Jessie Bellflowers

What are your top three priorities for enhancing economic growth opportunities throughout Hope Mills?

(1) Supporting small businesses and enhancing quality of life.  The Town of Hope Mills Economic Development Committee has a strong partnership with the Hope Mills Chamber of Commerce to aid in supporting local businesses to create long-term growth and opportunity without losing the small-town charm that makes our community so special. The chamber holds monthly luncheons and workshops that help support them in maintaining and creating employment opportunities. Local businesses and non-profits are the backbone of our economy! Small businesses often reinvest in their local communities, supporting local charities, schools, and events. The Hope Mills community prides itself on building and growing partnerships – with regional and state governments to achieve our vision. When small businesses invest in our community and we prioritize local projects and businesses, this partnership strengthens the very quality of life fabric of Hope Mills. 

The Hope Mills community is rich in history with a proud past, strong spirit, and full of potential toward the brighter future! Hope Mills has always been a family-friendly community considered an attractive location for families due to its small-town character, accessible outdoor parks and lake, allowing for a blend of quiet living and urban amenities. 

The town is expanding its recreational and cultural offerings and amenities to attract families. In 2025, Hope Mills officials requested millions in state funding for a new community center and the renovation of the existing recreation center into a senior center. Other ongoing recreational projects, like a new sports complex, aim to draw in tourism by hosting state tournaments and special events. 

(2) Recruiting new business and industrial development. The town actively seeks to attract new businesses and industries to expand its tax base and create new jobs. The Economic Development Committee focuses on soliciting new businesses and industries, as well as helping existing ones expand. Hope Mills uses economic incentives to attract significant investment. For example, in mid-2025, the town approved an incentive package for "Project Shade," a new manufacturing and distribution facility that will invest $10 million and create at least 45 full-time jobs. Also, in August 2025, the town updated its zoning ordinance to better manage development trends. The changes include new landscaping and sidewalk requirements to elevate the quality of new construction.

(3) Improving public infrastructure. Our town is growing, and infrastructure must grow with it. This means repairing and modernizing our roadways and ensuring every neighborhood—from long-established ones to new developments—have the essential services they deserve. Strategic infrastructure investments are designed to support future growth and attract new residents and businesses. 

As the Town of Hope Mills continues to grow and thrive, town officials aim to chart a course with a comprehensive strategic plan which articulates a vision for our community's future that will ensure vitality, sustainability and where our shared goals shape the direction forward. Town officials, along with public input, aim to develop a sustainable comprehensive strategic plan that boldly plans for the future. The plan starts with a simple vision: Hope Mills’ vibrant, diverse, and welcoming community that fosters its distinct character, thriving economy, and high quality of life.

What are the most pressing issues facing Hope Mills, and how will you work to solve them?

Hope Mills is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in North Carolina, with over 18,000 residents. We look forward to a brighter future for our community—a town rich in history, a proud past, strong in spirit, and full of potential. Hope Mills has always been a family-friendly community, considered an attractive location for families due to its small-town character, accessible outdoor parks and lake, allowing for a blend of quiet living and urban amenities. 

Our community is home to active-duty military members, along with retired and former military members and their families. Hope Mills proximity to Fort Bragg has made it a popular choice for military families, offering a convenient location and a supportive community.

Like many small towns, our community has several main challenges: providing superior services, public safety, managing smart growth regarding residential and economic development, community parks, limited recreational programs and opportunities, and major traffic congestion. Infrastructure is another issue to address along with the various roadway widening projects. 

Managing public safety and smart growth regarding residential and economic development, while maintaining the sense of small-town charm, are several of the town's biggest challenges as we continue to build a family-oriented community all of us are proud of today and for years to come! Another is parks and recreational opportunities.

To effectively address these issues, we must have the courage to engage in smart growth planning strategies regarding future development with a sustainable, visionary long-term comprehensive strategic plan. Currently, two long-range plans are in play: a comprehensive strategic 5-10-20 year plan and Hope Mills Area Land Use Plan. These two plans will work in concert to address smart future residential and commercial growth along the I-95 – Exit 41 and future I-295 bypass gateway areas.  

During my term as mayor, we created a new committee, the Hope Mills Economic Development Committee made up of major stakeholders and citizens from our community to address future smart growth planning strategies. One of the anchor members is our local Hope Mills Chamber of Commerce. Community partners and citizens working together to develop a sustainable comprehensive strategic plan to address both short- and long-term vision is key to providing policy guidance for future economic growth and development that helps make the town a more workable, livable, and prosperous community.  

Hope Mills Parks & Recreation has witnessed continued growth by at least 30% in athletics, youth, and senior programming since 2024. Without question, our community needs a new community recreational and senior citizen center. These centers are a crucial element of a vision for community development because they provide a central hub for residents to connect, engage, and participate in a variety of activities, and civic engagement that fosters a strong sense of community. These centers can offer programs for all ages, promote healthy lifestyles, and provide safe spaces for children and youth. Recently, town staff met with staff from the T.J. Robinson Life Center and the town board approved a Lease Agreement and a Community Programs Contract for Fall/Spring programs.

What makes you the best candidate to represent Hope Mills?

Service to community has always inspired me to run for public office. After serving 26 years in the U.S. Army (service to country), our family decided to retire in 2003 to the Hope Mills community. As the town continues to be a fast-growing community, issues like public safety, residential and economic development growth, parks and recreational opportunities, along with heavy traffic congestion are important community conversations that motivate me to seek re-election for a second term. What citizens want in elected officials is for them to be honest, have integrity and to just present the facts and let citizens make an informed decision based on what those facts are. That’s what citizens are looking for...just be open and approachable!

Every day, I am committed to enriching the lives of our citizens by creating an exceptional community in which to live and work, providing exemplary services that enable our community to thrive and prosper, while leading our community as one we are proud to call home. This is my pledge as we go forward. My motivation to continue serving a second term as Mayor are to provide Vision – Leadership – Experience.

Managing residential and economic development growth, while maintaining the sense of small-town charm, is one of the town's biggest challenges as we continue to build a family-oriented community all of us are proud of today and for years to come. But to meet this challenge, our community must articulate a vision and mission to address this question, “How do we grow and prosper as a town while maintaining a strong sense of community, which celebrates its unique heritage and small-town character?” The answer is two long-range plans that are currently in play: Comprehensive Strategic 5-10-20 year Plan and Hope Mills Area Land Use Plan. A plan that clearly aligns the town’s priorities with the mission and vision; and one that protects the integrity of neighborhoods These two plans must work in concert with each other! 

I am always accessible by my personal cellphone, email address, social media page and by appointment at town hall. I respond to inquiries as quickly as possible and am available for personal meetings by attending community events to listen to citizen issues, concerns, and suggestions on how to improve our community. My wife and I are out and about in our community, and there are times when citizens will engage in a conversation about the betterment of our community. These conversations and attending monthly Chamber of Commerce meetings are so encouraging and helpful as we move forward with planning the direction of our community.   

I strongly believe and support public input on how we --- as a collective community --- can enrich the lives of citizens who choose the Town of Hope Mills to live, work and raise their families. Involved citizens is the hallmark of an exceptional community today, while shaping the future of tomorrow.

Bonus question: Recent property revaluations have resulted in increased financial obligations for property owners within the Hope Mills town limits. The majority of property owners have experienced a substantial tax increase, averaging around 60%. If elected, what strategies would you implement to alleviate this financial strain on residents while maintaining the provision of essential services?

To answer this question, I will revisit the budget process that started in early January 2025. After months of intensive meetings and budget workshops, the town board voted to approve a budget for the fiscal year that began July 1. The operating budget of $22 million, compared to last year’s 18.4 million, is the largest in the town’s history. The budget includes a total ad valorem tax rate of 48 cents per $100 of assessed value, which represents a 4-cent decrease from the current fiscal year property tax rate. During this budget process, the board was faced with new budget challenges, having to offset a $2,070,789 shortfall resulting from the changes to the sales tax distribution formula. Cumberland County made a change in how it distributes sales tax revenue, going from a per capita method based on population to an ad valorem formula based on property values in each municipality effective July 1.

With recent property value revaluations in Hope Mills and the $2,070,789 shortfall resulting from the changes to the sales tax distribution formula, the town board was faced with implementing strategies to alleviate citizen’s financial concerns by adjusting the property tax rate as low as possible while maintaining/enhancing efficiently and prioritizing essential services. This action was not a simple process! While revaluations increase property values, a responsible property tax rate strategy is key to avoiding an unreasonable tax rate burden on citizens, especially those on fixed incomes. 

Going forward in the remainder of this fiscal year, one strategy I would strongly recommend is a full review of all town departments to identify opportunities for increased efficiency. By optimizing operations, the town can maintain or even improve essential services that support a lower property tax rate in the next fiscal year. A key strategy would be to re-evaluate and prioritize all planned and future capital projects. Initiatives that are not critical to providing essential services should be frozen or deferred until the town’s budget is more stable. Another key strategy is a full re-evaluation of all town staff positions. It is important to continuously evaluate staffing positions and salaries. A full review ensures that staff positions are appropriate, and compensation is commensurate with the position and sustainable. 

Other key strategies would be to re-evaluate current and future revenue streams by researching grant funding. Continued focus on maximizing state and federal grants can offset spending and reduce reliance solely on the property tax rate. The town should target grants that cover public safety, recreational opportunities, and specifically infrastructure projects. For example, public-private partnerships with local businesses to fund public projects. Partnerships can also include initiatives to develop and/or improve our town parks. Another key strategy would encourage responsible and smart commercial growth that can broaden the town’s tax base to reduce the financial burden on taxpayers. Developing a smart commercial tax base would bring in additional revenue to fund essential services to lower the property tax rate in the next fiscal year. None of these strategies can be met without public input. Every decision that is made, every dollar that is allocated, must be made in the full light of public input and accountability.