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Sampson County commissioners complete workshop; top priorities include potable water connections, K‑12 funding formula and fire funding
Summary
Sampson County commissioners on Feb. 10 completed a facilitated goal‑setting workshop and asked staff to turn the workshop’s prioritized goals into a voteable document; commissioners’ top individual selections included potable‑water connections for PFAS‑affected areas, a negotiated K‑12 funding formula, and stable funding processes for volunteer fire departments.
Sampson County commissioners on Feb. 10 completed a multi‑hour workshop to set countywide priorities for the coming budget cycle, and by consensus directed staff to convert the workshop results into a voteable document to return for formal adoption.
The workshop used facilitated, table‑based exercises to surface goals across eight focus areas — growth and infrastructure, public education, safe community, healthy community, relations and connections, economic development, and excellent government. Facilitator Mr. Hudson explained the process early in the meeting and led the group through listing, clustering and prioritizing goals. Commissioners individually placed a final “golden” sticker to indicate the items they considered most important for their constituents.
Nut graf: The exercise resulted in a set of prioritized goals staff will use to shape the formal budget and policy work this spring; commissioners voted — by motion and second — to have staff produce a formal, voteable document containing the workshop goals.
The five items that received the most emphasis during commissioners’ final individual selections were: connecting areas experiencing PFAS contamination to the county potable water system; negotiating and adopting a multi‑year public-school funding formula jointly between Sampson County and the two local school districts to create greater budget certainty; establishing funding for local volunteer fire departments sufficient to maintain their missions (with processes for setting fire tax district rates); and maintaining the county’s positive financial position, low tax rate, and credit strength. The facilitator summarized the final action: “We will take everything on the walls, put it into a format that we'll officially and formally bring back to you for adoption.” (language as recorded during the meeting.)
Commissioners discussed a broad set of related topics while developing goals. On infrastructure and utilities, commissioners and participants proposed regional water and sewer connections, and specific items such as potable-water tie‑ins for areas affected by PFAS contamination. Participants also raised transportation priorities and efforts to lobby for larger road projects and interstate connections.
Public education goals included negotiating a county‑school funding formula, developing a 10‑year facilities and maintenance plan and collaborating more closely with Sampson County Schools, Clinton City Schools and Sampson Community College on workforce and student retention pathways. Multiple commissioners supported a funding formula to reduce year‑to‑year uncertainty.
The safe‑community discussion centered on staffing and funding for the sheriff’s office and detention center, improving emergency medical services response times, and regionalized communications and backup tower capacity. Commissioners and staff also discussed fostering stronger partnerships and technical assistance for volunteer fire departments, including financial-review requirements and the possibility of the county supporting financial reviews or audits to improve local governance of nonprofit fire districts.
Under “excellent government,” commissioners supported initiatives to improve procurement and fleet management (including exploring a county vehicle maintenance facility), invest in cybersecurity and IT coordination across public-safety agencies, and establish employee recognition and supervisory‑training programs to improve retention and customer service.
Formal action: toward the end of the meeting a commissioner made a motion to have staff compile the workshop items into a voteable format for formal adoption; a second was recorded and the motion was approved (voice vote/consensus). The facilitator and staff confirmed they will convert the wall of goals into a document that will be returned to the board in a future meeting for a formal vote.
Ending: Staff said they will publish the compiled goals and use the priorities to guide budget work and presentations leading up to a formal budget vote; commissioners were given the workshop packet and a draft job description for the permanent county manager before adjourning.
