not equitable when compared to similar properties in the market area.

NCDMV Employs Online Tools To Tackle Customer No-Shows

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– Information courtesy of NCDMV

To combat folks not showing up for their scheduled appointments at driver license offices, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles is now requiring new appointments to be confirmed.

In the month of February, 33.5 percent of appointments were no-shows, according to NCDMV officials.

“This confirmation process is necessary to address the high no-show rate for appointments we have been experiencing in our driver license offices,” said DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin.

Now, when appointments are reserved online at SkipTheLine.ncdot.gov, customers will receive a text message and email with a confirmation link and they will need to confirm their appointment by clicking either link within 15 minutes, or the appointment will be canceled. Upon confirming their appointment, customers will receive a text and email notification letting them know the appointment was successfully confirmed.

Four days before the appointment, customers will receive a reminder text and email with a confirmation link. Within 24 hours, customers will need to again confirm their appointment. Once confirmed, another email and text will be generated confirming the appointment.

For appointments booked less than four days out, the second confirmation link will not be sent.

“Folks are used to having to confirm their medical and other appointments in this way,”  Goodwin said, “so we’re applying this standard from the private sector to our business model and expecting good results and increased appointment availability.”

A handful of self-service kiosks have opened up in grocery stores in Raleigh, Charlotte and Fayetteville that allows for a variety of DMV transactions. There are additional online tools Walk-In Wait Time Tool and Q-Anywhere to cut down on customers’ wait time in DMV offices.

Franklin County Names New Parks & Rec Director

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Information courtesy of Franklin County Public Information Officer James Hicks

Franklin County has selected KP Kilpatrick as its new Parks & Recreation director. Kilpatrick will begin work April 1.

“I can’t wait to get started here in Franklin County to be a part of the great things going on in the Parks & Recreation Department,” Kilpatrick said.

Kilpatrick has been Athletic Program Specialist for the town of Wake Forest since 2018. Prior to that, Kilpatrick served as Athletic Coordinator for the city of Lexington, Recreation Center director for the city of Thomasville, and an assistant coach at High Point Central High School.  Kilpatrick also served as a police officer for the City of Winston-Salem for five years.

“KP brings a wealth of experience that will benefit Franklin County’s Parks & Recreation department,” Assistant County Manager Will Doerfer said.

Kilpatrick graduated from N.C. A&T State University with a bachelor’s degree in recreation administration and a master’s degree in sport management from Middle Tennessee State University.

Franklin County Welcomes Louisburg Native Cooper Bolton As Staff Attorney

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–information courtesy of Franklin County Public Information Officer James F. Hicks III

Franklin County has selected Cooper Bolton to fill the staff attorney position. He will begin his new job April 1.

“I am excited to join the dedicated team at Franklin County to assist with legal matters and do my part to improve the community where I grew up,” Bolton said.

Bolton comes to Franklin County from Marcilliat, & Mills, PLLC. He has served as an associate attorney since September 2022, representing clients in North Carolina State Court as well as Federal Court. He has previously interned with the Town of Cary’s Legal Department and the Alamance County District Attorney’s Office.

“Franklin County’s growth has resulted in an increased interest and demand for services and projects which require legal input,” County Manager Kim Denton said. “Cooper will help us expedite the review of legal matters in response to this growth.”

Bolton is a native of Franklin County and grew up in Louisburg. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in political science from N.C. State University and a juris doctorate from Campbell University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in North Carolina and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina.

The Board of Commissioners approved adding a staff attorney to the County Manager’s office in December 2023. The staff attorney will complete legal work under the direction of the county attorney.