Public Meeting Notice: Neuse River Basin Flood Risk Management Project and Feasibility Study

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Wilmington District, is hosting three public involvement meetings to gather information and receive feedback on its progress for the Neuse River Basin Flood Risk Management Project and feasibility study. The meetings are organized by geographic region, and will be held virtually via a Facebook Live Stream.  They’ll be covering our geographic area of the Neuse River Basin on March 31, 2021.

 WHEN/WHERE: This meeting will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and can be accessed virtually through a live-stream on the Wilmington District’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/USACE.Wilmington or at the specific link below.  Face masks and social distancing are required at all optional in-person locations:

 March 31 event link: https://fb.me/e/hKTUGlW3E – City of Kinston, City of Goldsboro, Town of Seven Springs, City of Wilson, and Lenoir, Wayne and Wilson Counties.  Participants will have the option to attend the meeting in-person, during the same time, at several locations:

o   Kinston – Community Center, 2602 W Vernon Ave, Kinston, NC, POC: City Manager’s office, (252) 939-3111.  Limited to 25 attendees.

o   Goldsboro – Jeffrey’s Building, 134 N. John Street, first floor conference room, POC:  Mr. Berry Gray, Planning Director, Wayne County, (919) 731-1630.  Limited to 10 attendees.

o   Wilson – Wilson County Agriculture Center, 1806 Goldsboro Street SW, Wilson, NC, POC:  Mr. Josh Pate, Director of Soil and Water Conservation District, (252) 237-5147, ext. 3.  Limited to 25 attendees.

For more information, please read the press release.

COVID 19: Executive Order 204

Governor Cooper has issued Executive Order 204 further easing restrictions. The Executive Order goes into effect Friday, March 26, 2021, at 5:00 pm and shall remain in effect through 5:00 pm on Friday, April 30, 2021 unless repealed, replaced, or rescinded by another applicable Executive Order.

 Here’s a convenient one-pager from NCDHHS showing the new COVID-19 Restrictions and more FAQ information.

COVID 19: Executive Order 195

Governor Cooper has issued a new Executive Order regarding COVID 19 to take effect at 5pm, Friday, February 26, 2021. Executive Order 195 lifts a number of provisions of the Modified Stay at Home order and eases certain restrictions on businesses and gatherings. The Order increases the mass gathering limit for indoor gatherings, increases the capacity limits for certain businesses, and permits alcohol sales for on-site consumption until 11:00 p.m. While the Order eases certain restrictions, other public health restrictions remain in effect to continue to protect against the spread of the virus. This order ends at 5pm on Friday, March 26, 2021, unless otherwise directed.

For Frequently Asked Questions regarding EO 195, please click here.

Public Hearing- Monday, March 8, 2021 at 6pm

The Town of Sims will be holding a Public Hearing to discuss the information below on Monday, March 8, 2021 at 6pm and the Sims Community Center. The System Development Fee pertains to new development in the Town of Sims. A Board of Commissioners meeting will immediately follow the Public Hearing. We are still taking Public Comment on this topic through Friday, February 26. Please see our previous post for Public Comment for more information.

Notice of Public Hearing

The Town of Sims will hold a public hearing at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, March 8, 2021 at the Sims Community Center located at 6402 US Hwy 264 Alt to receive comments on the following items:

• To consider adoption of a System Development Fee Schedule for water and sewer services

• To consider adoption of a Capital Reserve Fund for revenues generated by System Development Fees

For more information contact Town Hall at 252-237-4226 or go to www.townofsimsnc.com. All interested citizens are invited to attend. As a result of this hearing, changes may be made in the request as advertised, reflecting objections, debate and discussion at the hearing. Board of Commissioners Meeting to immediately follow Public Hearing.

Town Hall Closed for Renovations- Friday, February 19

Town Hall will be closed Friday, February 19 for renovations. We apologize for the inconvenience. We will reopen on Monday, February 22.

Thank you!

45-Day Public Comment Period: System Development Fee Report

The Town of Sims is considering adopting a Utility System Development Fee.  We authorized Green Engineering to conduct a study of the statutes allowing for a fee to reserve funds for needed future repairs and improvements. The study was initiated because of the Town’s need to address the impact of new growth development in and adjacent to the Town’s present corporate limits, and to assist town with new revenues essential to offset the impact of new growth on existing internal utility facilities.

 The study was completed by Green Engineering at the end of December and the town is required to post it for review and comments for the next 45 days starting Wednesday, December 13.  On Monday, December 11, the Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to re-affirm its intent to continue with this process and to educate the citizens on the cost of building the 2 systems, the life span of critical parts of the 2 systems, and the need to reserve funds for their replacement at some point in the future.  In addition, all fees must be set aside to use specifically for the purpose of maintenance or to purchase additional capacity and must be collected at a specified time when the Building permit is obtained (procedure to be determined), and a capital reserve fund may be set up by the town to collect such fees.

 The resolution also calls for a 45-day public comment period and public hearing. Comments should be made in writing to town hall via email, drop box, mail or dropped off at the drive thru window during office hours.  All comments will be reviewed and given to Green Engineering, Town Administration and/or the Town Attorney for evaluation.  Public comment will end at 5pm on Friday, February 26.  The Notice of Intent also sets a public hearing for March 8 at 6pm to discuss this fee, with a Board of Commissioners Meeting to immediately follow. 

Submittals for the 45-day comment period can be made in writing by email to info@townofsimsnc.com; in writing and submitted by mail to PO Box 161, Sims, NC 27880; in writing and put in one of our two drop boxes (one to the left of the front entrance and one to the bottom right of the drive-through window); or in writing and submitted during office hours at the drive-through window. All public comments must be received by 5pm on Friday, February 26, 2021.

A copy of the report can be found here. The proposed fee schedule, which has been updated to show up to a 4 bedroom residence, can be found here. The Resolution of Intent of the Town of Sims to Develop and Adopt a System Development Fee can be found here.

COVID 19: Executive Order 188 and NCDHHS Directive

On January 6, 2021, Governor Cooper issued Executive Order 188, which is an Extension of the Modified Stay At Home Order. It extends the latest order (EO 181) set to expire on Friday, January 8 and extends it through 5pm on January 29, 2021. This order includes the curfew from 10pm – 5am, with a few exceptions. Click here to access a copy of Executive Order 188. For FAQ about EO 181 which was extended with EO 188, please click here.

In addition, the NC Department of Health and Human Services issued a Secretarial Directive regarding COVID 19 on January 6, which is effective immediately. Please read the directive here and FAQ sheet about this directive here.

Christmas Tree Removal

For those who get trash service through the Town of Sims, A+ Disposal will pick up your discarded Christmas trees. Please put them beside your trash bins for Thursday pick up over the next few weeks to have them collected. For more information, please contact Town Hall at 237-4226.

Happy New Year

The Town of Sims wishes all of our residents and business owners a Happy New Year! Town Hall will close at 1pm on Thursday, December 31 and will reopen on January 4 at 9am. We wish you all the best for the new year!

Holiday Trash Schedule

Just a reminder, A+ Disposal will be picking up trash, yard waste and recycling on Thursday, December 24 and Thursday, December 31 as normal. Please leave your bins beside the road by 8pm on Wednesday night to ensure pick up for Thursday morning.

Thank you!