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Dec. 1 County Commissioner recaps


Outgoing Board Chairman Butch Lawter, right, accepts a plaque from new Chairman Patrick Harris.

The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met twice on Dec. 1.

The morning meeting began with Commissioners Patrick Harris and Butch Lawter switching seats. Harris is the board’s new chairman and Lawter its vice chairman.

In other business, Commissioners:

  • Heard a policy proposal that would ask the county and its towns to share equitably in funding Johnston’s fire departments. A survey found that in some cases, rural residents bear more than their fair share of the cost of fire protection. In others, town residents shoulder an unfair burden. Under the proposed policy, each would pay based on their share of a department’s call volume, property values, population and square miles. The board is likely to adopt the plan in January.

  • Heard an overview of a proposed trails and greenways plan. In priority order, the proposal calls for trails from Selma Elementary School to Pine Level, Fox Ridge Road near Clayton to Archer Lodge Middle School, along Cleveland Road from Polenta Elementary School to the Wake County line, Pine Level to Princeton, Archer Lodge Middle School to Corinth-Holders Elementary School and then to Flower Hill Nature Preserve, along Veterans Parkway from UNC Health Clayton to Interstate 40, Mingo Swamp to the eastern edge of Benson, Selma to Micro, along Black Creek from N.C. 50 to Four Oaks, and along N.C. 96 South from Stone Creek to Parker Pond. The board is likely to adopt the plan in January.

  • Took steps to lease Rose Dairy Farm from the Triangle Land Conservancy. The County’s Parks and Open Space Department is moving its offices to the former dairy farm, which is home to existing trails and fishing ponds. But until the TLC formally transfers the land to Johnston, the County will need a lease and insurance. Commissioners gave the go-ahead for both.

  • Awarded recreation grants to the following: Corinth-Holders Community Recreation, $18,750 for ballfield fencing slats and accessible bleachers; Glendale Chapel Community Recreation, $46,125 for a new baseball field; Town Pine Level, $18,750 for baseball field lights at Sam Godwin Park; Town of Princeton, $84,814.47 for Community Center and park amenities; Town of Smithfield, $30,000 for greenway bridge replacement and repair; Town of Wilson’s Mills, $10,000 for a bike staging and repair station at Phillip R. Wright Community Park and an accessibility ramp at the Johnston County Rugby Park; Town of Benson, $27,507 for upgrades to the pickleball courts and repairs to the storage and restroom building at Mitchell Nance Athletic Park; Meadow Athletic Association, $86,718.75 for sidewalk and drainage improvements and new lights for the baseball and softball fields the association shares with Meadow School; Four Oaks Civitan, $30,000 for a new storage building at the fields the group shares with Four Oaks Elementary School. The money comes from the fee developers pay when they choose not to provide open space or recreation amenities in their subdivisions.

  • Tweaked the County’s Water and Sewer Policy. Most notably, the changes allow housing lots outside of subdivisions to dig wells instead of tapping onto the County’’s public water system.

  • Agreed to spend $843,700 to lay a 24-inch water main along U.S. 70 from St. Ann Catholic Church to the elevated water tank near Bethesda Baptist Church. The line will help ensure adequate supply in western Johnston. The money will come from fees developers pay when they tap onto County water.

  • Endorsed the N.C. Department of Transportation’s plan to assume maintenance of the following subdivision streets: Parrish Landing Way in Parrish Landing, Pleasant Grove Township; Sanders Farm Drive in Sanders Farm, Cleveland Township; and Pond Mountain Drive and Barton Bay Lane in Oak Hill Farms, Cleveland Township.

  • Made the following appointments and reappointments: Mike Fleming of Smithfield, Edwin L. Aldridge Jr. of Clayton, Steve Hargis of Crantock Road, Smithfield, and Linwood Parker of Four Oaks, Johnston County Economic Development Advisory Board; Jodie Dupree of Riverwood Drive and Alexander Pilkington of Gasper Court, Clayton Planning Board; Marty Bizzell of Brookhill Drive, Clayton Board of Adjustment; and Ryan H. Stein of Joyner Bridge Road, Four Oaks, Veterans Services Advisory Board.

  • Added $75,000 to the cost of the County’s contract with the company that is writing new permitting and land-management software for the Inspections Department. That work is taking longer than expected.

  • Took no action after a closed session on personnel and legal matters.

At their 6 p.m. meeting, Commissioners rezoned:

  • 301.24 acres at Gordon Road and U.S. 70 in Clayton Township for industrial use. In exchange for the zoning change, developer Beacon Partners agreed not to pursue a host of potential industrial uses, including asphalt production, meat packing, trucking terminals, plastics manufacturing, salvage yards, and gasoline storage.

  • 0.2 acres at 1111 Cleveland Road in Cleveland Township for business use. Jana Brown plans to build an ice cream shop there.

  • 2.6 acres at 7346 Brogden Road in Boon Hill Township for business use. Developer Glandon Forest Equity plans to build a small-box retail store there, most likely a Dollar General.

  • 1.14 acres at 16745 Buffalo Road in Wilders Township for business use. Michelle Benedict has been operating a CrossFit gym there without the proper zoning. After a parade of gym members spoke about its value to them, commissioners made the zoning change.



Page last updated on:  December 15, 2025