022422 pr packetPLANNING RETREAT AGENDA
Date: Thursday, February 24, 2022
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: Commissioners Meeting Room Harnett County Resource Center & Library 455 McKinney Parkway, Lillington
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
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1.Call to order – Chairman Lewis Weatherspoon
2.Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation – Vice Chairman Matt Nicol
3.Recess and reconvene in the Harnett County Resource Center & Library, Training Room 103 BC.
4.Welcome and Overview – Brent Trout, County Manager
5.Year in Review – Administration Staff
6.Capital Improvement Program (CIP) / ARPA Funding – Brent Trout, County Manager
7.Break
8.Review of Fiscal Policy – Kimberly Honeycutt, Finance Officer
9.Revenue Update & Financial Trends – Lisa McFadden, Budget Director
10.Lunch
11.Board Goals and Priorities – Brent Trout, County Manager
12.Wrap-up & Adjourn – Brent Trout, County Manager
CONDUCT OF THE FEBRUARY 24, 2022 MEETING
Live audio of the meeting will be streamed on the Harnett County Government’s YouTube Channel
at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU7mTF6HTD65x_98EhAMeMg/featured.
Ashley Bauer
Community Relations Coordinator
County Manager’s Office
910-814-6001
adeans@harnett.org
PO Box 759 | 455 McKinney Parkway (physical) | Lillington, NC 27546 | 910-893-7555 | www.harnett.org
strong roots ● new growth
Connect with Harnett County online
Official Communication from Harnett County Government
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: January 21, 2022
County Commissioners Reflect on 2021, Plan and Prepare for 2022
Goals achieved, continuation of forward movement in 2022
Harnett County, NC- Like the year that preceded it, 2021 presented unique challenges in Harnett County, including
the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and continued residential growth resulting in increased service demand on
County departments. Harnett County’s elected leaders and County employees rose to the challenge to meet the
changing needs of County residents.
In February 2021, County Commissioners adopted their annual Legislative Priorities , which focused on five key areas:
Broadband, Economic Development, Transportation, Education, and Harnett Regional Jetport. Over the past year,
the County has made considerable progress in these key areas.
“I want to commend the Board on a concerted effort to get Harnett County headed in the right direction,” stated
Harnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Lewis Weatherspoon. “By working together, we have been able
to start meeting the challenges facing the County and its citizens.”
Broadband
In 2020, the Board of Commissioners entered into a partnership with Wilmington-based Internet Service Provider
(ISP) CloudWyze to expand Broadband in Harnett County. In 2021, the Board committed $2 million in displaced
CARES Act funding to the first phase of a project to install Broadband infrastructure on cell and water towers
throughout the County to bring wireless Broadband Internet to residents.
The first phase includes towers north of the Cape Fear River, and the first residents will be able to subscribe to
Broadband through this project in early 2022. In addition to this project, the County has commissioned CloudWyze
to develop a Countywide Broadband deployment plan that will include a combination of fiber and wireless solutions.
Commissioners hope to use funding from the County’s $26.4 million American Rescue Plan Act allocation to
continue extending Broadband to unserved and underserved parts of the County. The County will also apply for
State and Federal grants to help offset these costs and reduce the burden on the County’s taxpayers.
Economic Development
County Commissioners contracted with an economic development consulting firm, Rose & Associates, to assess the
County’s existing economic development efforts and to develop a strategic plan to guide future economic
development efforts. In 2021, the Board of Commissioners accomplished the following goals in Economic
Development:
Adopted the Strong Roots, Smart Growth Economic Development Plan, an economic development strategy to
guide the County over the next 5 years;
Ashley Bauer
Community Relations Coordinator
County Manager’s Office
910-814-6001
adeans@harnett.org
PO Box 759 | 455 McKinney Parkway (physical) | Lillington, NC 27546 | 910-893-7555 | www.harnett.org
strong roots ● new growth
Connect with Harnett County online
Hired Christian Lockamy as Economic Development Director to lead the department’s efforts and increase
economic development capacity;
Began the process of obtaining site certification for the County’s business parks, beginning with Edgerton
Industrial Park off of Interstate 95 in Dunn, which ensures these sites are “shovel ready” for immediate
development and meet a consistent set of standards; and
Began the process of obtaining certification for an expansion of the County’s existing waste water treatment
plant, to increase Harnett County’s wastewater capacity and bolster its standing as a regional utility
powerhouse.
Transportation
With the increasing residential growth in Harnett County and demand for better road infrastructure, Commissioners
prioritized enhancing transportation corridor projects for County residents, which included:
NC 55 in Angier, a bypass right of way project with construction anticipated to begin in Fall of 2022;
US 401 North Corridor Study, a two year, 19-mile project lead by Capital Area Metropolitan Planning
Organization (CAMPO) in partnership with Town of Lillington, Town of Angier, Harnett County, Town of
Fuquay-Varina, and Wake County;
I-95 improvements, a 26-mile widening and exit improvement project from Cumberland to Johnston County,
which includes 6 exits in Harnett County;
Old Stage/ Hwy 27/ Leslie Campbell Ave/ Sheriff Johnson Road project, which includes re-alignment & the
construction of traffic circles; and
Hwy 421/Buies Creek multi-purpose side path through Campbell University to provide safer walking access
along this corridor.
Education
County Commissioners collaborated with the Harnett County Board of Education on several projects and initiatives,
including:
Sold the remaining $43 million in voter-approved General Obligation (GO) Bonds to fund construction of the
new Northwest Harnett Elementary School;
Provided funding to purchase land for a future middle school south of Lillington;
Funded a one-time bonus for Harnett County Schools classified employees (maintenance, custodial, child
nutrition, transportation, etc.) related to COVID-19;
Approved the school system’s request to enter into a Guaranteed Energy Savings Contract to improve
operating systems and efficiency of operations by reducing energy consumption and/or energy-related
operating costs at school facilities;
Supported the Board of Education’s efforts to secure a $10 million grant from the North Carolina Education
Lottery Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund to help with construction costs for the new Northwest
Harnett Elementary School; and
Partnered with the Board of Education and BusPatrol to improve the safety of students by installing a camera
system on school busses to address the issue of drivers who illegally pass stopped busses.
Ashley Bauer
Community Relations Coordinator
County Manager’s Office
910-814-6001
adeans@harnett.org
PO Box 759 | 455 McKinney Parkway (physical) | Lillington, NC 27546 | 910-893-7555 | www.harnett.org
strong roots ● new growth
Connect with Harnett County online
Harnett Regional Jetport
In June 2021, the Board voted to change management of Harnett Regional Jetport from a private fixed-base
operator to a County-managed department, which was the first step in taking ownership over the jetport and fully
realizing its potential as a major economic engine for the County. Along with this management change, the Board
worked with Harnett County’s State legislative delegation to secure $6 million dollars in funding for the construction
of a much-needed new terminal building at the Jetport. In addition to the new terminal, the County also moved
forward with a runway lighting rehabilitation project and apron expansion project at the Jetport.
Additional County Priorities
Along with these five key priorities, Commissioners were able to support citizens through the following initiatives,
Commissioners
Supported the Boards and Administration of Betsy Johnson and Central Harnett hospitals to align Harnett
Health System with Cape Fear Valley Health System and continue the County’s drive to provide the best
possible health care for Harnett County and the surrounding region;
Worked with leadership of Harnett County’s first-in-the-state Veterans Treatment Court to secure additional
funding from the General Assembly and make the Court sustainable going into the future;
Made the transition to the Harnett County Resource Center & Library, and consolidated additional County
services in and around the Harnett County Government Complex, making substantial progress on the goal of
bringing all County services to a single convenient location for citizens; and
Completed a property exchange with Harnett County Schools and the Town of Lillington that will ultimately
result in much needed storage space for the County, better accommodation of Harnett County Schools’
strategic needs, and enhanced economic development and recreational opportunities for Lillington.
In addition, Commissioners also focused on enhancing the County government workforce to address employee
compensation issues and move toward a culture that values high performance and empowers employees to provide
top-notch services to residents. In July and August of 2021, the Board addressed pay and retention issues for
mission critical employees, including sworn law enforcement officers, first responders, code enforcement, and transit
drivers. Following a very positive County audit for Fiscal Year 2021 and higher-than-forecasted sales tax projections
for the current year, the Board made the decision to address the County’s remaining employees, raising employee
salaries to competitive levels and allowing the County to compete for highly skilled and experienced employees in
the region. The Board also provided a one-time bonus for County employees who provided and continued to
provide essential services for citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Board also embarked on a process to develop the County’s first ever Strategic Plan, partnering with the UNC
School of Government and Consultant Rebecca Jackson who led the Board, County Management, and the County’s
department heads in strategic planning sessions to help create a mission, vision, and organizational values for
Harnett County Government, along with goals for the next one to five years. The County also solicited feedback
from citizens and employees to inform the plan during multiple in-person and virtual community and staff input
meetings. A draft plan will be presented to the Board in February and upon adoption, the plan will help inform the
Board’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget priorities and provide County departments with clear direction regarding priority
areas for the county.
Ashley Bauer
Community Relations Coordinator
County Manager’s Office
910-814-6001
adeans@harnett.org
PO Box 759 | 455 McKinney Parkway (physical) | Lillington, NC 27546 | 910-893-7555 | www.harnett.org
strong roots ● new growth
Connect with Harnett County online
Following the retirement of County Manager Paula Stewart in June 2021 ,the Board brought in George Wood to
serve as Interim County Manager and lead County Government operations while the Board searched for a
permanent County Manager. The Board hired Slavin Management Consultants to engage in a nationwide search for
a new County Manager, which resulted in the hiring of former Topeka, Kansas City Manager, Brent Trout, in
December 2021.
County Commissioners plan to continue this forward movement for the County in 2022.
“Our goals for this upcoming year haven’t changed a lot from our 2021 goals,” stated Weatherspoon. “We still have
a lot of work to do. We need to get broadband to underserved areas in the county; work to make Harnett County
attractive to new companies and help bring good paying jobs to the county; continue to push for transportation
improvements; upgrade our school system with better pay, supplements for teachers and better, new schools ; and
continue supporting County employees and enhancing the quality of service the County provides our citizens .”
This Spring, Commissioners plan to finalize the Strategic Plan and task County Management with putting this
comprehensive plan into action. As part of plan implementation, the County will continue working with the School
of Government to add a Performance Management system to track progress on plan objectives and results. Annual
performance reports will also be made available to the public to highlight the County’s accomplishments and track
progress toward the County’s goals.
The Board will also adopt a plan for the use of the County’s $26.4 million ARPA allocation, which offers a once -in-a-
generation opportunity for the County to make substantial progress on numerous priority projects like Broadband
expansion.
Commissioners have also updated their Legislative Priorities and will meet with the County’s State and Federal
Legislative delegation in February to discuss the Board’s priorities for the coming year and opportunities to continue
to meet the needs of Harnett County’s residents.
For more information on the Harnett County Board of Commissioners, visit www.harnett.org/boc.
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