[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-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",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_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",6569247,"mediaKeyId","3191481-275a738df6dc0893ca30fa33ad901fe8","parentId",3191481,"title","County staff present recommended FY2026 budget; assessed property values up about $883 million","audioSeconds",45,"startMs",2854000,"endMs",2899000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3191481-275a738df6dc0893ca30fa33ad901fe8&start=2854&end=2899","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3191481-275a738df6dc0893ca30fa33ad901fe8/thumbnail_2854000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6569247/Harnett-County/North-Carolina/County-staff-present-recommended-FY2026-budget-assessed-property-values-up-about-883-million","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6569247-6882b04a3bb69288f1247d3238712ac2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771105285&Signature=Oe3YEaciokwoILH9hofPIXcFM-QdKY5oRCgASeALgbHXOSl2TxkAo9xJlwYbV6otEurSD58otpQVGJF4-9XbZJKZwXfaXIHpLKGOIZ6lgwgChFgrMPLF82c7t35odw6bvLDy9Ejo0ea4dXuUlm4P9Gqvrk91Aoz6Oaf7ONqGeO1JqZ4pTo~5QnAQUS7Ko913sHeksdxSU2kaSS~lzW0UIikncZyH1-mvRQOR71lQqOArT5Y~7GXc2R8Kl-pWeap83Rdy4bpMMqEXx9C8w1jEF4e5UC5itrGNZktQLqdO9xHCmkyJu3IB7dT3dh7~6F~TnAyet0EXY1J9XXXeE5nNWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Harnett County, NC","date","2025-05-05T13:42:29.577Z","article","County staff presented the Harnett County recommended fiscal year 2026 budget to the Board of Commissioners for review and consideration. The presentation noted the budget was prepared to meet statutory requirements and to support the county’s strategic goals and priorities.

During the presentation county staff said assessed property tax values increased by approximately $883,000,000 this year and that growth in home construction continues. The staff presentation framed the recommended budget as an expansion budget that reflects growth-related needs and priorities of county residents.

No formal vote or adoption of the FY2026 budget was recorded at the time of the presentation in the meeting transcript; the item was presented for the board’s review and consideration as the budget process continued.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting 05/05/25","oneSentenceSummary","Harnett County staff presented the recommended fiscal year 2026 budget for review and noted that property tax assessed values increased by approximately $883 million.","taxTitle","Harnett County, North Carolina","taxId",13715,"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},6569252,"Resident says Harnett County land-use plan lacks enforceability; raises school budget concerns",288,2134000,2422000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3191481-275a738df6dc0893ca30fa33ad901fe8&start=2134&end=2422","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3191481-275a738df6dc0893ca30fa33ad901fe8/thumbnail_2134000.jpg","/articles/6569252/Harnett-County/North-Carolina/Resident-says-Harnett-County-land-use-plan-lacks-enforceability-raises-school-budget-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6569252-a4a589cd35388cc236f4ad2cc4ebf056/orig.mp4?Expires=1771105285&Signature=AStV9Cj29PrMTaWbLnLg-CrBbpreCrsjh6wUF2eFUVEp2Bt3Vt2r7fcKg7Jo3fLPTOlKmkkdgVOhkvCZ3YiySecWtlIhSWuln0JnsN6pD0zQ4sJj~JX0yLkNBSEBvMSJ2zduPEHiYrRnvRRhFXnUNag7DFAryv~c20jh33FywiPSnWEpXrvU5Ag~VmXq5O17QjI5jSTTnHPY0f~HSBqbDo~KkmKK8qIdpl9HSlvSsaxFl7afMZRijoX-AgguyXX0w~cdSvJQqm7nBcq6LcmoAy3J5JznLpBCszotfMTRDyyW-4YLqF8HcyQQN8J0s5kMszDoSaHlRzMCCeW3xOU44A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kate Rykert, a county resident who said she campaigned for office last year, told the Harnett County Board of Commissioners that a comprehensive land-use plan is ineffective unless it is converted into enforceable policy. She cited a recent rezoning request in the Barbecue District—from RA-20 to commercial—that the planning board had unanimously approved and that staff found compatible with the land-use plan, yet she said county action afterward did not follow that recommendation.

\"If we are to have a comprehensive land use plan, it really is nothing more than a plan. If we don't make this a policy, then we run into willy nilly decisions that don't really follow that plan,\" Rykert told the board during public comment. She said she attended both the planning-board review and a joint session between the board of commissioners and the board of education and said the board should be mindful of budget implications.

Rykert also raised concerns about federal budget proposals that could cut nondiscretionary spending and education funding; she cited an article noting Wake County would lose $14 million in student mental-health funds under a proposed federal change and said Harnett County had about 105 teacher vacancies posted on the county jobs site at the time she checked. She urged commissioners to consider these pressures as they consider county budgeting and policy decisions.

No county action on the rezoning or on converting the land-use plan to policy was recorded in the transcript; Rykert's remarks were part of the public comment period.","A resident criticized the county’s comprehensive land-use plan as unenforceable after a rezoning case and urged commissioners to consider district education funding amid federal cuts that may affect local school budgets.",{"_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},6569255,"Local food-security advocates urge Harnett County action as possible federal SNAP cuts loom",314,2463000,2777000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3191481-275a738df6dc0893ca30fa33ad901fe8&start=2463&end=2777","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3191481-275a738df6dc0893ca30fa33ad901fe8/thumbnail_2463000.jpg","/articles/6569255/Harnett-County/North-Carolina/Local-food-security-advocates-urge-Harnett-County-action-as-possible-federal-SNAP-cuts-loom","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6569255-1ff1fac74633a61014a8e99b6066220f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771105285&Signature=CvnITuUPa0rWIK362jWMf4LRDh31J0NQR-1SQJDGOInoB2iYYwTxDpZZ2VtNv1h8xPxe0RmJBr5CKDwqvSHPozgfzQKt37jXUuAr7twE965-2~3tkaU4ft-vdgH8uYFu-ARlbFAdtX7rDZ1ZTF0zU8~KMwuxhvXF~kTA-g9ro4bmvv4u0RFiXzcisK-fQdBH9v2Nq-59V41ukROuYk7g0VOD~5dN71ckCl81vHZN-pwQNktTEkqpsuuyJ2yuwnIHIIyML9usyujjnQLBYPRXIGqS7f-Qe~ek-RPoiMBwzrXazv0lXqX4FypGDmF03LvL5bvFKcO3NdpAL7xWQKEAMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Marge Morton, manager of the Fuquay-Varina Growers Market and a member of regional food-security coalitions, told the Harnett County Board of Commissioners that potential federal cuts to SNAP and other nondiscretionary programs could have severe local consequences and asked the board to support coordinated local measures.

Morton said a federal reconciliation proposal under consideration would slash agricultural spending and could shift 5–10% of SNAP costs to states; she said that change would represent an added burden for North Carolina and could threaten programs tied to Medicaid expansion. She cited statewide and local figures during her remarks, saying more than 19,000 people in Harnett County rely on SNAP and that 1 in 6 children in North Carolina is food insecure. She also told commissioners that the county’s food pantries report increasing demand and that local programs that purchased directly from farms had recently ended.

Morton urged the commissioners to help create a community action coalition led by the health department to coordinate nonprofits, food-assistance providers, health partners, faith-based groups and local institutions such as Campbell University’s public health department. She also recommended mini-grant opportunities for community gardens and mobile markets for seniors to improve access to locally produced food. Morton said Wake County used ARPA funds to support SNAP-related programs and cited that example as a model for coordinated local investment to support both vulnerable families and local farmers.

Commissioners asked follow-up questions about coordination and contacts; Morton said she had not yet given her materials to Hank Hensley but was willing to do so and to meet with county staff. No formal board action or funding allocation was recorded during the meeting.","A local food-security organizer warned that proposed federal SNAP reductions could shift costs to states and urged the county to create a coordinated community action coalition and small grant program to support local food resilience.",{"_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},6569259,"Developers propose \"agri-development\" model to preserve farmland while creating small-lot housing in Harnett County",509,1156000,1665000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3191481-275a738df6dc0893ca30fa33ad901fe8&start=1156&end=1665","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3191481-275a738df6dc0893ca30fa33ad901fe8/thumbnail_1156000.jpg","/articles/6569259/Harnett-County/North-Carolina/Developers-propose-agri-development-model-to-preserve-farmland-while-creating-small-lot-housing-in-Harnett-County","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6569259-a2d9114de61d1bc331c90908cadde1bd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771105285&Signature=ocKlNeuAwkjDzY5uWOyTrYmvqW8a1qFGvjnL650f6tr2FLI1Tn7cBMiPl8ThKmE3wdNhn4wtnUCWhBUOndSfqFdzRChX82bEdBk140XzyTvaY2B6icOuyUHjkQrGEe6Zq3j0wXEll85UhZvhuS~01NlP9OZun4CGCYvmq8hNhA49Bc2GAh7QMmRIUyoFWkEO7D517k6S2Tm48WBY7b4xWuGxW6zqM7aEczY2Bzadx4ZFD7hIDnBEDwAo-quuwMhILLl0iYXlyH5wQ3AyO-1VqPHVT7b3x4kESi0qPMLCb0rRQ1-x0tmmx2EPTPbeyDV7YOYPnOTFOCHZkmhIG1jAFQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representatives of Sandhills Real Estate Holding asked the Harnett County Board of Commissioners during the public comment period to consider regulatory changes that would allow ‘‘agri-development’’ projects that preserve large portions of a tract for farming while creating smaller residential lots.

Justin Veil Romani, a representative of Sandhills Real Estate Holding, described a completed Cumberland County project he identified as “SIDS Mill 151,” in which his team purchased 151 acres, preserved 98 acres in active farm production and created 13 lots for development. He said the Cumberland approvals allowed phased elements, interior lots with wells and road-front lots that tied to public water, and that provisions in Harnett County’s Unified Development Regulations (UDR) currently prevent similar projects.

\"Currently, the provisions in the Harnett County UDR are preventing us from bringing a project like this to Harnett County,\" Romani said during the presentation. He proposed several changes to allow analogous projects in Harnett County: using an aggregated acreage approach so an exempt subdivision threshold could apply across a larger tract, permitting sequential or phased minor subdivisions, allowing wells on interior lots while requiring public tie-ins for road-front lots, creating an agricultural overlay (the developer suggested allowing up to 45% of a qualifying tract to be developed with the remainder preserved), and a 15-year commitment period for the preserved acreage to remain in agricultural production.

Romani said lot sizes in his Cumberland project ranged from about 1 acre for interior lots to roughly 10 acres for three road-front lots; he said three lots on the road were about 10 acres each and interior lots were about 1 acre. He also said the preserved acreage had active farm leases for hay and rotational crops and that the remaining acreage was under timber management.

Commissioners and other attendees asked clarifying questions during and after the presentation. A commissioner noted the project aligns with the county’s interest in preserving farmland; Romani offered to host an on-site visit at SIDS Mill and said his team would meet with county planning staff to discuss potential regulatory changes. Romani praised the Harnett County planning staff by name, saying, \"Emma is a godsend,\" attributing that comment to his experience working with county planners.

No formal county vote or staff directive on ordinance changes was recorded in the meeting transcript; the developers requested the opportunity to open a conversation with county staff and commissioners.","Representatives from Sandhills Real Estate Holding described a recently completed 151-acre agri-development in Cumberland County that preserved 98 acres of farmland and created 13 lots, and asked Harnett County to consider regulatory changes to allow similar projects.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6569263,"Harnett County proclaims May 2025 as Foster Care Month",97,998000,1095000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3191481-275a738df6dc0893ca30fa33ad901fe8&start=998&end=1095","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3191481-275a738df6dc0893ca30fa33ad901fe8/thumbnail_998000.jpg","/articles/6569263/Harnett-County/North-Carolina/Harnett-County-proclaims-May-2025-as-Foster-Care-Month","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6569263-996d73c93fa4f87c30f530b6f3144190/orig.mp4?Expires=1771105285&Signature=XwjFOC8-aaEuetyvb0H5upVvqxnssAbZTnpkLZLuWHSw2ROMd1er~19AFt-4sDZkuey89mTSfa42M1Fkr-W6uYV6ub58qmEW-X1MCtEQIjl5T3JwHGLbZbQaV7UGvkmAnKJdfEzfCq9bsqTfGC2PMmdWKdQ7eAncCsSqBlpsvT7IPrPXF0kEPR1pkBmq~6yRiLqinrgPqH0ZzUH24jWTV6eVWdJfzCeYaf9o98YW74xFmzAnfufSuhL35IIiv0hCT00VehPSz1zwuFsc3oOfKZYZj~Md3S-c1MPiWmVUGrhidZtIhkYQhCGJRNhwx6AS6m7cJCJIqfjdzFOjErBIBw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Harnett County Board of Commissioners adopted a proclamation recognizing May 2025 as Foster Care Month and commending residents to support foster parents, kinship families and child welfare professionals.

The proclamation text read in part: “Whereas the youth in Harnett County are our most precious resource… the purpose of foster care is to provide temporary safe, secure, and stable homes through compassionate nurturing of the foster family, our kinship family.” The board resolved that “May 24 [2025]” be observed as Foster Care Month in Harnett County.

The proclamation, read during the meeting and entered into the record, cited county statistics presented verbally by staff: approximately 206 children and youth in Harnett County’s foster care system and about 12 young adults aged 18 to 20 in extended foster care in North Carolina. The proclamation acknowledged foster families, kinship caregivers and child welfare professionals and encouraged residents to volunteer time and resources on behalf of children and families.

The adopted document listed the commissioners on the proclamation as Matt Nichols, chairman; Bill Morris; Brooks Matthews; Barton Boyd; and James (surname not specified in the meeting record). No formal separate vote count was given on the record beyond adoption language in the meeting.

The proclamation is ceremonial and does not create new policy or funding. The board moved on to the public comment period after the presentation.","The Harnett County Board of Commissioners adopted a proclamation recognizing foster care and encouraging residents to support foster families and kinship caregivers.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County staff present recommended FY2026 budget; assessed property values up about $883 million

Resident says Harnett County land-use plan lacks enforceability; raises school budget concerns

Local food-security advocates urge Harnett County action as possible federal SNAP cuts loom

Developers propose "agri-development" model to preserve farmland while creating small-lot housing in Harnett County

Harnett County proclaims May 2025 as Foster Care Month