[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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],{"_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",6566579,"mediaKeyId","3204263-0af0e8f22ee02ea986754432b1670b5a","parentId",3204263,"title","Clinton council approves annexation, downtown Fresh Market street closure, theater grant, ARPA policy and budget amendments","audioSeconds",139,"startMs",1407000,"endMs",1546000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3204263-0af0e8f22ee02ea986754432b1670b5a&start=1407&end=1546","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3204263-0af0e8f22ee02ea986754432b1670b5a/thumbnail_1407000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6566579/Clinton/Sampson-County/North-Carolina/Clinton-council-approves-annexation-downtown-Fresh-Market-street-closure-theater-grant-ARPA-policy-and-budget-amendments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6566579-4675104b897b009d026f5c3fd5dd68e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1773766295&Signature=FpPjsP5rQYlVQoR87aICpD6kzKEehDRzgcUk2y~bJjsDiXJSFgQN6y9R2YxZ9SyV2smWUU-V4WAPIl60h26Mjr-QcG-TgnlZd9eKrQF7LHm3sna~3rg-8YylkirST7X8~FmbkVdM8l2gubTsfcCsFqij97L61~m7gk1WH8JiMFz2wMVhDTAS0LqbQy3Du7lIVAZCw65pDmWxyM1~NGsXEuoND9fHV5PGBcw3e2ZsQnNMl2nnh7OFiRfLCEBJMGYuc4cjRumru6hMPN6PWV41i78U7lelsillGixki7GSUDGQVC3V3K5w1IxpP3O0KqfRqY~u3dGPBAbaALYgBDePAA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Clinton","date","2025-05-06T23:50:02.633Z","article","Clinton City Council on its May agenda approved several items affecting city boundaries, downtown events, capital spending and ARPA policy.

Key outcomes (all motions recorded as passing unanimously in the meeting):
- Annexation: Council adopted an ordinance to annex property along Martha Lane submitted by Minnie Webb. The clerk verified that procedural requirements were met; the council opened and closed a public hearing with no public speakers and moved to adopt the ordinance effective the day of the meeting.

- Fresh Market street/parking closure: The council approved a request from the Main Street promotion committee to close the West End Sampson County Courthouse parking lot for a Fresh Market on the second and fourth Saturdays from May through September 2025, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. The promoter said the space would accommodate about 8 to 10 vendors and the activity aims to drive foot traffic downtown and support local farmers and businesses.

- Theater seating grant: The council accepted a $45,378.70 grant from the Convention and Visitor Bureau to fund seating in the city theater. Council members said the grant supplements a separate rural transformation project that did not cover seating.

- ARPA property management policy: The council adopted an updated property management policy tied to ARPA funds; staff described the measure as the last ARPA-related policy needing formal adoption.

- Budget amendments: The council approved multiple capital-project and general-fund budget amendments to close out completed projects and reallocate small balances. Staff cited higher-than-expected paving costs under the Powell Bill and added expense for a local tennis court project as reasons for several adjustments.

Other business and notifications included: appointment notices (several committee members have exhausted reappointment eligibility under bylaws, including Greg Thornton, Candace Taylor and Frank Leek), and a city spring-cleanup report noting 77 mattress/box-spring sets, 52 televisions and about 100 tires collected this spring.

Council scheduled a closed session on amended agenda items to discuss contract negotiations and personnel after the public meeting.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","May 6, 2025 City Council Meeting - Clinton, NC","oneSentenceSummary","Clinton City Council on its May agenda adopted multiple measures including an annexation ordinance for property along Martha Lane, authorization for a recurring Fresh Market in a courthouse parking lot, a theater seating grant from the Convention and Visitor Bureau, an ARPA property management policy, and several budget amendments.","taxTitle","Clinton, Sampson County, North Carolina","taxId",61430,"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},6566584,"Presenter outlines federal Emergency Watershed Protection Program and steps for local projects",221,549000,770000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3204263-0af0e8f22ee02ea986754432b1670b5a&start=549&end=770","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3204263-0af0e8f22ee02ea986754432b1670b5a/thumbnail_549000.jpg","/articles/6566584/Clinton/Sampson-County/North-Carolina/Presenter-outlines-federal-Emergency-Watershed-Protection-Program-and-steps-for-local-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6566584-58aab044c9a8881e4626c76ddba9f24e/orig.mp4?Expires=1773766295&Signature=dj7V~XRclsdG0mX2bCFgkaAcPe4ADHTL6042JgL519zww7evDULpGVNm73IjAIbX76bLFMAQCZEW4TCJQTQ1NJ3eF3t-DpXAJuTq4wlrGyi1eYj6jR0pgSImcWOAMGYUWz6Nnx3rdZXgdqROhJa8JEe4x2BjDMBsuK~M5C75PDa~B1U-szy08Dn0elDmriwsnstIu6c6FaC54rjpLqjwmhbjjVm9mOe-F2PLk2nitWdyzOOUH~GtShr-KUym3dAVWAqEI6pcJUap6RIWKQZ00ugJlvY0KgLTqTKnGYT9fHqp5C0sTe8f5nGga8rJluIUH2jzb-sYFvm5QWxViCbHTw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the Clinton City Council meeting in May, Shamika McCoy, a retired Air Force service member and farmer, briefed the council on the federal Emergency Watershed Protection Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

McCoy said the Emergency Watershed Protection Program is “created to respond to emergencies, by natural disaster,” and listed common projects the program will authorize, including debris-clogged waterways, unstable stream banks, severe erosion threatening public infrastructure, wind-borne debris removal and repair of areas denuded by fire or drought. She told the council that both public and private landowners can be eligible, but projects must be submitted by a sponsor — typically a city, county or state agency.

The program requires a sponsor to provide land rights, obtain necessary permits and furnish the local cost share. McCoy said federal support can cover up to 75 percent of a project and in some approvals approach 90 percent; local contribution (about 25 percent) can be cash or in-kind. After a sponsor submits a letter to the NRCS, McCoy said, \"they'll send out an engineer. The engineer will assess the site, and we deem it appropriate.\" She identified Tim Burt as the local NRCS contact who would oversee assessments.

McCoy advised that once an event is initiated there is a 60-day window to apply. She suggested specific local sites for follow-up inspection and asked the city manager to take notes so staff could pursue eligibility checks. Mayor Starling thanked McCoy and indicated staff would follow up; the manager and mayor signaled the matter would return to staff for potential action.

No formal council action was taken at the meeting on this presentation. The item closed with council direction to staff to evaluate potential local sites and next steps with NRCS.

","At the May meeting the council heard a presentation from Shamika McCoy on the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Emergency Watershed Protection Program, including eligibility, typical local cost share, and a 60-day application window after an event.",{"_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},6566576,"Next Gen advisory group introduces itself to council, seeks to boost young-adult engagement",307,1780000,2087000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3204263-0af0e8f22ee02ea986754432b1670b5a&start=1780&end=2087","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3204263-0af0e8f22ee02ea986754432b1670b5a/thumbnail_1780000.jpg","/articles/6566576/Clinton/Sampson-County/North-Carolina/Next-Gen-advisory-group-introduces-itself-to-council-seeks-to-boost-young-adult-engagement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6566576-6d4865840e148416240ff63db22de510/orig.mp4?Expires=1773766295&Signature=OqYswMDQHsDbpknBZPpZDe44-PEM2K3bn5xwRJXpINLluh9wWOxXJdUacGajiK~LHp8R4Mh-27aMB67ZIV8c05BzWsZhlJ4G4UnXnwOpBtDPum7DpIq8Sm32A4frg9IIgn9kQmd2yDfamElp7Hmi1mWQ9i~cINRCCBYlrxnARGZb8wtT0rM2YFoDXST7S2piH64~y6tBW3kvKb53Dr976RuxdbEjCrJqvdThxAk8Xl1C2qWbpkZJs1dH3myN4i~taYHJtN3SaABM1-bzKBmjMfzi7lam8-Gf7pAeGnl14-TctqecrAfTklXz2Al5PpqK0aHzM~PK7slFqcaoZzruWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the May Clinton City Council meeting, three members of a newly formed Next Gen advisory group introduced themselves and described plans to increase engagement among local residents in their 20s and 30s.

Natalie Peterson, speaking for the group, said the Next Gen effort operates a website and social channels and organizes small interest-based groups so young adults who live and work in Clinton can connect. She said the group had about 50 members two weeks after launching and that combined posts had more than 50,000 views. Peterson said the advisory group wants to help promote local events and encourage businesses to consider extended hours so younger residents can participate.

Megan Roberts and another member, Victoria (surname not provided in the meeting), joined Peterson at the podium and described community initiatives they are coordinating with Main Street and local business owners. Council members responded positively; councilors suggested arranging a dinner and meeting with staff in the next four to five weeks to talk further. The city manager and council members assigned staff liaison tasks to follow up.

The group asked to be a resource for event promotion and volunteer support. Council members thanked the group and encouraged coordination with Main Street and city staff.

","Three members of a newly formed Next Gen advisory group introduced the organization to the council, described its outreach and membership (about 50 members after two weeks) and offered help promoting downtown events.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Clinton council approves annexation, downtown Fresh Market street closure, theater grant, ARPA policy and budget amendments

Presenter outlines federal Emergency Watershed Protection Program and steps for local projects

Next Gen advisory group introduces itself to council, seeks to boost young-adult engagement