March 4, 2016 - 8:45 AM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 66 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners March 4 , 2016 Special Meeting Annual Work Session The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Friday , March 4 , 2016 in the Johnston County Agricultural Building Auditorium , 2736 NC 210 Highway , 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 Rick J Hester , County Manager , Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the Board , J Chad McLamb , Finance Director and Assistant County Manager , Tyson Radford , Assistant Finance Director , Martha Lasater , Debt and Grant Management Analyst , Jennifer J Slusser , County Attorney , and Dana Cuddington , Paralegal Deputy Clerk to the Board Chairman Tony Braswell called the meeting to order at 8 45 am and welcomed everyone to the meeting Commissioner Ted G Godwin opened the meeting with a prayer and Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag 1 Work Session Expectations Board Priorities for 2016 The Commissioners briefly discussed their expectations for the work session , as follows • Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr stated he is looking forward to discussing the issues facing the County Commissioner Mims noted that solid waste disposal is not on the agenda ; however , he stated it would become a topic of discussion again in the future Commissioner Mims stated although government can move slowly he is hoping the Board can get things on the right track with today’s discussions • Commissioner Chad M Stewart stated he looks forward to all the items on the agenda , but he is particularly interested in the financial update as well as the discussion on County Judicial space needs • Commissioner Cookie Pope noted she continues to receive calls from citizens all the time who are looking for more employment opportunities ; therefore , she is looking forward to discussing the economy and hearing Dr Michael Walden’s presentation • Commissioner Ted G Godwin stated in addition to all the topics on the agenda , he is glad to be talking about an aging plan for the County as well as recreation matters • Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver stated as always he is very interested in the financial report and hopes to discuss refunding opportunities as well as future debt capacities Commissioner Carver stated he is also very interested in the discussion regarding planning and land use development as it relates to density issues • Commissioner DeVan Barbour stated he hopes the work session will be a good opportunity to focus on the long term needs and which direction the County needs to head • Chairman Tony Braswell stated all the items on the work session agenda are important and he looks forward to hopefully addressing some of the issues facing the County 2 Presentation from Dr Michael L Walden , PhD Dr Michael L Walden , PhD , Wm Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor for North Carolina State University , spoke to the Board on the economic outlook Dr Walden commented that every time he comes through Johnston County he sees changes Dr Walden reviewed the following PowerPoint Presentation with the Board Page67 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – ContinuedPage68 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – ContinuedPage69 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued In response to comments from Commissioner Cookie Pope , Dr Walden explained that measuring unemployment rates is not as easy as it sounds as there are six different measures of unemployment rates HePagePage pageNumber570 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued noted some of the measures count only those working part - time , those actively looking for work , and or those that are not looking for work due to retirement or other status Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr spoke on the decrease in oil prices , but noted that gas will never be as low as it was many years ago because of State gas taxes Commissioner Mims stated it is interesting to him that the roadways do not seem to be as well maintained as they used to be when gasoline was cheap Chairman Tony Braswell and the Board thanked Dr Walden for the information and for attending the work session and sharing his expertise 3 Financial Update – Davenport & Company , LLC Kyle Laux , with Davenport & Company LLC , presented the annual financial update Mr Laux reviewed the following information with the Board Background • During the past several years Johnston County managed its finances through the Great Recession in a manner that allowed the County to – Maintain and or enhance its Credit Ratings ; – Refinance for significant debt savings ; – Maintain the County’s property tax rate • The County finished Fiscal Year 2013 , 2014 and 2015 with a surplus in the General Fund owing to strong management from the Board and staff as well as gradually improving economic conditions • Recent economic development announcements will provide additional momentum to the County’s historically stable growth • The County’s Credit Ratings are in the upper tiers of the rating categories The County’s strong financials and continued economic momentum will further aid in enhancing these ratings • A 64 million referendum for School and Community College projects was successfully approved by voters with over 70 approval in the Fall of 2013 • The two first tranches of General Obligation Bonds for the Fall 2013 Referendum were competitively sold in early calendar year 2014 and 2015 respectively The results were highly favorable • As part of the process of updating the County’s credit ratings for the 2014 bonds , Moody’s gave the County’s rating a “ Positive Outlook ” A “ Positive Outlook ” typically means that a rating agency expects to increase a rating within two years if positive trends continue • As part of the 2015 General Obligation Bond sale , the County was able to refinance approximately 516 million of existing General Obligation Bonds for savings – The refinancing produced over 43 million in net savings to the County and reduced the average interest rate on the refinanced bonds from 417 to 233 Mr Laux pointed out that in total the County has saved over 303 million by strategically refinancing existing debt for savings since 2010 He stated that savings has a lot to do with low interest rates as well as the County’s excellent credit rating Mr Laux reviewed a history of the County’s credit ratings with the Board , as follows History of Johnston County’s Credit Ratings • The County’s general obligation credit ratings have been increasing steadily during the past decade • Moody’s recently gave the County’s rating a “ Positive Outlook ” • The positive outlook typically means that the rating agency sees the potential for an upgrade in the next several years if the currently positive trajectory in key rating criteria continues PagePage pageNumber671 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued Moody’s Commentary • “ The Aa2 general obligation rating reflects the County’s diverse local economic base and proximity to a large regional economy , a financial position that remains relatively healthy despite recession - related revenue pressures , and a somewhat elevated debt position • “ The positive outlook is based upon future economic growth potential as part of the greater Triangle economy , expected adherence to sound policies and growth and maintenance of reserve levels with prudent management in place ” • What could make the rating go up – Achievement and maintenance of financial flexibility in line with higher rating categories – Strengthening of tax base and demographic profile to levels more consistent with higher rating categories • What could make the rating go down – Significant erosion of the County’s tax base and or demographic profile – Deterioration of the County’s reserves and or liquidity PagePage pageNumber772 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued S & P Commentary • “ The AA + rating reflects our opinion of the County’s – Adequate economy that benefits from its participation in the Raleigh metropolitan statistical area MSA ; – Strong budgetary performance , demonstrated by general and total governmental funds operating surpluses in fiscal 2014 , and another projected general fund surplus in fiscal 2015 ; – Very strong budgetary flexibility , demonstrated by a very strong available fund balance ; – Very strong liquidity , providing very strong cash to cover debt service and expenditures ; – Strong management conditions , supported by what we consider “ good ” financial management practices and policies under our Financial Management Assessment FMA methodology ; and – Adequate debt and contingent liabilities , due primarily to net direct debt exceeding 100 of revenue ” • “ The stable outlook reflects our opinion of Johnston County’s adequate economy and strong to very strong financial factor scores , which are supported by strong management conditions Due to the growing local economy , we believe management must address any growth or budgetary pressures that could occur while continuing to maintain very strong reserves ” • “ Should the County’s income and other economic indicators improve , holding all other factors equal , we could raise the rating Otherwise , we do not expect to change the rating within the two - year outlook period ” Fund Balance Trends th • The County’s Fund Balance increased for the 4 consecutive year in FY 2015 This stable trend will further aid in achieving higher rating categories • Preliminary estimates for fiscal year 2016 look positive in terms of the ability to further add to Fund Balance Comparative Fund Balance • The graph below shows comparative data from Moody’s for available general fund balance versus revenues • The six listed North Carolina Counties shown are all rated “ Aa1 ” ie , one notch higher than the County’s current rating PagePage pageNumber873 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued Debt Capacity Update • The amount of new debt the County can responsibly take on can be separated into two concepts – Debt Capacity ? The ability to incur additional indebtedness and maintain important financial ratios in - line with County policies and municipal “ Best Practices ” especially as it relates to the rating agencies – Debt Affordability ? The budgetary impact of funding payments on additional indebtedness Capital Planning Key Assumptions • Existing tax supported debt service after completion of the 2015 GO Bonds is factored into the analysis • The balance of the Fall 2013 referendum is planned to be issued in an additional series , as follows – FY 2016 27 million Planned to be sold April 26 – Payments on the remaining issuances for the Fall 2013 referendum are assumed to commence a year after issuance ie , payments begin FY 2017 for the FY 2016 issuance – Debt is structured with 1 year of interest only and 19 years of principal amortization within the 4 1 rule to achieve declining aggregate tax supported principal – The interest rate is assumed to be 4 Note Current borrowing rates in the tax - exempt marketplace are well below this level That said there is no way to predict what interest rates will be into the future As such , Davenport’s estimates purposely use an above market rate for planning purposes Note April GO sale is planned to be 23 million The 4 million difference is planned to be issued in later years For purposes of presentation it is assumed the 4 million that will be issued in the future is borrowed together with other funds in April 2016 • The Fiscal Year 2015 budget roughly 186 million is used as the base for purposes of projecting the debt service versus expenditures ratio Future growth is assumed to equal 25 per year • Assessed value of property is assumed to be approximately 141 billion for Fiscal Year 2014 Future growth is assumed to equal 21 except Fiscal Year 2020 which assumes 4 growth due to revaluation • The County would maintain a 10 Year Payout Ratio of tax supported debt in compliance with its 50 policy • Adjustments for future addition subtraction of on - going revenue for debt service are as follows o Homebuilders Exemption 600K loss of revenue beginning in FY 2017 o Revaluation 30 million revenue gain beginning in FY 2020 o New Novo Nordisk Revenue 23 million beginning in FY 2021 Cash Flow Impact of 2013 Referendum Debt Affordability • The positive result of the 2015 new money and refunding bonds has translated to a lower projected cash - flow impact for the entire 64 million 2013 referendum than was originally planned • The table below demonstrates the incremental annual cash - flow impact of the entire 2013 referendum with planned estimates for the 2016 bonds incorporated PagePage pageNumber974 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued 2013 Referendum Impact on Debt Capacity • With the inclusion of the Fall 2013 referendum the County will remain in compliance with its debt related financial policy guidelines • The County’s capacity to issue additional indebtedness versus the debt service vs expenditures ratio is projected to increase over the next five fiscal years • The 10 year payout ratio never drops below 70 which is well above the County’s policy minimum of 50 Mr Laux summarized his presentation with the following bullets Summary • Johnston County managed through the Great Recession and is poised to continue to grow and deepen its economy • This strategic management has been a major factor in the County’s recent trend of positive rating results • With the recent economic development announcements in the County , demographic trends are expected to further improve which will aid in achieving further rating improvement ie , income levels , unemployment levels • Interest rates remain favorable Davenport will continue to monitor the County’s debt portfolio and include any viable refinancing with the County’s next planned issuance of General Obligation Bonds in late April Mr Laux offered to answer any questions Page075 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver reminded everyone that the County will have rating agency visits coming up soon in advance of the next bond sale and as always , the County will continue to push for a rating upgrade Mr Laux assured the Board that the County has done what it was supposed to for the rating agencies to consider an upgrade and he feels positive about the next visits The Board briefly discussed with Mr Laux the factors for achieving a bond rating upgrade and how the overall economy impacts the process Chairman Tony Braswell reported there have been statements made recently that indicate the County found itself in a hole and unprepared during the last recession because of “ dramatically increased government spending ” and had no way to recover from that hole Chairman Braswell asked for Mr Laux to comment on the County’s financial status during the recession Mr Laux pointed to the County’s fund balance and stated the reason why the County maintains the fund balance like it does is so that when a recession does come , the County then has the ability to use those funds to make sure the bills are paid , which the County did during the last recession Mr Laux also reiterated the positive comments the County has received from the rating agencies in the last couple of years as to the overall financial strength The Board thanked Mr Laux for the financial update The Board took a ten minute recess 4 County Judicial Space Needs Discussion Chairman Tony Braswell stated the Board asked for the County Judicial space needs discussion to be put on the work session agenda because the Commissioners wanted to look at all the options available to address the space needs Chairman Braswell reminded everyone that the Board has not made any decisions yet and is currently in the due diligence phase of determining exactly what the needs are in order to sort through the process Chairman Braswell asked the County Manager to provide a background to everyone County Manager Rick Hester introduced Dan Mace and Todd Davis from Moseley Architects who have been assisting the County with looking at space needs and possible solutions Mr Hester explained that approximately one year ago staff along with the Chairman , the Vice Chairman , and the judicial partners came together to talk about space concerns in the courthouse Mr Hester reminded everyone that the County is responsible for providing space for the courts Mr Hester noted also that the discussions were coupled with the need to provide more jail beds in the future Mr Hester continued that Moseley Architects presented a study to the Commissioners in December 2015 , but prior to that presentation , the Board had not formally discussed the issue Mr Hester reported he is currently working with Buildings & Grounds Director Daniel Clifton to look at maximizing the space in the courthouse to hopefully create options within the existing facility Mr Hester stated he is also looking at the possibility of moving certain County Departments out of the courthouse and into nearby facilities that would free up even more space for court needs Mr Hester asked Sheriff Steve Bizzell to speak to his needs for more jail beds Mr Hester noted when the County has to transfer inmates to Sampson County due to a lack of space the cost is 50 per inmate per day to the County Sheriff Steve Bizzell stated the current jail facility is designed to hold 191 inmates ; however , most recently that number has reached as high as 258 He reported the facility is designed to hold 21 female inmates , but just this morning they are housing 32 females Sheriff Bizzell confirmed the County Manager’s statement that when inmates are transferred to Sampson County there is a cost for that service and last month the County paid 18,850 to Sampson County Sheriff Bizzell cautioned the Board that at any point the jail inspector could visit the current jail and require Johnston County to come into capacity compliance within 24 hours Sheriff Bizzell reported although this morning there are 32 females in the jail , they cannot transfer any to Sampson County because Sampson County is full to capacity Sheriff Bizzell reiterated his concerns if the jail inspector were to visit and stated a new jail must be constructed Upon questions by Commissioner DeVan Barbour , Sheriff Bizzell stated he plans to budget approximately 200,000 to cover inmate transfer costs for next fiscal year Sheriff Bizzell stated if the jail inspector were to require Johnston County to come into compliance within 24 hours and the County had to thenPage176 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued transfer inmates to areas such as Wake County or Charlotte , the cost could be closer to 85 or even 120 per inmate per day Sheriff Bizzell stated he understands the Board has had to address the needs of Johnston County Schools by building and renovating schools in recent years , but he is very concerned over the liability of being overcrowded in the jail Sheriff Bizzell noted that if the County were to break ground today on a new facility , construction could still take as long as three years to complete Sheriff Bizzell stated he personally does not want to have to build a new jail ; however , as a government official he has an obligation to meet the needs Commissioner Ted G Godwin asked if there were any other alternatives to help with overcrowding such as house arrest or electronic monitoring bracelets Sheriff Steve Bizzell stated in his experience he has found that with such alternatives , the repeat offenders would be right back in jail within a short amount of time Sheriff Bizzell stated he has also found that the citizens would prefer for the offenders to be confined in jail At the inquiry of Commissioner Chad M Stewart , Sheriff Bizzell stated the current facility was finished in 1999 and there have been no expansions since then He reported the current jail kitchen was built to serve 100 inmates ; therefore , they are experiencing problems with their core areas like the kitchen Sheriff Bizzell stated it is his opinion that the County is going to have to look out of downtown Smithfield to build a new jail He stated they cannot build on top of the existing jail and must look elsewhere Moseley Architect Dan Mace stated it is their opinion that it would be better for the County to go out of town and build a new jail and plan for that jail to be expanded as needed for the next 50 plus years Mr Mace stated also by moving the jail out of the courthouse that existing area can then be renovated for much needed space by the courts Sheriff Bizzell clarified that he would like to keep the upstairs jail area in the courthouse , but would move out of the downstairs jail freeing up that space for the courts Sheriff Bizzell stated he would like to keep 100 jail beds in the courthouse that would house inmates who have court proceedings ongoing Commissioner Stewart commented that in all the options , he wants to make sure to maintain the integrity of the courthouse downtown Commissioner Stewart stated the County would not be packing up and leaving the courthouse Mr Hester stated staff would be evaluating how to pay for a new jail as well as continue to meet all the other needs He stated if the Board wants to move forward , staff would need a timeframe and exactly what steps to move forward with Chairman Braswell agreed that in order to have a good grasp on everything , the Board needs to set forth some kind of plan as to exactly what can and cannot be done as well as steps and timeframes Mr Mace stated the first thing the County should focus on is location and if the County does not have land already available , then land needs to either be acquired or optioned Mr Mace stated some design can begin ; however , a site must be chosen and surveyed to determine exactly what kind of facility would fit on the parcel Mr Mace stated the County should allow 8 – 10 months for design and then another 2 months to advertise and receive bids for construction He stated construction time should be given at least 26 to 28 months Sheriff Bizzell reminded the Board that the County also is obligated through the US Marshal’s Office to house up to 60 federal inmates at any given time Sheriff Bizzell stated so far , the US Marshal has tried not to send any inmates to Johnston County because he is aware that overcrowding is already an issue ; however , he has reminded Johnston County that we are obligated to take those 60 inmates in exchange for federal funding that was received years ago Sheriff Bizzell stated he has tried to terminate that contract which extends until 2024 ; however , because the funding was accepted back in the 1990 ’ s and used to help pay for the Law Enforcement Center construction , the contract will not end until 2024 Sheriff Bizzell stated if the Federal Government were to bring those 60 inmates here , the County would be in trouble Chairman Braswell commented that parking continues to be a problem at the courthouse and would only become worse once more courtrooms are opened up Sheriff Bizzell agreed that parking around the courthouse is an issue and stated he has employees that bring their lunch every day because they know that if they leave for lunch they will not get a parking place when they return Page277 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued Mr Hester reported staff is looking into options regarding parking Mr Hester stated staff would like to work with Moseley and get a better idea of the cash flow situation over the next three years , and then bring all that information back to the Board Commissioner Cookie Pope asked if the Board could look at maps of the immediate downtown Smithfield area , specifically near the courthouse Commissioner Godwin noted if the Board chooses to build a new jail out of town , then he wants the Commissioners to be cognizant of how that could impact neighboring properties Commissioner Godwin suggested looking at the land the County already owns at the Landfill Mr Hester stated he thinks it will be important to also keep in communication with the Town of Smithfield as discussions continue Sheriff Bizzell thanked the Board for their support and asked for them to consider plans for a new jail soon 5 Public Utilities Update Director of Utilities Chandra Coats , PE , presented the following information to the Board as an update for the water and wastewater services in the County Page378 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – ContinuedPage479 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued Ms Coats offered to answer any questions At the inquiry of Commissioner Ted G Godwin , Ms Coats stated the County has a Sewer Use Ordinance that outlines the acceptable concentrations of the different components in the wastewater She stated if any new entity requests to tie into the system and cannot meet the limits then an industrial wastewater survey is performed followed by an appropriate pretreatment program Ms Coats stated the staff at the wastewater treatment plant monitors the system continuously and if the effluent levels are not right , then staff can backtrack and discover the source Commissioner DeVan Barbour asked how staff monitors infiltration Ms Coats stated staff has installed flow meters at key points across the County in order to determine how much infiltration is coming in and where Upon questions by Chairman Tony Braswell , Ms Coats stated Aqua has a bulk purchase agreement where they buy water from the County and then supply it to their customers She stated the County sells approximately 500,000 gallons per day to Aqua ; however , she is unsure of the exact number of Aqua customers Ms Coats also reported Aqua has a number of ground water wells and sells that water to their customers Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver commented that Aqua buys water from the County but charges their customers a much higher rate for water and wastewater service The Board discussed their concerns with private companies purchasing water from the County and charging their customers significantly higher rates The Board thanked Ms Coats for the information The Board took a 30 - minute recess 6 Planning and Land Use Development Discussion Planning Director Berry Gray reviewed the following information with the Board Recorded Approved 2002 1453 lots 1677 lots 0 sewer Page580 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued 2003 1219 lots 1603 lots 0 sewer 2004 1270 lots 3593 lots 2500 sewer 2005 1200 lots 3145 lots 1725 sewer 2006 2100 lots 2498 lots 258 sewer 2007 1630 lots 2367 lots 339 sewer 2008 1241 lots 481 lots 215 sewer 2009 35 lots 276 lots 92 sewer 2010 415 lots 305 lots 0 sewer 2011 307 lots 576 lots 488 sewer 2012 327 lots 214 lots 54 sewer 2013 795 lots 367 lots 210 sewer 2014 600 lots 784 lots 120 sewer 2015 1052 lots 1172 lots 478 sewer Mr Gray referenced the above information and stated “ recorded ” lots are lots that are actually being developed while “ approved ” lots are what have been approved for future development Mr Gray commented on the trend of numbers noting the decrease around 2009 due to the economic downfall during that time He stated the County has made a lot of progression towards increasing the numbers , but is still not at the level from prior to 2009 Mr Gray referenced the approved lots and stated in 2004 the County’s sewer policy was changed to allow for 100 unit developments to quality for sewer which caused an increase in approved lots He stated after 2004 , the County then changed the policy back so that lots then had to be within approved sewer service areas as well as qualify as a Planned Unit Development which is higher density development Mr Gray stated in 2005 there were still a large number of approved sewer lots which were in Planned Unit Developments Mr Gray shared the following slide indicating where the sewer service areas are located in the western part of the County Mr Gray reviewed the following information with the Board pointing out the development that has occurred or is planned in the Flowers Plantation area • 11,966 lots units approved in high density + 15 acre developments o 594 in IHI MultifamilyPage681 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued o 3,582 in PUD’s o 7,790 in Flowers Plantation • 4,913 lots units approved that exceed 15 acre density o 529 in IHI Multifamily o 1,094 in PUD’s o 3,290 in Flowers Plantation • 8,709 lots units up to 15 acre that were maximized with sewer vs septic o 1,001 in subdivisions o 555 in IHI Multifamily o 2,062 in PUD’s o 5,090 in Flowers Plantation Note average density for septic subdivisions is 09 units per acre Mr Gray shared the following slides with the Board that give an idea of the growth that has occurred in certain areas of the County Page782 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – ContinuedPage883 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued Mr Gray stated of all the development in the County over the past 26 months , 56 of what has been recorded has been within a sewer service area in two small areas He stated 40 of that development has been high density developments Mr Gray stated it is important to point those statistics out because with high density development comes the desire for municipal type services which the County does not offer , in turn creating growth pressure concerns Page984 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued The Board discussed with Mr Gray the concerns that have recently been expressed by some citizens regarding growth pressures and how increased development impacts school enrollment , traffic congestion , etc Mr Gray reported that increases in student enrollment in certain areas of the County have been created because of high density developments being squeezed into small areas Chairman Tony Braswell asked if there is room for shifting of some of the school district boundaries that would help to ease overcrowding Commissioner DeVan Barbour commented that redistricting is always an option ; however , it is a very sensitive issue Mr Gray stated he understands the difficulties and sensitivity of shifting school district boundary lines , but perhaps shifting school district boundaries could be done for future developments that are planned and not yet developed He explained by shifting boundaries for future development it would not impact current students or current property owners but could help with future overcrowding issues Mr Gray stated even if the Board said today that there would be no more high density development approved in the County , there are still approximately 11,000 lots that have already received approval but not yet built and he expects to see requests for more development to continue Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr stated he thinks the Board of Education should perhaps start looking at land near some of the higher density areas and possibly consider optioning land for future schools Commissioner Mims also spoke on the problems with traffic congestion around the higher density areas The Board continued to discuss the growth around the higher density areas and the impacts on schools , traffic , and other services Commissioner Barbour commented that the Planning Board needs some direction from the Board of Commissioners as to how to address future growth Chairman Braswell asked Mr Gray to work with the Planning Board and draft recommendations for the Commissioners to consider County Attorney Jennifer Slusser stated staff has been researching the conditional zoning process and stated it may be something the Board could consider in the future Ms Slusser stated conditional zoning would be different from how the Board currently handles zoning special use cases , but would better streamline the process as well as help with the appeal process She stated legislation changed in 2005 that allows for conditional zoning and noted a lot of jurisdictions are moving to that process Ms Slusser stated if there are no objections from the Board , then staff would like to continue studying conditional zoning and bring back recommendations to the Board for possible consideration 7 Recreation Master Plan Mountains to Sea Trail Discussion County Manager Rick Hester stated staff has been talking with Tim Johnson who is the Manager of the Recreation Grants and Outreach Program with the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation about possibly applying for funds from the Connect NC Bond Referendum that have been earmarked for the Mountains to Sea Trail Mr Hester stated staff would like to move forward with applying for those funds should the referendum pass in March and the Board agrees Mr Hester stated staff would also need to research exactly what would be involved with extending the Mountains to Sea Trail in the County as far as property acquisition , trail construction , security issues , and such other related items Chairman Tony Braswell stated if the Connect NC Bond Referendum is passed by the voters in March then the Board could discuss applying for the funds and continuing with the Mountains to Sea Trail project at the April Board Meeting Mr Hester noted he is unsure when the application process would be released if the referendum is passed Visitors Bureau Executive Director Donna Bailey - Taylor submitted a copy of a generic job description for a Parks and Recreation Director to the Board of Commissioners Page085 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued Chairman Braswell stated one of the recommendations in the Recreation Master Plan that was completed by the Visitors Bureau was for a County Parks and Recreation Director Chairman Braswell stated the Board could perhaps discuss that recommendation during the Fiscal Year 2016 - 2017 budget discussions Mr Hester stated one possibility would be to contract with someone that could work on developing extending the Mountains to Sea Trail in Johnston County , if the Connect NC Bond Referendum passes and the County is successful in obtaining funding Following discussion , Chairman Braswell asked Commissioners Ted G Godwin , Chad M Stewart , and Jeffrey P Carver to look at the recommendations from the Recreation Master Plan as well as what is involved with extending the Mountains to Sea Trail and report back to the full Board 8 County Aging Plan Discussion Commissioner Ted G Godwin stated he along with Commissioners Cookie Pope and Allen L Mims , Jr have been working with the staff at Community & Senior Services on drafting an aging plan for the Board to consider adopting for Johnston County Commissioner Godwin asked Community & Senior Services Director Neal Davis to provide an overview of the current proposed draft Mr Davis submitted a copy of the most recent draft of the plan to the Commissioners Mr Davis reported North Carolina has an aging plan for the State and Triangle J Council of Governments has the responsibility of developing a regional plan which is mandated by federal law Mr Davis continued that Johnston County is also expected to have a formal localized plan , but the real motivator to have a plan is the need to define the services for the aging population Mr Davis stated they contacted several key departments in the County to ask them how they think about services provided to the elderly Mr Davis thanked all the County Departments that were involved noting they were eager to provide feedback and support to the creation of an aging plan Mr Davis stated the departments were asked to fill out a questionnaire and that information was compiled into the proposed draft Mr Davis credited Ms Madison Bottoms on his staff for compiling that data in the proposed draft Mr Davis continued that the draft is mostly about connecting all the dots , noting there are already a lot of programs in place that address the elderly population , but they do see some areas of need Mr Davis reported the plan identifies the following six goals Mr Davis reviewed the six goals with the Board and stated their next steps involve taking the draft plan back to the County Departments that participated in the questionnaire for further feedback Mr Davis stated they then hope to take the draft out in the community and other nonprofit agencies to get as much feedback as possible Mr Davis noted even after a plan is adopted , it will continue to evolve and grow over time Following discussion , it was the consensus of the Board to place on the May regular agenda the discussion and possible adoption of the County Aging Plan 8 Board Discussion and Adjournment The Board of Commissioners congratulated Clerk to the Board Paula Woodard on recently receiving her North Carolina Master County Clerk certification as well as Master Municipal Clerk designation from the North Carolina Association of County Clerks and International Institute of Municipal Clerks , respectively Page186 March 4 , 2016 – 2016 Annual Work Session – Continued Commissioner Ted G Godwin spoke on solid waste disposal in the County and noted the decal fee will increase effective July 1 , 2016 to 100 and he questioned how that will impact the sale of decals as well as the impact on the County’s budget There being no further business , Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 1 50 pm Tony Braswell , Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage