News Flash

National Night Out Set for Tuesday, Oct. 4

Neighborhoods across Sanford will celebrate National Night Out (NNO) on Tuesday, October 4. 

NNO is an annual event that aims to build strong partnerships between residents and first responders to prevent crime, connect neighbors, and strengthen c...

Smoke Testing of Sanitary Sewer in Westlake Downs

The City of Sanford Engineering Division has contracted with NC Vision to conduct a physical survey of a portion of the sanitary sewer system in the Westlake Downs subdivision.

From September 26 through September 29, NC Vision will survey sewer mains and m...

Notice of Joint Environmental Affairs Board Meeting

The Sanford/Lee County Joint Environmental Affairs Board will hold a general discussion meeting on Thursday, September 29, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. in the Buggy Conference Room of the Buggy Company Building, located at 115 Chatham Street in Sanford.

For question...

StreetFest & Fireworks Announces Festival Lineup

Downtown Sanford StreetFest & Fireworks has announced the lineup for its 5th anniversary event, scheduled for October 8.

This festival offers a full day of music and performances, more than 15 food trucks, craft and artisan vendors, demos, and &nda...

New Regular Meeting Time for Sanford City Council

Sanford City Council has changed its regular meeting time, effective immediately.

Council will now meet at 5:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at the Sanford Municipal Center on the first and third Tuesday of each month. 

Public hearings will be held on ...

$3.4M Grant Awarded to S-Line Mobility Hub Planning Project

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has received a $3.4 million RAISE grant for mobility hub planning along the future S-Line.

The grant was announced Tuesday at a media event held in Depot Park and attended by officials from across the state. ...

Sanford Launches Revamped Municipal Website

The City of Sanford launched its newly revamped website this week, following a comprehensive redesign process by CivicPlus, a leading government website provider.

The revamped website has a powerful search tool, a fresh web design, and most importantly, a ...

City Council Approves System Development Fees

At its August 2, 2022, regular meeting, Sanford City Council approved system development fees for all newly connecting water and wastewater customers, effective September 1, 2022.

System development fees are one-time charges assessed to residential or comm...

Sanford Hires New Fire Chief

The City of Sanford has hired Matthew Arnold to serve as Sanford Fire Chief, filling the vacancy left by Chief Wayne Barber in January. 

Arnold has 23 years of leadership experience with 14 of those in fire and emergency services. Most recently, h...

Now Hiring Certified Firefighter Applicants

The City of Sanford is hiring certified firefighter applicants. A City of Sanford employment application must be completed and received by Human Resources by 5:00 p.m. on August 19, 2022.

The following tests will be held at the Emergency Services Training ...

15 City Streets Scheduled for Resurfacing

Turner Asphalt has been contracted to resurface and rehabilitate several streets owned/maintained by the City of Sanford. 

Affected streets are: Barnes Street, Cliffside Drive, McLeod Drive, Colonial Drive, Fourth Street, Hall Street, Linden Avenu...

Fall Movie Series Planned for Kiwanis Family Park

The City of Sanford’s parks department and Lee County Parks and Recreation have partnered to present a fall movie series in Kiwanis Family Park.

Bring your chairs or blankets to the field inside the track area. Lazy J's Concessions and P...

National Night Out Scheduled for October

After a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Sanford is excited to announce it will celebrate National Night Out on the first Tuesday in October this year.

Although it has typically celebrated NNO on the first Tuesday in August, the...

Sanford Ag Marketplace Awarded Rural Transformation Grant

The City of Sanford has been awarded $900,000 by the Rural Transformation Grant Fund to develop the Sanford Agricultural Marketplace in downtown Sanford.

The Rural Transformation Grant Fund is a new source of support for rural economic development projects...

City Approves Utility Service Rate Increases

At its June 7, 2022 meeting, Sanford City Council approved the City of Sanford’s budget for fiscal year 2022-2023, which includes rate increases for water and wastewater users. 

The City’s water rate will increase by 10 percent...

Youth Council Donates 900+ Books to Local Schools

Members of the former Sanford/Lee County Youth Council donated more than 900 books to two local elementary schools this week.

Disbanded in 2018, the Youth Council hosted the Race to Read 5k annually from 2012 to 2017 to promote literacy and raise funds to ...

Summer Music Series Comes to Depot Park

The City of Sanford’s parks department has scheduled a summer of music to help families get outside and enjoy our local parks.

Bring your chairs or blankets and a meal to share. Even better: Pick up dinner at one of the many downtown eateries ope...

Youth Golf Camp Registration Now Open

Registration has opened for the Sanford Municipal Golf Course’s annual Youth Golf Camp for youth ages 9-14.

The camp focuses on team building skills, golf etiquette, and of course the fundamentals of golf such as chipping, driving and putting. Ca...

City to Hold System Development Fee Info Session

The City of Sanford will hold a public information session on Monday, June 20, 2022, to provide education and answer questions about a proposed System Development Fee Ordinance.

If passed, the ordinance would assess a one-time charge when a customer taps o...

Proposed Budget for FY 2022-2023 Now Available

City staff presented the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year at the May 24, 2022 meeting of the Sanford City Council.

The proposed budget focuses on two major themes.  The first is delivering superior services, especially in the realm of ...

St Andrews Church Rd to Close Wednesday for 6 Months

The City of Sanford is sharing this information from NCDOT for the benefit of our residents. Note that the City of Sanford is not involved in this project.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has announced that a portion of St. Andrews ...

Sanford's Vision Leads to Historic Economic Development Deal

Sanford City Council’s vision to partner with Chatham County to develop a megasite in Moncure is paying off to the tune of thousands of new jobs and billions in investment.

Gov. Roy Cooper announced today that Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer VinFa...

Service Offsite Solutions selects Sanford for New Facility

Service Offsite Solutions (SOS), a building products company headquartered in Raleigh, NC, will open a new facility in Lee County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company plans to occupy a newly constructed state-of-the art, 240,000 square foot m...

Public Works Department Recognized as Main Street Champion

The City of Sanford's Public Works Department was one of 33 North Carolina Main Street Champions recognized by the N.C. Department of Commerce at a virtual Recognition Ceremony today. 

Downtown Sanford, Inc. nominated the department for the Main S...

Housing-Related Assistance Available for NC Homeowners

The NC Homeowner Assistance Fund is now accepting applications from North Carolina homeowners whose finances were impacted by the pandemic and who need assistance with housing-related expenses. 

Established through the 2021 American Rescue Plan to...

City of Sanford Receives Distinguished Budget Presentation Award

The Government Finance Officers Association has announced that City of Sanford, North Carolina, has received GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget. View the City of Sanford budget here.

The award represents a significant achievement...

City Releases Popular Annual Financial Report for FY 2020-21

The City of Sanford has published its Popular Annual Financial Report, which summarizes the City’s financial activities for the last fiscal year.

The purpose of the report is to provide a user-friendly and easy-to-understand the financial informa...

Appearance Commission Requests Proposals for Two Murals

The City of Sanford Appearance Commission is currently accepting proposals from artists interested in creating commissioned public art murals.

There are two murals in the works. One will commemorate local racing legend J.D. McDuffie with his pit crew as th...

City of Sanford Request for Proposals

The City is soliciting proposals from qualified independent auditors having sufficient governmental accounting and auditing experience in performing an audit in accordance with the specifications outlined within the RFP.

Additionally, the City of Sanford p...

Emergency Assistance Available for Water Bills

Low-income households affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic can apply for assistance paying water bills thanks to a new program administered by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

This program, called the Low-Income Household Water Assist...

Customer Service Department Gives Gifts to Nursing Center

The City of Sanford's customer service department partnered with a local nursing and rehabilitation center to provide Christmas gifts to residents who may not otherwise receive gifts this year.

Center staff selected three residents and provided wish lists ...

City of Sanford Fire Chief Recognized as Hometown Hero

Chief Wayne Barber of the Sanford Fire Department was honored on Tuesday, Nov. 16 for being a Hometown Hero by the NC Automobile Dealers Association.

Barber was nominated by John Hiester Automotive. The award ceremony was held at the dealer’s Fuquay-Varina...

City Projects Recognized for Excellence in Engineering

Two City of Sanford projects have received an Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina (ACEC/NC).

Each year, ACEC/NC recognizes engineering firms for projects that demonstrate a high degree of achiev...

Free Wi-Fi Now Available in Downtown Sanford

Lee County Government, the City of Sanford, and Downtown Sanford, Inc. have partnered to provide free Wi-Fi access to a section of the downtown area.

Called “Open Sanford,” the Wi-Fi network is powered by Open Broadband, a hybrid fiber and fixed wireless I...

Three Benches Donated to the City of Sanford

Shook Construction has donated three benches to the City of Sanford for use at Kiwanis Family Park.

The donation is part of the company’s initiative to give back to communities in which they work, notes Matthew Gilroy, project manager for the company. Shoo...

Mayor Rescinds Emergency Declaration and Mask Order

Governor Roy Cooper announced today that the State of North Carolina has removed its indoor mask mandate for most settings, effective at 1:30 p.m. per Executive Order 215.

In response, Sanford Mayor Chet Mann has rescinded the declaration of a state of eme...

Pilgrim’s to Build Sanford Agricultural Marketplace with Hometown Strong Funds

In October, Pilgrim’s announced a $515,000 investment in Sanford, NC, to support the community’s future through the company’s Hometown Strong program. Pilgrim’s has been working with local leaders to determine where the funds can best help meet immediate ...

NCDOT Awarded Grant for Passenger Rail in Sanford

The N.C. Department of Transportation has been awarded a grant to help bring passenger rail to Sanford and other North Carolina communities between Virginia and South Carolina.

The Federal Transit Authority granted NCDOT’s Integrated Mobility Division $900...