Harnett Commissioners face outcry over litter hazards

Harnett County Commissioners learned of continued trash dumping hazards at the Sept. 2 meeting.

During public comments, Larry Mitchell, a longtime litter clean-up volunteer with Keep Harnett Beautiful, shared images of his weekend work on Nursery Road.

In an Aug. 28 email to Sandhills News, Mitchell shared images of other trashed roads and wrote:

“I would like to add a long-standing environmental hazard on Stage Road. It intersects with Overhills Road. This unpaved road has extreme litter and trash. Harnett County is a wonderful county that requires us citizens to take action. GIS shows private land on both sides. Fire Department on one side.

Harnett County government knows about it: Deputy Ivey as Environmental Deputy,  Ms. Morgan Pope at Soil and Water Conservation District office & Director Chad Beane at Solid Waste.

Most of the furniture and trash has been there for a few years but it is building.  I was out there today after my litter pickup on Bill Shaw Road that intersects with NC 210.

You can drive by to see what I pulled up on Bill Shaw Road. The ditches are rough for this 73-year-old. Thorn bushes and poison ivy.

Attached a few pics of Stage Road. Who takes responsibility of enforcement? NCDOT? [North Carolina Department of Transportation] Trailer Park at one end? Harnett County? County Manager knows the issues and may need lawyers?

We as citizens must have a clean environment. Soil tests should be done.”

Last week, Mitchell shared further concerns.

“I’ve seen children going through that trash,” Mitchell said.

Citizens may call in littering to the county soil and water environmental office and the sheriff’s department will try to find identifying information in the litter before NCDOT hauls off the larger pieces.

Report littering at NCDOT’s Litter Management Section by ​filling out an online report​ or calling 1-800-331-5864.

Be proactive and help Keep Harnett Beautiful. Volunteers are appreciated.

During public comments, speakers asked for commissioners to look at them while they spoke. Speakers made insinuating remarks, yelled opinions and asked for them to overturn the new three-minute speaking limit to five minutes.

The commissioners discussed increasing the board of elections pay and will continue the discussion with the board of directors over the board of elections before voting and will take a survey and compare their current pay to area pay scales.

Commissioners declared Sept. as School Attendance Awareness Month to initiate community-wide assistance in eliminating absences which leads to lower grades.

Vice-Chairman Brooks Matthews announced Library Card Sign-up Month.

At the Aug. 18 meeting, commissioners granted permission for the library to accept North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources funds called the Library Services and Technology Act Grant for $100,000. The county is responsible for a 25% match of $33,814.

The grant helps expand the Radio Frequency Identification technology to Angier, Benhaven, Boone Trail, Coats, Dunn and Erwin libraries. The county is responsible for a 25% match of $33,814 for the $100,000 grant.

In a second grant from the same source, the funds will cover the mobile outreach bookmobile purchase. The $100,000 grant requires a county match of 64%.

The next Harnett County Commissioner’s meeting is Sept. 9 at 9 a.m.

Today, Sept. 2, at 6 p.m., the board of elections has a public hearing on changing the polling places from schools to alternative locations. It will have a 30-minute public speaking period. The meeting takes place in the Harnett County Library at the government center.

Sept. 2, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers

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