Last week, about two dozen people attended the town's first "Government in Touch" meeting to sound off on issues and to hear updates on town projects. Meetings are planned in the coming months in North, South and East Smithfield.

On the west side of town, residents told town councilmen that they want more efforts to attract new business.

"One of the things we were promised when we were annexed was economic development would come to West Smithfield," said David Barbour. "There wasn't a lot. Extra income has to be spent over here just to catch us up."

But Mayor Daniel Evans responded that West Smithfield shopping centers began losing tenants long before annexation. He thinks the Clayton bypass and Booker Dairy Road Extension will reverse West Smithfield's economic fortunes. "All that is going to be increasingly valuable to commercial," Evans said.

Councilman Zach Crocker, who represents West Smithfield, said uncertainty over the Neuse River bridge replacement was making developers skittish. "Nobody is going to put money into that kind of question mark," he said.

Other residents were concerned about the ditches that separate their yards from the street. One man said his neighbor's ditches hadn't been cleared, causing standing water to pool in his yard. Pastor Jason Hurt of West Calvary Free Will Baptist Church said the town was digging some ditches too deep. Public works superintendent Lenny Branch said his crews would tile all of the ditches near the church by July, and he said he would look into the standing water.

Town officials gave residents brief presentations about goings-on in town government, including new policing efforts.

Emergency Services Chief Patrick Harris told residents about his department's plans for a station in West Smithfield, to be located near the intersection of U.S. 70 Business and the Booker Dairy Road extension. Harris said he will request funding for the project in next year's budget, which would allow the station to open about a year and a half from now.