January 20, 2016 - 6:30 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 37 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners January 20 , 2016 6 30 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Wednesday , January 20 , 2016 at 6 30 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present Chairman Tony Braswell , Vice Chairman DeVan Barbour , Cookie Pope , Allen L Mims , Jr , Jeffrey P Carver , Ted G Godwin , and Chad M Stewart Absent None Also Present County Manager Rick J Hester , County Attorney Jennifer J Slusser , and Paralegal Deputy Clerk to the Board Dana Cuddington Chairman Tony Braswell called the meeting to order at 6 30 pm 1 Closed Session – NCGS 14331811 a 4 Location Expansion of Industry Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver moved the Board go into closed session for the purposes of consulting with an attorney employed by the board in order to preserve the attorney - client privilege , pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 143 - 31811 a 3 and for the purposes of discussing matters relating to the location or expansion of industries or other businesses in the area , pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 143 - 31811 a 4 Commissioner DeVan Barbour seconded the motion which carried unanimously The Board went into Closed Session Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver moved the Board adjourn closed session and resume regular session Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote Chairman Tony Braswell stated he would first like to address those in attendance that he considers to be his neighbors and friends as he knows well most of the people present and he does consider himself to be their neighbor as well as a representative of the people Chairman Braswell continued that a lot has been said about the recently announced CSX CCX project with some of it being absolutely untrue and unsubstantiated Chairman Braswell explained that the Johnston County Board of Commissioners has taken no action regarding the CCX project as it is currently in the preliminary stages and any action taken by the Board is subject to the public process He stressed that openness and transparency is important to the Board Chairman Braswell continued by stating his next remarks apply to the community in question noting that he realizes those people’s lives have not been the same since last Thursday morning after the announcement Chairman Braswell stated the Board does not support the current footprint identified for the CCX project and does not support eminent domain and condemnation of private property by CSX Furthermore , he believes the Board does not support condemnation or eminent domain in any form for profit Chairman Braswell stated the Board feels very disappointed and appalled by the reports received about the manner in which property owners have been approached regarding the project Chairman Braswell reported the Board of Commissioners first learned of the project on December 7 , 2015 and that further information regarding what the Board did or did not know as well as a timeframe of events can be made available to anyone that submits a request Chairman Braswell reiterated that the Johnston County Board is transparent and there have been no secret meetings and nothing has been done by the Board that the community would not have known Chairman Braswell then read a statement on how the Board of Commissioners feels about the project at this point , as follows Last week’s news that CSX Transportation and the State of North Carolina would begin exploring plans to develop the Carolina Connector CCX near Selma was greeted with excitement and support from elected officials , business leaders and other residents of Johnston County The Johnston County Board of Commissioners does not support plans for CCX at the footprint the project’s advocates had envisioned The Board continues to believe that CCX represents economic development opportunities for Eastern North Carolina , including Johnston County , and hopes that alternative sites can be identified that reconciles the project’s location needs with the desires of property owners that are willing to sell their land Page38 January 20 , 2016 – 6 30 pm Continued Chairman Braswell assured everyone that the Johnston County Board of Commissioners is working hard for economic development opportunities for Johnston County , but not in locations where the community , citizens , and neighbors do not want them He stated the Board does not want to uproot the local communities in the County Chairman Braswell stated the Board is very proud of some of the past economic development opportunities noting in just a couple of weeks a groundbreaking will be held for the 185 billion Novo Nordisk expansion near Clayton He stated the Board is even more excited by future opportunities that will come , but again reiterated that those opportunities need to be in the best interest of the citizens and the citizens that are affected Chairman Braswell stated the Board realizes one of its charges is to provide jobs for those that need them and the Board will continue to work hard as it has done in the past , but not at the expense of the citizens the Commissioners represent There being no further business , Commissioner DeVan Barbour moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 7 30 pm Tony Braswell , Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the Board Dana Cuddington , Deputy Clerk to the BoardPage