Allen Smith

The Town of Carthage's Strategic Plan for 2026-2028 outlines the organization's strategy and provides actionable, Board-supported goals to guide staff, clarify purpose, prioritize funding, and ensure accountability. It is built upon five core pillars: Organizational Excellence, Connectivity & Safety, Infrastructure for Growth, Financial Sustainability, and Vibrant Downtown and Places. The plan aims to foster a model of financial excellence and community resilience, serve as an incubator for business and industry, attract new residents, and develop homegrown talent, all while delivering exceptional services focused on public safety, quality of life, and community well-being.

The Regular Meeting agenda included several items under the Consent Agenda, specifically Budget Amendments for Sewer Taps & Connections, a PFAS Settlement, line-item transfers within the General Fund to cover police officer health exams, and revenue for Street-Cut Repairs. Public Hearings were scheduled for a request to close a portion of Kelly Street and a rezoning request for 4805 US 15-501 for Duke Energy Progress. Old Business included cost estimates for new Town Hall construction and an update on the Downtown Project. New Business involved the adoption of the Carthage 2026-2029 Strategic Plan, authorization for the private sale of surplus real property to Habitat for Humanity, adoption of the Final Cape Fear Region Hazard Mitigation Plan, support for reduced speed limits on 15-501, and calling for public hearings related to Water Capacity Planning and another Rezoning Request (Parcel ID 20170229). The session concluded with final comments and a closed session to discuss real property acquisition strategy and personnel matters.

The key topics for the meeting included the approval of the agenda, a public comment session, and new business. The new business item involved a rezoning request (R-01-26) from RA-40-CZ to RA-40-CZ for PARID: 857700704307, petitioned by TEP Group on behalf of Duke Energy Progress, LLC, concerning the amendment of conditional zoning parameters, specifically increasing the maximum height of a telecommunications pole. The board also reviewed the 2026 Planning Board Meeting Schedule during the 'Other Business' section.

The meeting agenda included approval of the agenda, followed by a consent agenda featuring approval of minutes from the December 15, 2025 meeting and several budget amendments concerning sewer taps, the PFAS settlement, line-item transfers, and street-cut repair revenue. Key discussion points in reports included updates on the New Town Hall Design Estimates, the Strategic Plan, Downtown Revitalization Phase 1 coordination with the Moore County Board of Commissioners (MCBOC), and a recent Code Red cybersecurity data breach. New business involved adopting the Carthage 2026-2029 Strategic Plan resolution, authorizing the private sale of surplus property, adopting the Final Cape Fear Region Hazard Mitigation Plan resolution, a resolution supporting reduced speed limits on 15-501, and calling for public hearings for a zoning map amendment related to a Duke Energy Progress telecommunication pole and for the closure of a portion of Kelly Street. The session also included two public hearings: one regarding the request to close a portion of Kelly Street, and another regarding the rezoning request for 4805 US 15-501. The meeting concluded with discussions in closed session regarding real property acquisition negotiations and personnel matters.

The meeting agenda included discussion items such as the Manager's Report, new business items like reviewing the October 13, 2025, regular meeting minutes, discussion of the 2025 Recap and 2026 Planning, and adoption of the 2026 Meetings Calendar. The Manager's Report detailed updates on the Downtown Revitalization Project, which includes a forthcoming presentation to the County Commissioners regarding Phase 1 and a request for $104,000 for landscaping not covered by the grant. The report also covered cost estimates for the New Town Hall Project, which will be presented soon, and initiated the FY 2026-27 budget season, setting a deadline of February 9th for committee budget requests.