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First, we do have to look at the agenda
because there is an adjustment to be

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made. Um, we are just going to be
rescheduling that public hearing on

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four. So, that'll be a rescheduling of
that public hearing on four. We're going

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to move it back to make sure that all
the proper notices are given out and we

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We have more time to look over to
ourselves just in case there is any tees

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to cross and eyes to dot. Okay. Are we
doing the first meeting or second? Well,

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we we will talk about that when we get
down to it. Okay. Rock and roll. Rock

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and roll. All right. So, with that uh
amendment to the agenda. Do I have a

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motion to approve the agenda we have
before us? So, move. Second. Second.

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Councilman. All those in favor? I. We
have ourselves a fantastic agenda.

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business items. Budget amendment number
eight. Good afternoon, council and

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mayor. Um before you is budget amendment
number eight, which is the final budget

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amendment for this current fiscal year.
Um it is coming to you right before the

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close, which is June 30th to give you
the most accurate numbers we can. Um

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final budget amendment comes with close
out. um getting those final numbers for

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each line item and then balancing it
pretty much to get your revenues and

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expenses out to zero for the fiscal
year. Um and that's what you'll see

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before you where you see increases and
decreases in order to balance the budget

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in each department. This is to give you
the most accurate number we could before

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June 30th. Obviously, we're still
conducting business between today and

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June 30th. There will be some final
numbers to give you in August. However,

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this is as close as we can get it to you
so you are up to date and can approve

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that final budget amendment.
And just to make folks aware of how that

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works as far as what we're looking at,
these are very basic transactional

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functions that we're looking at in this
budget amendment. Nothing of any

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surprise except for daily business that
needs to be closed up before the end of

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the year so that all of the accurate
reporting can be done to our beautiful

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state of North Carolina.
All right. Do I have a motion to approve

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budget amendment number eight? Some
moved. Second. Any discussion?

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All those in favor?

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Is that a Is that a nay? I was that I I.
So, we've got unanimously approving

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budget number eight as we close out our
fiscal year. And then next, we got to

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talk a little bit about wave funding.
Good afternoon, council. Um, we've been

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talking about way finding for what about
three years now? Um, sir, we've been

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talking longer, but actually been been
moving forward. I think the original

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signs went up two years ago. So, um, I'm
calling this

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uh update two slash3, I guess you say.
Um

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did a good job finding how how much we
could spend um of our reserve funds. Um

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and we've took that budget and looked at
priorities. Um and we can get about one

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and a half of the entire project in um
this year. So what we're looking at is a

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uh to relocate the norolic sign to the
100 block of North Pollock. That sign

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continue to get hit over and over and
over and over.

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It was just a bad positioning to start
with. Um, and that'll also be refaced.

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One thing I learned through this process
is we can't advertise a

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a business. We can't say the root. We
can say entertainment. And how that got

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through DOT approval, I'm not sure. We
can't say from the ashes, but we can say

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dining. We can't even say. That's right.
We won't even say that would be meeting

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gathering type things. So, we'll be
refacing some of those. Um, We're

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looking at a new small um gateway sign
at the corner of Rford and Wel, what I

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call what most calls auto parks or red
and white um parking lot. Um

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that'll be the exact same sign we have.
It's just on a a slower street, they

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shrink a little bit. So, um that'll be
really good. We're looking at a new

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gateway sign.
I am so sorry. They should say way

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finding, not gateway.
road in South P and the new small

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gateway sign at Rford. I'm sorry that
was my fault. Okay. Um you can proofread

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three times and you'll still mess it up.
Yeah, that's those are those those are

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wayinding signs. Okay. So, new
wayfinding sign at Rick and South

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Pollock. Three new way finding signs at
70 and 78. And basically that is the

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Eastfield entrance. When you're there or
you're leaving, how can we get to your

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downtown?
um reface some signs that were in uh

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advertising exact locations uh and
businesses at 70 and Ricks in that area.

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There's three signs right there. Um a
gateway sign, which I did write that one

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right at exit 98. When you get off, you
when you come to the bottom of that exit

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ramp, you'll be looking at our gateway
sign, our beautiful gateway sign, and uh

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then a gateway sign at South Pollock
entering town. And then the vinyl that

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is down print shop right here at
Anderson redoing that that

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um dog can you get the next one.
This is a uh some cool dude made this

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that wasn't me made this map and we
zoomed it in a little bit but and I know

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it's kind of hard to see but your orange
circles are what we said were first

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priority and we're going to be able to
get through first all of first and a

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little bit of second priority. So we
probably got about

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two more years to finish this project. I
say we, you know, we got to build

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reserves back up. Um,
so that's where we're at. Bear in mind,

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I think mentioning finishing the
project, particularly when it comes to

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areas like Buffalo Road. Um, there's
significant work that will be done to

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Buffalo Road before we can upgrade
signage. And I think those really most

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probably the most important ones
first.

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I think staff and with is it ACSM ACSM
and and DOT they they kind of looked at

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the areas that would be most
advantageous based on

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what what what you're you're looking at
now is the entire plan and obviously we

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start we what can we do for you know
this this amount of money um we're

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looking now at the entire plan we'll
know when we got a dollar where we send

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a

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Do we have any questions about

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rock and roll? Thank you. I do want to
add just for transparency um not fear

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that we are depleting our general fund
reserves for this project. We are not

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when we say reserve balance we're
talking about tourism dollars that have

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been saved years and years that we are
finally able to use just

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very cool tourism.
Anybody ask you what the Johnson County

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Wizard does? Tell them about those
tourism dollars.

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All right.
Public hearings and appeals. We are

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going to reschedule that hearing related
to what chapter is that 12. Mayor, I

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apologize. Do we need a motion to
approve that way finding project? It

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would probably be better for the record.
No, because I don't want us locked into

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it until we get going. We need to
actually look at some signage. Make sure

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we have some eyes on some more details.
This is the first step. Maybe uh next

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month through August we have some deeper
conversation. I don't think necessary.

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Um chapter 12, we need to reschedu that
public hearing again to cross the tees

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and dot the eyes for what day is that in
August? That will be August 12th, 2025

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at 6 p.m. in the summer building. August
12th, 2025 at 6 pm in this journ

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building. Uh that will be council
meeting two for the southern town

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council. So we're just going to go that
right everybody good there. All right.

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And once a year over the last three
years I have uh given a state of the

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town address to just kind of give
everybody an overview of where we've

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come from and and where we are. Um and
and this year doing a little different

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doing it as part of a a public meeting.
make sure we have it on the record that

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this is happening. And then what we'll
do is we'll actually make a video with

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this state of the town address as well.
It'll have, you know, your images of the

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town, some some viewing of things that
are actually happening in real time here

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and have this narrative with it as well.
So after a civil war,

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the state of the town address 2025.

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The town of Selma has changed. We are
realizing the vision laid out by the

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Selma Town Council in early 2023.
As we move into uncharted territory in

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Johnston County, our community is
getting better every year, and we are

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not looking back.
The standards for our community have

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gone up. Raising the bar requires effort
from every stakeholder, town staff,

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residents, and business owners alike to
maintain a vibrant and thriving

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community.
and improved culture and high

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expectations have taken our sum
operations to a higher level.

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With success
comes increased and welcomed attention

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to someone North Carolina.
As we become a center of commerce and

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industry,
our focus now is on maintaining a rural

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life and urban amenity balance rarely
achieved in growing communities.

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I am honored to report this to you. The
town of Selma is flourishing.

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Selma is ready and able to face the
challenges of growth while not only

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meeting but exceeding the needs of our
taxpayers.

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We have built a culture of excellence.
Our vision, the town of S pursues a

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first class quality of life.
an innovative, proactive, and inviting

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community that is building on our
tradition as a transportation crossroads

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and railroad town.
Approaching our vision would not be

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possible without the support of our
United States Congressional

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Representatives, our North Carolina
General Assembly representatives, and

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our Johnston County Commissioners.
Former Congressman Wally Nickel gave our

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s police department significant support
through federal funing to vastly

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improved our safety operations.
Our county has proved

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provided significant infrastructure and
technical support as we work to grow

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into a central commercial and industrial
hub of our region.

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The North Carolina State General
Assembly, Senator Venton S,

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Representative Larry Strickland really
moved the needle for the town of S by

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providing community changing investment
from the state of North Carolina.

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As we work with our community partners
and neighbors, we will continue to make

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the best of those investments to
maintain a community that all who visit

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and all who stay can enjoy.
The financial report from our federal

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and state stakeholders reminds us of our
obligation to make financial

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responsibility a top priority
in the town's home.

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Over the last four and a half fiscal
years, we have made significant strides

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to improve our town's financial health.
Our town regularly spent more money than

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it took in from FY16
to FY19.

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Between FY19 and FY24,
the town of Selma's general fund balance

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has increased by $2.8 million.
Our fund balance continues to increase

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every year since 2019.
An even more important financial

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indicator is our town of Selma net
position.

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The net position of a government is a
statement of assets and liabilities that

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shows the financial health of a
community at a specific point in time

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over a period of time.
From FY15 to FY19,

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our net position in dollars decreased
steadily from 19.2 million to 13

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million.
From FY19 to FY24, our net position

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increased from 13 million to
approximately 36

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million.
That is a $23 million increase in net

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position over five fiscal years.
This result shows the town of Selma

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Finance operations continued commitment
to financial stewardship.

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Our financial well-being is crit
critical to meet the challenges and

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opportunities that will continue to
arrive in our community.

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We are all clearly witnessing the
regeneration and expansion of Selma,

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North Carolina.
Town services must develop and improve

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constantly to keep up with an
everchanging environment.

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The new reality at exit 97, exit 98 on
I95, and exit 333, and exit 334 on I42

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includes a revitalized historic downtown
offering authentic and new businesses,

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burgeoning shopping locations along
US301,

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an ever improving US70 outlet center
drive corridor,

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restored and new homes throughout our
neighborhoods and a firstofits-kind

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shopping in Johnston County called
Eastville.

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To support the awesome steadily coming
to this community, we still have a

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significant amount of infrastructure
work to do. The expansion of our water

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system is underway. The repair of our
sewer system is happening as I speak.

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We are taking steps to manage one of our
toughest challenges, town road repair.

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almost daily.
We continue significant road work this

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year with our water, sewer, and storm
water pipe improvement.

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We must continue to upgrade our aging
road system going forward beyond what

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power bill funding provides the town of
Selma.

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Overcoming smaller operational
challenges like timely paper utility

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billing are just as important to our
well-being.

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To support the awesome steadily coming
to this community. Our operations must

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be amazing.
Our government must be agile and

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responsive to navigate this new
environment.

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Our public services, including water,
sewer, public works, and electric are

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becoming more reliable and more
efficient every day.

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We have a sanitation operation that
makes it so you can almost now set your

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watch to your trash pickup.
We still have the greatest fire

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department in Johnston County.
And I am willing to put our folks up

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against any fire department.
Parks and Recreation is planning and

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executing bigger, better, and more
events each year while giving our folks,

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young, old, and in between opportunities
to active all year.

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Code enforcement is really happening in
the town of Zel.

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I know it is happening because I hear
quite a bit from those who have been

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fined for code enforcement violations.
You can see cleaner streets

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00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:09,439
and cleaner properties because of the
combined efforts of our town

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00:17:07,039 --> 00:17:13,600
departments.
As we improve our facilities and

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00:17:11,039 --> 00:17:21,160
procedures for all of these operations,
we will continue to more polish

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performance from our town staff.

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I must highlight our summer police
department in the talk about our

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00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:35,760
impressive staff.
To feel safe in one's own town, own

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neighborhood, own home is paramount.
It is a luxury that not every community

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is afforded
and it is one that we can never again

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take for granted. Our
investment in improved police equipment

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00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:56,000
and take a take-home car program for our
officers is paying off. While our police

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00:17:53,120 --> 00:18:01,440
call volume has gone up, our overall
sense of peace and safety throughout

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this community has increased as well.
Of course, our financial investment is a

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00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:11,120
small piece of the success pie when
compared to the effort our Selma Police

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Department has put into increased patrol
and enforcement.

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Beyond that, we have a police department
that cares.

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Passing out ice pops to kids around
Selma on a hot day. Venturing into

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Smithville to unlock a car with the keys
locked inside for a Selma resident.

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Following up on criminals that have
negatively affected our citizens to give

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some peace of mind are not things that
the average police department does.

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One of our police officers took it upon
himself to push a wheelchairbound

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resident carrying groceries for several
blocks from the store to their home in

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this year's summer heat.
That is top-notch care in the community.

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We are serious in Selma, North Carolina.
Safety comes first and we will invest in

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our safety.
With our endeavors in safety,

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infrastructure, and culture, we have
gone beyond the improving stage.

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We are now excelling in the town of Zel.
Our community is on a mission.

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Our mission, the town of Zelma, strives
to provide an outstanding small town

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experience coupled with the amenities of
an economic hub for industry,

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technology, and commerce by delivering
exceptional services to our citizens and

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community stakeholders.
Achieving that mission is creating an

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atmosphere that will drive the economic
engine of Selma, North Carolina to

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unite.
The energy and excitement at the

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crossroads of tradition and innovation
right now is undeniable.

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We must stay on this hard road of
success. We are realizing our unlimited

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potential.
The town of Selma is flourishing.

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Let's keep going.
Thank you all. Thank you council for

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your support. Thank you staff for the
hard work. Thank you citizens for all

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that you do to maintain a beautiful
community. God bless Selma, North

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Carolina, Johnston County, the state of
North Carolina, and the United States of

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America. Thank you.

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With that,
do I have a motion to adjurnn? So move.

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Second. All those in favor?