Johnston County officials have requested the Town of Smithfield annex land off Highway 70 east of Interstate 95 that will be the future home of a new county jail.
Johnston County recently sent paperwork to the Town requesting they annex the 25.39 acre tract of land near the intersection of Highway 70 East and Yelverton Grove Road. Annexation will require the Town to serve the facility with police and fire protection and other Town services.
“The satellite annexation would make the detention center eligible for in-town water and sewer rates,” County Manager Rick Hester told JoCoReport. “Most of county government is already located in the Town of Smithfield city limits. For us it has been, and is, an ongoing partnership.”
At their January meeting, the Smithfield Town Council unanimously adopted a resolution directing the Town Clerk to investigate the sufficiency of the annexation petition. The council will receive a report on the petition request at their February 4th meeting.
Construction on the new jail is anticipated to start in mid-2020 with completed by December 2021.
