January 22, 2008 - 7:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 558 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners January 22 , 2008 Special Meeting The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday , January 22 , 2008 at 7 00 pm in the Cafetorium of the Four Oaks Middle School located at 1475 Boyette Road , Four Oaks , North Carolina The following members were present Present Cookie Pope , Chairman , Wade M Stewart , Vice Chairman , Allen L Mims , Jr , Jeffrey P Carver , W Ray Woodall , DeVan Barbour and Tony Braswell Absent None Also Present Rick J Hester , County Manager , Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the Board , J Mark Payne , County Attorney , and Berry Gray , Planning Director Chairman Cookie Pope called the meeting to order by welcoming everyone and announced the purpose of the meeting was to receive citizen input concerning land use planning and growth related issues in Johnston County The Commissioners , staff , and citizens present at the meeting introduced themselves 1 Discussions Concerning Land Use Planning and Related Issues At the Chairman’s request , Planning Director Berry Gray reviewed with everyone some of the items the County currently has in place related to land use planning Mr Gray stated county - wide zoning has been in place since 1991 and he noted the zoning ordinance was revised in 2000 to include the zoning specifications Further , through the Land Development Code , the County has in place subdivision regulations , floodplain regulations and stormwater management rules Mr Gray provided an overview of the recently established Western Johnston County Comprehensive Transportation Plan developed by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization for the townships that border Wake County and noted this plan identifies needed roadway improvements for the next ten to fifteen years in the western area of the County Mr Gray stated efforts will soon be underway to develop a transportation plan for the remainder of the County which would include northern and eastern Johnston County Mr Gray reported in addition to the Mountains to the Sea Trail Master Plan , the County utilizes a land use policy guide , endorsed by the Commissioners , which identifies areas of concern and how those areas of concern can be addressed At the inquiry of the Chairman , Four Oaks Town Councilman Walter Holt stated all of the items mentioned by Mr Gray were important ; however , zoning regulations were perhaps the most important tool in land use planning Stacy Lee , Four Oaks Town Councilman , noted the current drought situation and inquired about future plans for the County’s water supply Commissioner W Ray Woodall reported the County recently purchased an abandoned rock quarry north of Princeton that will provide a water storage volume of approximately 500 million gallons and the County is working to obtain an option to purchase an additional quarry in the future Commissioner Woodall further stated the County is looking to the future regarding water capacity , wastewater expansions , as well as landfill space In response to questions from Mr Lee , Commissioner DeVan Barbour noted the County does have water conservation efforts in place as well as a tiered water rate program The County also has reciprocal agreements with neighboring counties and towns to ensure an adequate water supply Commissioner Barbour also noted the releases from Falls Lake are critical to Johnston County Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr stated the Environmental Protection Agency and the Wildlife Resources Commission requires proper releases from Falls Lake in order to keep the aquatic life healthy in the Neuse River County Manager Rick Hester stated he had recently attended a drought management session in Greensboro along with Tim Broome , the County’s Director of Utilities and Engineering , and from what they learned , he believes Johnston County is in good shape when compared to other areas from a water supply standpoint Mr Hester noted the County landfill has a life of 92 years Ron Earp , resident from Clayton , inquired if the County’s current and future water supply was adequate to sustain the projected rate of growth Page559 January 22 , 2008 - 7 00 pm Continued Mr Hester reported the County is taking into consideration the projected rate of growth as it calculates future water needs Commissioner Jeffrey P Carver stated the County’s current water capacity is 128 million gallons per day and agreements are in place with neighboring governmental entities to accommodate the water supply needs He further stated he would like to see other areas in North Carolina interconnect their infrastructure systems and work together He confirmed that Tim Broome is maintaining the calculations to project water needs for the growing population County Attorney Mark Payne noted Mr Broome also factors into his calculations the public’s shift from a ground water supply to the County’s water system Mr Earp stated he is hearing concerns from other citizens regarding adequate schools and the water supply Commissioner Wade M Stewart reiterated the meeting’s purpose and invited the citizens present to express any concerns they may have as to how growth is affecting their specific community as opposed to the overall affect on the County Commissioner Stewart stated he believes there will be a shift in growth towards the eastern part of the County , due to the Hwy 70 Bypass , thereby slowing development in the western part Commissioner Mims stated that he lives in Clayton and is more aware of the Clayton citizens ’ concerns He noted the reason for the community meetings was to get feedback from all the areas in the County and asked for the citizens present to share their concerns regarding growth and planning , from a local perspective He acknowledged there are concerns with traffic , school construction , and litter in the Clayton area Walter Holt commented Four Oaks does not have the same type of traffic issues as the Clayton area , but noted schools are a concern for all He encouraged the Commissioners to be receptive to the needs of the schools in all the communities and asked the Board to be conservative regarding any possible tax increases in the future Chairman Pope congratulated Four Oaks regarding the successful compilation of land for their new industrial park and stated she appreciated the Town’s efforts Will Chandler , Benson Town Councilman , informed the Board that one of Benson’s attractions is the intersection of Interstate 95 and Interstate 40 ; however , the Town’s efforts to attract new industry have not materialized The Town is in the process of certifying two industrial sites which has generated some interest by industry representatives Mr Chandler commended Four Oaks on their efforts in assembling land for an industrial park He stated he believes Benson is in good shape regarding water and sewer capacity and he feels growth will eventually happen Mr Chandler noted the difficulties in trying to develop the downtown area Commissioner Stewart agreed it is difficult to develop retail in the downtown areas due to problems such as inadequate parking He stated while Selma has achieved some success by attracting the antique district , many people would rather shop at mall type atmospheres rather than the downtown districts In response to questions regarding open space , Mr Hester reported the County does have the fee in lieu of open spaces fund and is also participating in the Mountains to Sea Trail Master Plan Further , the County has purchased additional acreage recently with new school sites to allow more space for recreational facilities Tony Tetterton , 428 Campground Road , Selma , asked if the County is working on a comprehensive land use plan Mr Hester reported the Board has authorized staff to begin to look at outside consulting services for help regarding items related to a land use plan After further discussion , it was the unanimous consensus of the Board to adjourn at 8 00 pm ____________________________ Cookie Pope , Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage