September 6, 2017 - 6:00 pm - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 848 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners September 6 , 2017 6 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Wednesday , September 6 , 2017 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present Chairman Jeffrey P Carver , Vice Chairman Ted G Godwin , Cookie Pope , Allen L Mims , Jr , Chad M Stewart , Keith Branch , and Larry Wood Absent None 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 Chairman Jeffrey P Carver called the meeting to order at 6 00 pm for the purposes of holding a public hearing to receive public comment and input on a proposed Public Safety Center Project The Chairman opened the public hearing and asked for the County’s consultant , Moseley Architects , to present a background of the proposed project to the audience Dan Mace , with Moseley Architects , presented and reviewed the following information with the audience Page849 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPage850 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPage851 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPagePage pageNumber5852 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPagePage pageNumber6853 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPagePage pageNumber7854 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPagePage pageNumber8855 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPagePage pageNumber9856 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPage0857 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm Continued Following Mr Mace’s presentation , the Chairman called for anyone that wished to speak to come forward Sarah Edwards , Executive Director for the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation , read from the following statement For many years , the presence of Johnston County government and the court system has been a positive economic driver for Downtown Smithfield The county and state employees that work within the courthouse , as well as those in various other locations downtown , have a significant financial impact on the downtown businesses According to Donovan Rypkema , principal of Place Economics , A downtown worker will spend between 2,500 and 3,500 a year in the downtown economy With 357 county employees downtown on a daily basis , not including state employees and those who are in the field , the annual economic impact is between 900,000 and 125 million According to former County Commissioner Chairman Tony Braswell , as printed in a November 2016 News & Observer article , the countys long - term plans include the consolidation of many county departments The Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation values the centralization of County government in Downtown Smithfield and understands the demands for more space for both the court system and county government We believe that there is potential for the County to grow its footprint in and directly adjacent to Downtown Smithfield in a manner that is beneficial for the County , its taxpayers , the Town of Smithfield , and our downtown businesses , and that there are multiple viable options worthy of consideration that are fiscally responsible , accommodate the designs presented by Moseley Architects both the downtown and remote site options , and address the pros and cons in their presentation The DSDC would welcome the opportunity to work with the County and Town to identify opportunities to satisfy the Countys need to plan for long - term growth in order to maintain and possibly increase the number of jobs in Downtown Smithfield We understand that it is difficult to balance the needs of everyone in a county that is growing as quickly as ours , and we are glad to offer our assistance and resources to assist in doing so Ross Lampe , Smithfield , submitted and read from the following statement Page1858 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm Continued Ken Taylor , 1755 Gordon Road , Clayton , stated he understands the need for more space and it seems the major issue to him with a remote site is transporting inmates to and from the courthouse Mr Taylor asked with a remote site , would it be possible to move the criminal court system out of the courthouse along with the detention center to avoid having to transport inmates , and then expand the civil court division at the courthouse Mr Taylor spoke on the large caseload within the civil division stating he experienced that congestion when he had to resolve a civil matter in court Mr Taylor stated the County already owns a large piece of property at the Landfill which would be free land and he asked if the detention center could be built there Mr Taylor stated wherever a site is chosen , he encouraged the County to acquire enough land to accommodate the future Kelly Wallace , Smithfield - Selma Chamber of Commerce Interim President , stated the Chamber recognizes the need for an updated expanded public safety center and appreciates the efforts to maximize efficiency She continued that the Chamber , in representing 450 members , is focused on positive economic growth and job creation in the greater Smithfield - Selma area Ms Wallace stated the County and State employees that work within the courthouse as well as those in other downtown locations have a significant financial impact on the downtown businesses Ms Wallace stated while the Chamber Board has not taken a position on a downtown or remote site location , they do respectfully ask and welcome the opportunity to work with the County and Town of Smithfield to identify opportunities for a public safety center Michele Leathers , 216 S Fourth Street , Smithfield , stated she does not want a public safety center built in downtown Smithfield Ms Leathers stated she moved to Smithfield for the charm of the downtown area and she spoke on the historic properties stating she does not want any buildings torn down in order to build a jail Ms Leathers stated it is already difficult to get people to live in downtown and it will not benefit Smithfield to have a jail constructed downtown She asked the Board to keep all the downtown homeowners in mind stating they do not want such a project William Ragsdale , 194 Packing Plant Road , Smithfield , expressed concerns with the architect’s drawings that he has seen noting there is no scale on those documents which makes it difficult for him to understand the proposals Mr Ragsdale stated he knows that people are concerned about downtown restaurants and businesses ; however , he does not know of any inmates that eat at those establishments Mr Ragsdale stated he was raised here and does not want to see any revenue taken from downtown , and it makes no sense to him to build in downtown Smithfield Mr Ragsdale spoke on the possibilities of utilizing property at the County Landfill stating the methane to electricity facility at the Landfill could be used to provide heat , air , and power to a public safety center Mr Ragsdale stated he would like to hear more about the County looking at building at the Landfill , noting if transporting inmates is an issue , he understands that video conferencing is now available Mr Ragsdale stated a remote location is the ideal thing to do Paul Worley , 18 Eden Drive , Smithfield , stated he understands the importance of building a new jail noting more responsibility is being delegated to law enforcement and the Sheriff needs to be able to expand Page2859 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm Continued Mr Worley stated he was concerned about the Buffalo Road Site that was originally proposed in that he did not feel it would help Smithfield grow residential development ; however , he does believe the County is doing its due diligence in planning for a facility Mr Worley spoke on the County taking advantage of the business opportunities available and suggested consolidating the Sheriff’s Fleet Services Building and the Animal Control Offices which are now located on Brightleaf Boulevard which would allow the County to sell that property perhaps creating jobs and tax revenues from the new owner Mr Worley stated there may be some good opportunities in the downtown area , but the cost versus the benefit would have to be looked at as well as future opportunities for growth Mr Worley stated the idea of using property at the County Landfill is very visionary He concluded his remarks stating after seeing the designs from the earlier presentation , he lends his overall support to the project Mr Worley complimented the Sheriff on his well - run department Hank Robertson , Owner of Hank’s Florist in downtown Smithfield , stated he has lived at 211 S Second Street in Smithfield and operated the florist for several years Mr Robertson spoke on the importance that the Sheriff’s Department and jail employees have to the downtown economy noting he does a lot of business with those employees Mr Robertson stated he understands that a lot of people have skeptical feelings about putting a jail downtown ; however , he pointed out the location of the current jail in the courthouse stating if he did not know it was there , then he would never have known a jail was in the courthouse and safety has never been an issue for him Mr Robertson stated he wants the Board to realize how important it is for him as a business owner to keep the jail downtown Mr Robertson also stated a parking deck is needed regardless of whether or not a new jail is constructed Attorney Jim Levinson , 219 E Johnston Street , Smithfield , stated he is in favor of keeping the jail in downtown Smithfield Mr Levinson stated having practiced law for 43 years and having to visit clients , a remote site is a terrible option Mr Levinson stated video conferencing would only make up a small portion of the court appearances and moving it out of downtown would be detrimental to Smithfield Mr Levinson stated there are buildings in downtown Smithfield that would accommodate the Board of Elections Office if it needed to be moved Dwight Morris , Executive Director for the Partnership for Children , stated some of the business leaders have two questions when considering downtown versus a remote site that they would like answered , those being 1 what is the cost associated with inmate transports for a remote site ; and 2 what the County is thinking in terms of the economic benefit of an offsite location versus keeping the facility in downtown Smithfield Mr Morris also asked if the courtrooms are not going to be moved out of Smithfield then how much expansion space is needed in the future Bill Johnson , Owner of the Howell Theater in downtown Smithfield , stated his father was the Sheriff of Johnston County from 1978 until 1986 Mr Johnson stated he also worked in the jail himself after his time in the military and he spoke on the safety issues associated with a multi - floor facility and moving inmates in confined spaces such as an elevator Mr Johnson stated it is a safer environment to have a facility spread out and enough property should be acquired to accommodate future expansions Mr Johnson also noted if the County were to construct a 600 - bed facility , then it could house federal inmates which would bring in more revenue He also spoke on current parking issues downtown and how difficult it is for people to find parking He asked where people would park while a parking deck is being constructed Mr Johnson stated by having everything located downtown , the County is choking the rest of the business out because they cannot get customers to come in Patrick Yauch , Owner of Grapes & Grounds in downtown Smithfield and resident at 313 S Fourth Street in Smithfield , stated he would rather the jail not be located across from the courthouse because there is no parking as it is Mr Yauch expressed concerns as to where people would park while construction is underway stating he does not want to see Smithfield collapse in on itself because it cannot attract new residents and other small businesses Ryan Leathers , Fourth Street , Smithfield , stated he currently commutes an hour to work every day which he does not enjoy and he would prefer to work in Smithfield Mr Leathers stated he would like to bring employment opportunities to Smithfield and he would like for the Board to think about the long term picture recognizing that there are a lot of opportunities that are not yet being taken advantage of There being no further public comments , the Chairman closed the hearing Page3860 September 6 , 2017 – 6 00 pm Continued Chairman Jeffery P Carver stated the goal is to make this process as transparent as possible and no decision has been made Chairman Carver stated the people elected the Commissioners to make sound business decisions and he wanted the citizens to have an opportunity to speak Chairman Carver commented that he heard 13 people speak all with different issues Commissioner Ted G Godwin agreed with Chairman Carver that no decision has been made and all the possibilities need to be considered Commissioner Chad M Stewart stated he is glad the Board held the public hearing stating he welcomes the input from citizens Commissioner Keith Branch agreed on the need to get citizen input but stated at some point , elected officials must make the hard decisions Commissioner Branch noted this is one decision where not everyone will be happy , and he asked the general public to support the Commissioners and the Sheriff understanding that they will make their best decision based on what they have to work with Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr stated he has heard all the pros and cons and agreed with Mr Johnson that a one story structure is preferred for safety reasons Commissioner Mims noted parking would be free at a remote site versus having to pay at a parking deck Commissioner Mims stated he is more in favor of a remote site and property located at the County Landfill , but he appreciates everyone coming to the hearing and giving the Board their input and ideas County Manager Rick Hester reported in August , the County spent 111,000 housing inmates in other counties at an average cost of 50 per inmate per day Mr Hester stated at that rate , the County will spend well over 1 million this fiscal year which could be applied towards debt service Chairman Carver recognized the Smithfield Mayor and Members of the Smithfield Town Council in the audience stating he appreciates them attending the meeting Chairman Carver stated he thinks of this as more of a team effort noting representatives from the Smithfield - Selma Chamber as well as local business owners are in attendance also Chairman Carver stated he wants everyone to understand that this public hearing was an effort for everyone to be heard and wherever the facility is ultimately located , there will be a business plan to support it There being no further business , Commissioner Ted G Godwin moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 7 05 pm ____________________________ Jeffrey P Carver , Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage