February 1, 2018 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 74 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners February 1 , 2018 6 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in joint session with the Johnston County Board of Education on Thursday , February 1 , 2018 at 6 00 pm at the AG Glenn Building , 501 South Second Street , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members of the Board of Commissioners were present Present Vice Chairman Ted G Godwin , Cookie Pope , Allen L Mims , Jr , Chad M Stewart , and Lee Jackson Absent Chairman Jeffrey P Carver and Commissioner Larry Wood Also Present County Manager Rick J Hester , Clerk to the Board Paula G Woodard , Finance Officer and Assistant County Manager J Chad McLamb , County Attorney Jennifer J Slusser , and Paralegal Deputy Clerk to the Board Dana Cuddington Board of Education Chairman Mike Wooten welcomed the Board of Commissioners and those in the audience to the joint meeting Vice Chairman Ted G Godwin called the meeting of the County Commissioners to order at 6 00 pm and led those in attendance in the pledge of allegiance to the American flag Vice Chairman Godwin extended regrets for Chairman Jeffrey P Carver and Commissioner Larry Wood who could not attend the meeting due to previously scheduled commitments Vice Chairman Godwin stated he has been looking forward to the joint meeting noting that while there are a lot of things on the Board of Commissioners ’ plate at the moment , there is nothing more important than the education of our children 1 Purpose of Joint Meeting Johnston County Schools Superintendent Dr Ross Renfrow introduced Mike Miller from Numerix , Thomas Dudley from North Carolina State OREd , and Mathew Palmer from North Carolina State to present growth information for Johnston County 2 Operations Research and Education Laboratory OREd Presentation Mathew Palmer , North Carolina State University Institute for Transportation Research & Education , stated they have been working with Johnston County Schools over the past six months to understand what is going on in Johnston County currently as well as learn what is likely to occur as growth and development continues Mr Palmer stated the information presented at this meeting will focus on the current and emerging issues that both the Board of County Commissioners and the Board of Education would benefit from considering Mr Palmer noted they plan to share solutions to the issues in a future presentation stating that before any solutions can be offered , everyone must first agree on what those issues are Mr Palmer reviewed the following presentation with everyone Page75 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPage76 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPage77 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPagePage pageNumber578 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPagePage pageNumber679 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm Continued Mr Palmer discussed the previous residential development data , stating this information is paired with historical enrollment information to determine forecast models Mr Palmer stated in looking at the municipalities listed , there is a lot of development focused along the Hwy 70 Corridor He noted with the increase in residential development there is a demand and need for more commercial development Mr Palmer spoke on some of the downtown areas and the increasing likelihood that commercial development will be located at key intersections with an emphasis on the quality of life in those areas Mr Palmer also spoke on the recruitment and retention of industries , particularly the pharmaceutical industries in the Clayton area and how that impacts growth He continued the presentation and spoke on upcoming transportation projects noting that with the completion of these projects , it will induce growth that they cannot fully forecast until the development community begins to partner with the local leadership PagePage pageNumber780 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPagePage pageNumber881 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm Continued Upon questions regarding the municipal data , Mr Palmer reported that the only municipalities included in the study were those that had identified neighborhoods approved for development He noted they reached out to both Smithfield and Selma but no meetings were scheduled because that contact was not returned Mr Palmer introduced Mike Miller with Numerix to continue the presentation and discuss how the data is used in the forecast models Mr Miller reviewed the following information with everyone stating he has worked with Johnston County Schools for 15 years and through that time he has been involved with the annual membership forecast updates as well as multiple land use studies and the opening of many new schools PagePage pageNumber982 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPage083 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPage184 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPage285 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm Continued Mr Miller concluded his remarks stating there is little doubt that Johnston County and the Johnston County Public School System will continue to experience growth at levels equal to or exceeding those seen in the past , but growth is not the only issue that must be considered He noted some of the other considerations include the age and condition of existing facilities , the use of mobile classrooms in the district , changing policies involving class size which could significantly affect building capacities , and the shifting demographics that come with growth Mr Miller turned the presentation over to Thomas Dudley with the Operations Research and Education Laboratory OREd Mr Dudley concluded the presentation by discussing how to go forward and how to use the information to determine specific needs in order to plan for future new schools Page386 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm Continued Commissioner Lee Jackson stated in looking at the total number of high school students there are two programs where students attend school at Johnston Community College and he asked if those numbers are included in the enrollment Mr Miller stated as he understands the enrollment number listed for a particular high school is where the students spend the majority of their time Commissioner Chad M Stewart asked how non - traditional learning programs such as virtual learning and off - campus programs affect the enrollment numbers Superintendent Dr Ross Renfrow stated Johnston County Schools has worked to expand their virtual education programs so a student at any of the traditional high schools could have a blended educational structure where some of their time is spent in the classroom with the other time on - line Dr Renfrow stated there is a very small percentage of students , perhaps fewer than 10 , that are completely on - line He stated while some students may come in late or leave early , the majority of the students are in class for the majority of the day Commissioner Cookie Pope stated her concern is finding enough land to build future schools and how that can be addressed Mr Miller responded that Wake County has had to revisit their school model because there are areas where there is not enough land to build and that may be something in Johnston County’s future Vice Chairman Ted G Godwin stated there are a lot challenges coming , but he has the utmost respect for the Superintendent and the Board of Education and feels the Boards can work together to meet those challenges He spoke on reacting to growth versus planning ahead and questioned if at some point growth should be steered in a specific direction in order to get a desired result Commissioner Stewart stated he does not disagree , but he also feels that the marketplace will eventually take care of a lot of issues and correct itself Upon a question by Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr , Dr Renfrow stated Johnston County Schools is just beginning to get into virtual learning and they are still trying to determine how effective it can be He noted some students do not require face to face interaction and in those cases they want to remove the barriers for those students Dr Renfrow stated with regards to funding for virtual learning , they look to the State for some of that funding , but in order to truly help those students it could be a collaboration of state and local funds Commissioner Stewart asked if more money should be used on actual seats or put towards virtual learning Dr Renfrow stated he believes for the majority of students , face to face learning is better suited ; however , virtual education is fast approaching not only in Johnston County but in the nation and worldwide He stated they will have to continue to monitor such programs and make sure the balance of new construction spending is equaled out by virtual education Board of Education Chairman Mike Wooten stated we are blessed to live in a growing county and he believes it is positioned for prosperity Chairman Wooten stated everyone wants to come to Johnston County because the education here prepares students for the workforce and he has no doubt that the Board of Education and the Board of County Commissioners will work together to tackle the opportunities Vice Chairman Godwin reported the County staff has been working to determine future debt capacities , noting there are a lot of moving parts He asked the Board of Education to provide information related to their needs so it can be folded into a bond referendum proposal Commissioner Jackson asked if multi - track systems had been considered to help increase capacities Board of Education Member Dr Peggy Smith stated there have been extensive studies on multi - track systems such as year round schools and she explained that there can be many disadvantages noting that many year round schools are closing She stated Wake County is probably one of the few exceptions that continues to utilize year round schools Dr Smith added with year round schools , often times the facilities wear out much sooner because there is no time for maintenance Dr Smith stated in their studies they have learned it is not effective and the trend is decreasing Page487 February 1 , 2018 – 6 00 pm Continued County Manager Rick Hester stated he has been communicating with Dr Renfrow as well as Johnston Community College President Dr David Johnson regarding a bond referendum Mr Hester reported in order to have a referendum on the November 2018 ballot , the first action by the Board of Commissioners would need to occur in May There being no further business , Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 7 15 pm Ted G Godwin , Vice Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage