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Selma council approves memorandum to explore Johnston County utilities regionalization
Summary
The Town of Selma voted on June 5 to sign a memorandum of understanding to explore regionalizing utility systems with other Johnston County jurisdictions; council members emphasized that the MOU only authorizes study, not transfer of assets or control.
The Town of Selma Council on June 5 approved signing a memorandum of understanding to study regionalization of Johnston County utility systems, including sewer operations.
Mayor introduced the item as a nonbinding step to ensure towns that intend to explore regionalization have a shared framework. "This is not a commitment to actually be part of any type of authority or do any type of organization. It is a commitment for our community to seriously explore the possibility with our partner communities," the mayor said.
Council discussion focused on the financial and control implications of any future regional authority. Councilman Watson said the council must study the proposal carefully because it could mean relinquishing local control. "We're giving up control. And, we need to we need to know if that's what we want to do moving forward," Watson said.
Other council members noted that Selma's enterprise funds are intermingled with other municipal budgets and that any transfer of assets or operational control would require detailed financial agreements and multiple years of negotiation. A council member observed that most of Selma's water currently comes from wells and said they would not want to "give our water up to pay for somebody else's," a concern the council said would be addressed in future analyses.
Vote and limits: The council moved, seconded and approved the MOU by voice vote. The mayor and councilors said the memorandum only authorizes exploration and does not obligate the town to commit assets or join an authority. Council members pointed to other regional authorities' varied experiences — including jurisdictions that joined on paper but delayed committing assets for years — as reasons to proceed cautiously.
Next steps: staff will participate with other Johnston County stakeholders to study governance options, financial impacts and which parts of Selma's systems, if any, the town might propose for inclusion in a regional authority. The memorandum sets a multi-year study horizon and requires further council review before any formal transfer or authority formation.
