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LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners made two and a half pronouncements on Monday.
They told a roomful of property owners that they would be crafting a revenue neutral budget, at least.
They told property owners to appeal out-of-whack tax assessments.
And, they asked their attorney if Franklin County can delay revaluation by a year, comparing neighboring properties within the county to see if properties have been fairly valued.

LOUISBURG -- The controversial idea of creating a "white flag" shelter to provide a warm, safe place during short-term drastic weather emergencies, especially cold, had both supporters and foes during a public hearing on the matter Monday night.
In the end, the Louisburg town council took no action on the issue, which has been pending for several weeks, and the consensus of those who spoke is that more research on the idea is needed.

LOUISGBURG -- The Louisburg Town Council took its first tentative steps toward creating a budget for fiscal year 2024-25 during a special Thursday evening meeting last week.
Such a meeting is a traditional opportunity for the mayor and council members to voice their "wish lists" for what they'd like to see in the new budget.

YOUNGSVILLE -- The Franklin County Economic Development Commission shifted its most recent meeting time and place -- in an effort to better engage its members.
They intend to use its next meeting under the new format to learn more about the county's water situation.

LOUISBURG -- Management and architects presented commissioners with plans for a new EMS station that could be complete and within budget by next June.
Franklin County secured the services of Oakley Collier to plan, design and oversee construction of a new EMS station that replaces the one at the county's airport.
They've also been hired to oversee the station to replace the outdated one in Bunn.
The station is proposed to be built along Airport Road at the northwestern tip of the county's Triangle North Franklin Business Park.

FRANKLINTON -- Commissioners approved a $3.6 million spending plan they say will cover the expenses of a growing town.
The 2024-25 budget comes at a cost: the 73 cents per $100 of valuation tax rate is 92 percent higher than the revenue neutral rate of 38 cents per $100 of valuation calculated after revaluation.
Before Tuesday night's decision, the tax rate was set at 75 cents per $100 of valuation and the town's total revenues were $2.9 million.

Youngsville's Fonzie Flowers, Lucy Garcia and Cat Redd

Even though it's looking a lot like spring, that's a bit misleading.
In reality, it's the beginning of budget season.
And as painful as that can be, it's a time when all of us ought to sit up and pay attention -- and probably get involved at some level.
Each year we start this "season" as the county, all municipalities and the school system struggle to come up with budgets for the next fiscal year which will begin on July 1.

Looking through this edition of The Franklin Times, you're probably keen on all the things that are going on.
Franklin County and its property owners are essentially at the tail end of a chaotic tax assessment/revaluation.
Louisburg leaders are preparing wish lists for how they'd like to allocate its citizens' tax dollars.
They're also trying to figure out how they can help the most vulnerable of its residents by creating a White Flag shelter.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Evelyn Rowe Strickland, 87, of Louisburg, passed away on Thursday morning at Maria Parham Hospital in Henderson.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Nellie Stone Freeman, 91, of Louisburg, passed away peacefully on March 18, 2024 surrounded by her loving family.

Wake Forest, NC--Funeral services for Peggy Ann Person, age 69, who died on Sunday, March 17, 2024, will be held 2 p.m., Friday, March 22, from the New Life Outreach Ministry in Franklinton, NC with Pastor Martha Hodge, officiating. Burial will follow in the Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery.

STANHOPE -- Most dynasties are eventually docked in port, but the Viking Ship that is the Southern Nash softball program continues to seamlessly sail through the overmatched Big East Conference.
The Ladybirds, under the astute steering of veteran captain Scott Collie, have conquered or shared the past five Big East regular season crowns to go with three straight conference tournament championships.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Perhaps the least suspenseful Big East Conference Championship race during the 2022-23 campaign was in boys golf, where Roanoke Rapids was the wire-to-wire winner -- and in overpowering fashion.
Not much has changed in the league's boys golf scene this spring as the Jackets appear poised to repeat their crown without hardly a threat from any of its Big East opponents.

STANHOPE -- Louisburg has displayed some dramatic early improvement in the 2023-24 girls soccer season, but taking on former Big East Conference foe Southern Nash provided an entirely different -- and daunting -- challenge.
LHS has sped up its rebuilding process with a pair of victories to date as part of its solid start. Southern, however, is at one of its highest levels in the history of its program, as evidenced by its strong showing last Thursday at home against the Lady Warriors.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg High School's first winter season in the Northern Lakes Athletic Conference was a wildly successful -- both in the league and beyond.
The Warriors' boys and girls basketball teams both excelled in the NLAC while qualifying for the Class 2-A State Playoffs, while the wrestling and swimming squads featured performers who were sharp in conference action before excelling on the regional and state levels.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Which team will win the Class 2-A portion of the Big East Conference baseball standings is anyone's guess at this point -- but it shouldn't take long for the cloudy picture to become much clearer.
That's because the early season will feature showdowns between the trio of contenders -- Nash Central, Bunn and Roanoke Rapids.
Judging by the early returns, these clubs are evenly matched, and they will be playing each other soon in some extremely important contests in the coming weeks.

Bunn Middle School Girls' Basketball Team (1st place Championship Winners)

Left to right: Adilyn Sessoms, Cedaya Jones, Dalicia (DW) Williams, Ty'yanna Rayner, Chloe Arnold, Nylah Mitchell, J'Naya Kearney, Taliyah Trader, Makayla Richardson, Head Coach Craig Adams Sr.

Terrell Lane Middle School Boys' Basketball Team (1st place Championship Winners)

Left to right, back row: Elijah Faulkner, Coach Lynch, Reagan Nowell, Darren Carey, John Anselmo, Caiden Allen, Cameron Collier, Micheal McLean, Coach Greene; front row: Jadiel Sosa, Kamauri Mills, Jacob Sheldon, Jazion Sutton, Jeremiah Closs, Jaquarius Collins, Josue Sosa, Jayden Blacknall, Ramzi Chapman

SPRING HOPE -- Barnes Farming of Spring Hope, the subject of a North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) probe after the death of seasonal worker Jose Arturo Gonzalez Mendoza last September, has been issued three citations for safety violations and $187,509 in penalties but has issued a "notice of contest," according to DOL personnel.
Barnes Farming, or Farm Pak, which has addresses at 7840 and 7385 Old Bailey Highway, Spring Hope, is owned by John Barnes and his wife, State Sen. Lisa Barnes.

SPRING HOPE -- A multiple-agency investigation into the death of an 18-year-old Spring Hope man continues as his family plans funeral arrangements.
Amir Keyshawn Hinnant was reported missing to the Wilson Police Department on Feb. 24, according to a copy of the missing person's report, which said he had been last seen at 1 p.m. Feb. 24 at a home in the 600 block of Vance Street East. A social media post said his family had not seen him since some time earlier. Hinnant's white car was also gone.

PILOT -- Franklin County's fire marshal continues to investigate a fire that destroyed a trailer and shed.
Firefighters from Pilot and Bunn, and the Ferrell Fire Department responded to 2355 Old U.S. 64 the afternoon of March 18 to find the structures on fire.
They were assisted by sheriff's deputies, county EMS and the forestry service to contain the blaze.

RALEIGH -- Wake County authorities arrested a Wake Forest woman accused of causing a head-on collision that killed two Franklin County women.
In December, authorities charged Jennifer Baker Pearce with two counts of death by motor vehicle for the Nov. 29 wreck on U.S. 401 that killed Pamela Hayes and Emily Hodges.