Clinton council approves college special use, zoning text amendments, contracts and event permits; schedules final budget vote

The Clinton City Council on June 3 approved a series of land-use changes, contracts, and event permits and closed the public hearing on the fiscal 2025–26 budget, setting a final council vote for June 17.

Council members moved through a long consent-style agenda that included a special-use approval for a community college training expansion, several citywide text amendments to the land development ordinance, agreements for airport runway and lighting rehabilitation, new audit services, and short-term street closures for downtown events and Juneteenth celebrations. Most motions passed by unanimous voice vote.

Why it matters: The package includes projects and rule changes that affect training for public-safety personnel, the city’s development rules for subdivisions and townhouses, local infrastructure work at the municipal airport funded largely by state and federal grants, and downtown business activations that will close streets or parking lots temporarily. Those decisions affect countywide training capacity, short-term traffic patterns downtown, and planned capital work at the airport.

Key council actions (votes at a glance):

- Special-use approval for Central Community College’s proposed expansion at 395 Enterprise Drive (41 acres) to add public-safety and technical training capacity; council made the required five findings and approved the request by voice vote.

- Text amendments to the land development ordinance including: (a) allowing minor subdivisions up to five lots under a staff definition change; (b) changes to plant/driveway/erosion-control submittal timing; and (c) a citywide townhouse minimum lot-width change to allow narrower lots in certain private, HOA-maintained drive configurations. Each amendment passed on voice votes after public hearings.

- Contracts and procurement approvals: selection of Martin & Jenkins (audit firm); award of runway rehabilitation and related airfield lighting work (Barnhill Construction and related contractors) with funding structured as a federal/state pass-through and small local shares; a contract award for lighting and signage improvements; and several interlocal/service contracts including police services agreements (Eastern Regional Housing Authority, ABC Board, school resource agreements). Council gave voice approval to each contract.

- Event and street/parking-lot closures: approvals for the Sampson County Juneteenth celebration (Graham Street and adjacent City Market lot), expanded Saturday farmers-market closures June–September, a classic-car “cruise-in” closure for June 28, and a NextGen July 4 downtown “lock-in”/block-party use of the courthouse west parking lot. Council granted each permit by voice vote.

- Budget process steps: The council closed the public hearing on the FY25–26 proposed budget and will return to consider final action at the June 17 meeting. The budget presentation included personnel and benefit changes and modest utility rate increases (see separate story).

Other housekeeping: the council reappointed and administered the oath to the city attorney; reappointments to advisory boards were confirmed; and staff reported that work on the municipal theater is approaching completion, pending an upstairs glass panel and seat installation.

What comes next: Council will reconvene June 17 to vote on the budget. Airport construction and lighting work will proceed under award and execution of the contracts; staff and the manager will return with standard contract documents and authorizations as required by state and federal grant terms.

Votes and outcomes in the meeting text were recorded as unanimous voice approvals unless otherwise noted.