[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6568428,"mediaKeyId","3195073-e0cc31ba29d3783388c194855d1f0fea","parentId",3195073,"title","Sampson County commissioners approve school funding formula, contract policies, leases and other routine actions","audioSeconds",416,"startMs",416000,"endMs",-1,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195073-e0cc31ba29d3783388c194855d1f0fea&start=416&end=0","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195073-e0cc31ba29d3783388c194855d1f0fea/thumbnail_416000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6568428/Sampson-County/North-Carolina/Sampson-County-commissioners-approve-school-funding-formula-contract-policies-leases-and-other-routine-actions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6568428-b060296d0dd807dd9a451393f64f8fdd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159797&Signature=Uxl-Ekj8DqtH4H5cO50S7kHysbvWpH4u1iVEfGBDqtS1dWx3~WNT6XR5WQjpc4fjf1PPiRCxwpoK0GjuzYlRTZlcyPyd2CMjyIzdZ0yz-j1Mp7llrRoL2JXN162VL1JHMz842Pw9tagdwBWqoK4An6UWiot~jPVHgjZt6TqQrD8sQYf2u3NELtW~5ll6EEmPWJ~CLrycyE2JZiFOnJpmhTXqmfXXoqaiVZ05xM8fFAVIzsatyXonYdfr8INkkAed9uYHC-btGWvH4LOHfJHuJzzkpW5lNXI5QlaJENh07b1dfEqgqNKq0ULV2qczmH-8idbk2goRBCpK8lCuhjpdmQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Sampson County","date","2025-05-06T07:11:58.327Z","article","The Sampson County Board of Commissioners on May 20 approved a package of routine and policy actions, including adoption of a jointly agreed public school funding formula, multiple fire service contract amendments, updated county procurement rules and several property and lease transactions.

The meeting produced several immediate outcomes that affect county operations: the board adopted a public school current-expense funding agreement with Sampson County Schools and Clinton City Schools; it approved contract amendments extending fire-service contracts for multiple volunteer departments; it adopted a county contracts policy and a revised purchasing manual (with a piggybacking clause to be confirmed as an appendix); it approved a 10-year lease renewal for the Tar Heel Challenge Academy property; and it authorized purchase of a parcel from the Town of Roseboro for an EMS station for $20,000.

Why it matters: the adopted school funding formula changes the county's method for budgeting ongoing operating support for the two local school systems and aims to provide earlier budget certainty; the procurement updates and contracts policy standardize contracting and purchasing behavior; and the EMS property purchase and lease renewal hold near-term operational impact for emergency services and a state-run charter program.

Key votes and motions (summary)
- Consent agenda: approved (motion carried).
- Fire contract amendments: approved jointly for Autryville, Clement, Clinton, Faison, Garland, Halls, Harrells, Herring, Jordan Chapel, Newton Grove, Plainview, Roseboro, Salemburg, Spivey's Corner and others; the board did not set a fire tax rate at the meeting; a separate fire commission process will address rate petitions for Piney Grove, Turkey and Smith's Chapel with a public hearing May 20 and subsequent recommendation to the board.
- Public school funding formula: motion to adopt the 'Sampson County Board of Commissioners and Sampson County Board of Education and Clinton City Board of Education annual current-expense funding agreement' and authorize the chairman to sign; motion carried. (Both school boards had unanimously approved the formula earlier.)
- Office-space reallocation and development center: motion to assign office space currently used by Veteran Services and IT to the Board of Elections, authorize the interim county manager to request relocation, and repurpose the vacated Board of Elections space for planning, inspections and environmental health as a development center; motion carried. The board also authorized continued use of the Expo Center for large elections.
- Lease renewal: approved renewal of the lease for the Tar Heel Challenge property (state Department of Public Safety) for a 10-year term with annual rent of $1; motion carried.
- Property purchase for EMS: approved purchase of a parcel from the Town of Roseboro for $20,000 to construct a new EMS station; motion carried.
- Contracts policy and purchasing manual: board approved a new county contracts policy and a revised purchasing manual; the purchasing manual will include a piggybacking clause (a cited exception already appears on page 19, the board asked staff to ensure it's explicit or appended).
- Board appointment policy: adopted a formal policy governing board appointments and removals; separate agenda item appointing fire commission members was removed and deferred to the June meeting.
- Older Americans Month proclamation: board approved a proclamation recognizing May as Older Americans Month.
- Closed session and personnel action: the board recessed to closed session under North Carolina General Statute 143-318.11 for personnel matters. Upon return the board approved a motion amending the county attorney employment provision to require residency within Sampson County within 36 months from the date of the motion.

Details and clarifications noted in the meeting
- Fire contracts: the contract amendments extend fire service for five years (with options to renew) and reflect a proposed multi-year rate agreed to by the listed departments; the board will set the actual fire tax rate for FY 2025-26 during the budget process.
- School formula: the formula sets county funding at 25% of the sum of property and sales tax revenues (excluding amounts statutorily earmarked for education) for the immediately preceding calendar year, to be allocated pro rata between the two districts by student population (best of first two months' enrollment); the formula includes an initial term and automatic renewals with notice provisions.
- Purchasing/piggybacking: commissioners asked that piggybacking (using another local government's procurement award) be explicit; staff noted state and federal law allow piggybacking and pointed to a reference under 'Exceptions' in the purchasing manual.

Speakers quoted in this report are identified in the meeting record and are not paraphrased beyond the transcript. The board indicated unanimous or near-unanimous support on the listed motions where a roll call or hand-raise tally was recorded at the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Sampson County Board of Commissioners Meeting - May 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Sampson County Board of Commissioners on May 20 approved a package of routine and policy actions, including adoption of a jointly agreed public school funding formula, multiple fire service contract amendments, updated county procurement rules and several property and lease transactions.","taxTitle","Sampson County, North Carolina","taxId",61429,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6568412,"Interim county manager says reorganization avoided layoffs; hiring freeze lifted with managerial review of offers",675,3600000,4275000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195073-e0cc31ba29d3783388c194855d1f0fea&start=3600&end=4275","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195073-e0cc31ba29d3783388c194855d1f0fea/thumbnail_3600000.jpg","/articles/6568412/Sampson-County/North-Carolina/Interim-county-manager-says-reorganization-avoided-layoffs-hiring-freeze-lifted-with-managerial-review-of-offers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6568412-30e75f4597ced5cc24fc8e2d397641df/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159797&Signature=n8-r0e5LgfStAMIGFNZW8fGW7BUjM~TsqWnrvz7C8OoMW-htA89TS5eQ2976uXXNOENMF8zgJabpADF4mjPcVy14n1rgAYlx~UU00Mbyj3yUHZDeXetKvEyNCqgB9l0DDRiLbyhpSxDbWz1GjLLXXO2tDhHA8QIUSCp1FJ9XliWw0Hb0XLd8wwTbDp9o~tSUiEY5xS52ToKGpYyV0JxpIngBtVR74rysQrXlT2ccnL8oo1lkkX0qb58zMxxqVArzvjdYc63sNmlSrafGky9vWpaMAziOHqF34LqW1oMOKf6u7HI4WDjn7oepmqh12kM94PBPOeFQAqYlxdFbyNuU-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sampson County's interim county manager reported to commissioners that a departmental reorganization and a hiring freeze put in place earlier this year resulted in a reduction of 20 positions through attrition and internal reassignment, and that no county employee lost pay or benefits.

The manager said the cuts were implemented to align recurring expenditures with recurring revenues while avoiding layoffs. He told the board the hiring freeze will end tomorrow (May 21), but said he will require the human resources director to forward prospective job offers to his office before final offers are issued so he can review positions for possible further consolidation.

Commissioners debated whether the freeze should be extended for another month. Some members expressed concern about department operations (health, DSS and human services functions were specifically cited) and about employee morale, while others urged caution and said the manager should continue to verify whether positions could be consolidated before being filled.

The manager said he had exempted emergency life-safety positions (sheriff's office, paramedics, and 9-1-1 telecommunicators) from the freeze and that three employees will transition to different roles without loss of pay or benefits. He said the changes were achieved primarily through attrition and department head cooperation.

The board voted to end the hiring freeze with the manager's commitment to review offers; the manager also agreed to continue monitoring budget consequences and to report to the board in June.

Why it matters
Changes to hiring and departmental structure affect service delivery, department workloads and county payroll obligations. The manager framed the action as a measure to restore recurring budget balance without reducing employee compensation.

Provenance: staffing reorganization and hiring freeze were addressed in the manager's presentation near the end of the public meeting and followed by commissioner questions and public comment.","The interim county manager reported a reorganization that reduced 20 vacant positions through attrition to better match recurring revenues to recurring expenditures, said no county employee lost pay or benefits, and announced the hiring freeze will be lifted but that HR will forward offers to the manager for review before finalization.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6568418,"Ivanhoe water project installs more than five miles of line; contractor projects November 2026 closeout (if on schedule)",200,1655000,1855000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195073-e0cc31ba29d3783388c194855d1f0fea&start=1655&end=1855","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195073-e0cc31ba29d3783388c194855d1f0fea/thumbnail_1655000.jpg","/articles/6568418/Sampson-County/North-Carolina/Ivanhoe-water-project-installs-more-than-five-miles-of-line-contractor-projects-November-2026-closeout-if-on-schedule","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6568418-605aef70876dc26c94e48b688af9a618/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159797&Signature=bmD0WtWuKucmzmHlNg-TBYwLZx1hyKTAMM-2NGl7AmoUrxFB~n3MeHM43kND2v-cixnMHveq~vWRYgQZ3D8EWA5tyw3-AgWMDmdDELB0F~B7sl2B6JSiI4gDa-hKdpvAZvloHrVnFigLNtLftRm-mf-ZlQ-epi90DKchazQoCcLvRw78BXSj4WA0JWI6V5HVU~i2KBZ1PEtNGDQJizdjDm5KMlYRZA8efMx8HgNdghoqgTipXAa6kXAi3JJMdBkGSd6ndhT8klN0SJWI0hXTmbJPB~2nwuQ8LJp4N8qMv7SZD7c2GXHbBBkt~81V0EOU~6~CBdrRR7NC48cmwTrZnQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sampson County public works reported progress on the Ivanhoe water project during the May 20 commissioners meeting, saying crews installed about 5.4 miles of water main in the past month and that the contractor anticipates a November 2026 project closeout if weather and other conditions remain favorable.

Public Works staff (Mr. Kern) listed completed sections and progress: about two miles on McCoy Loop Road, 0.7 mile on Gees Shaw Road, 1.6 mile on Alpine Church Road and 1.1 mile on Hoover Road, for a total of approximately 5.4 miles installed recently. Directional boring crews are continuing work; the contractor provided a timeline that projects water services work to begin in September 2025, arrival and installation readiness of a manufactured booster pump site by early November 2025, flushing and pressure testing in November 2025, and system start-up and booster pump operation in March 2026. Punch-list work and closeout are targeted in late 2026 with contractor documentation estimating November 2026 completion in a best-case scenario.

The project manager said that schedule dependent items (booster pump commissioning, service tie-ins and weather) could extend the timeline and described the contractor's estimate as a 'perfect-world' completion timeline. Staff also reported two grant applications were submitted in late April for water projects on Old Warshaw Road and Mints Highway; the county expects to hear grant results in August or September.

Commissioners and residents asked questions about the Midway Elementary water tower work, which the contractor delayed by approximately two weeks due to equipment malfunction; staff said the contractor expects to place the tower in service within about two weeks of the meeting.

Speakers and procedural notes
- Mr. Kern provided the installation totals and the contractor timeline.
- The county manager noted staff will update the Ivanhoe community via the county website and direct communications if the project schedule changes.

Why it matters
The Ivanhoe water project extends drinking-water infrastructure to multiple roads and communities; timing and grant outcomes affect when households will receive service and the county's capital timeline.

Provenance: progress update and grant application announcements appear in the middle of the meeting’s presentations.","County public works reported 5.4 miles of water line installed recently on multiple roads; contractor timeline shows water services and booster pump delivery late 2025 and project closeout targeted for November 2026 if work proceeds without major delays.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6568423,"Sampson County adopts joint school funding formula to provide earlier budget certainty",819,606000,1425000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195073-e0cc31ba29d3783388c194855d1f0fea&start=606&end=1425","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195073-e0cc31ba29d3783388c194855d1f0fea/thumbnail_606000.jpg","/articles/6568423/Sampson-County/North-Carolina/Sampson-County-adopts-joint-school-funding-formula-to-provide-earlier-budget-certainty","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6568423-4b16ac6af493bba756da2f1d5cab4718/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159797&Signature=cF~tCUM6dXk10Nn4FEFu9vQd74fn199rhiIrSoW1vDprVDLUXWRbabN53m5luoAnYAKtESIU4fuEGC1wksCbmiqgHKJuOelwuWSCrAZLvSUDalGxTN7RZikQJg~8Di~FDDLp6A5PwnHNWgtcQKhArusA-kpRTXRJhnuK4KILL3j43U3q5cwzgSLVQb-9ZJkn6N7I9JbPJN-OgYl9ODJFgou3rUdiBRRWdgTXqf3ZjM9LkE79Oy04dxGTVTuw8di2ChvjCAq24i0b7uprHSmby5lse-QYZMKrCr6sbhHGBMR2JeYvS9kan-L~qo1BNXa3QEF15lH6nWWOyLSXkuyccA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Sampson County Board of Commissioners on May 20 adopted a jointly agreed current-expense funding agreement with Sampson County Schools and Clinton City Schools, authorizing the board chairman to sign the policy on the county's behalf.

Under the adopted agreement the county will set its annual operating contribution for the two school systems at 25 percent of the sum of all property tax revenues and all sales tax revenues received by Sampson County in the immediately preceding calendar year, excluding amounts specifically designated by state statute for education. The total county contribution will be divided between Sampson County Schools and Clinton City Schools pro rata based on the most recent student population count (the best of the first two months of enrollment), with equal installment payments beginning July 15 each year.

Interim County Manager Hudson told commissioners the measure is intended to give school systems and county staff earlier certainty when building budgets. Hudson said the Sampson County Board of Education unanimously approved the funding formula earlier in the day and Clinton City Schools gave its unanimous approval last week. After brief discussion the board voted to adopt the agreement and authorized the chairman to sign.

What the formula does and does not do
- It sets a county funding methodology for annual operating support (referred to in the document as 'current expense' funding).
- It ties funding to the prior calendar year's property and sales tax receipts (less statutorily earmarked amounts) and divides the total by student population share.
- It does not change state or federally mandated funding streams; nor does it by itself set specific dollar amounts for the coming fiscal year (those are finalized in the county budget process), although the formula provides the calculation approach to determine the county's share.

Implementation and timeline
- Payments under the formula are to be made in equal installments beginning July 15; the initial term will extend through the next budget determination period and the agreement provides for automatic one-year renewals unless a party provides written termination notice at least five months prior to July 1.

Speakers and procedural notes
- Interim County Manager Hudson presented the agreement and read select passages describing 'current expense' funding and the calculation method.
- The board moved to adopt the policy and authorized the chairman to sign; the motion carried.

Why it matters
The formula aims to provide the two local school systems with predictable county operating revenue earlier in the budget cycle, which county staff said helps both boards and the county budget officer plan more effectively.

Provenance (excerpt): the funding formula discussion begins with the county manager's presentation and ends with the adoption and signing ceremony later in the meeting. ","The county adopted a funding agreement with Sampson County Schools and Clinton City Schools that sets county operating support at 25% of certain local revenues and allocates funds pro rata by student population; both school boards had approved the agreement earlier the same day.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Sampson County commissioners approve school funding formula, contract policies, leases and other routine actions

Interim county manager says reorganization avoided layoffs; hiring freeze lifted with managerial review of offers

Ivanhoe water project installs more than five miles of line; contractor projects November 2026 closeout (if on schedule)

Sampson County adopts joint school funding formula to provide earlier budget certainty