Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Locust City Council adopted a $6.23 million budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year at its meeting on June 13.
General fund expenses account for $4.76 million of the total, with Wastewater expense accounting for the remaining $1.46 million.
Revenues to offset general fund expenses are projected to come primarily from property tax ($2.2 million) and sales tax ($1.2 million) revenues. The remaining $1.4 million is projected to be recovered through intergovernmental revenue, beer and wine taxes, solid waste fees, Powell Bill appropriations, sales of surplus property and other miscellaneous revenues.
Wastewater revenue projections will be recovered primarily through user fees ($1.1 million), with the remainder generated through development fees, availability fees, interest and miscellaneous income.
“This year has seen a very smooth budget process,” said City Manager Cesar Correa, who credited his staff and department heads for making it so.
“We feel really confident as we move ahead with this budget,” he said, adding, “we will see great things in Locust in the coming year.”
Following budget approval, Locust Police Officer Tim Hartsell was presented with an Advanced Certification Certificate from the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission. The award was presented by Police Chief Jeff Shew and Mayor Steve Huber, both of whom praised Hartsell’s dedication, work ethic and job performance.
“Tim Hartsell is the model for the kind of officer we want at Locust PD,” said Shew, who noted that Hartsell was named the 2023 Officer of the Year at LPD, and that he would be promoted to the rank of corporal on July 1.
“This is the pinnacle of what our police officers strive for,” stated Huber (a former policeman himself), adding, “Cops know good cops.”