September 4, 2008 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 64 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners September 4 , 2008 Special Meeting The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Thursday , September 4 , 2008 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present Cookie Pope , Chairman , Wade M Stewart , Vice Chairman , Allen L Mims , Jr , Jeffrey P Carver , DeVan Barbour and Tony Braswell Absent W Ray Woodall Also Present Rick J Hester , County Manager , Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the Board , and Melissa A Daughtry , Paralegal Interim Deputy Clerk The Chairman called the meeting to order at 6 00 pm and announced the purpose of the meeting was to receive an update on the Johnston County Comprehensive Land Use Plan as well as review draft documents associated with the plan Roger Waldon , Principal with Clarion Associates , introduced Zoe Hamstead also of Clarion Associates who would be assisting him during the update Mr Waldon reported he met with the Planning Board in late August 2008 and the meeting was very helpful He stated one of the suggestions by the Planning Board was to combine all the information on the maps into one map that would illustrate transportation improvements , locations of utilities , existing and proposed developments , soil conditions , etc Mr Waldon noted the Planning Department staff has been very helpful in providing information related to the development of the plan Mr Waldon indicated that Clarion is in the process of preparing for the public workshop scheduled for September 23 , 2008 at 6 00 pm Chairman Pope reminded everyone that the public workshop will be held at the Johnston County Agricultural Building Mr Waldon informed the Board that later in the meeting , he would be demonstrating an electronic rd keypad polling technology which Clarion intends to use at the September 23 workshop in order to gather information from the public on what they would like to see regarding the plan Mr Waldon suggested the Board consider calling the plan the Johnston County Comprehensive Plan He noted that although land use is the driving force and one of the main issues in the plan , there are many other components Mr Waldon reviewed the draft Table of Contents of the plan with the Board , as follows Executive Summary Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Key Data and Information Chapter 3 Goals and Objectives Chapter 4 Land Use Plan Chapter 5 Implementation Action Plan Appendices Mr Waldon outlined the different sections of the plan , pointing out that Chapter 5 will include very specific strategies and recommendations the County can take in order to implement ideas going forward He noted the plan will contain a set of definitions in order help those who are not familiar with planning and zoning terms , and the Introduction will contain a user’s guide to help the reader follow the document Mr Waldon briefed the Board on the following points , to be included in the plan Key Data and Information ? Population and Housing ? Economic Statistics ? Growth and Development ? Transportation Goals and Objectives ? Organized by Key Themes ? Goals listed under ThemesPage65 September 4 , 2008 - 6 00 pm Continued ? Objectives under each Goal Land Use Plan ? Land Available for Development ? Transportation Influences ? Areas of Growth ? Planning Hot Spots ? Future Land Use Plan Mr Waldon stated for the land use component of the plan , Clarion is in the process of creating maps depicting the County’s road network , soil conditions , existing development , and locations of utilities Mr Waldon commented on the importance of the input he received from the Planning Board regarding certain areas of the County that should be considered as future areas of growth He noted the expected areas of future growth will not be parcel specific in the plan , but rather will be based on overall areas of the County Chairman Pope indicated there may be some confusion regarding the land use plan component of the overall Comprehensive Plan , stating she would prefer to call the land use component of the plan the “ Land Use Map ” Mr Waldon reviewed with the Board the ideas that Clarion has regarding implementation procedures He noted that once Clarion has been able to review the draft goals and objectives with the communities and have some sense of community priorities , then the implementation section can be completed Mr Waldon stated the implementation plan will likely include recommendations for ordinance amendments as well as recommendations regarding processes and regulations to determine if proposed developments would be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan Mr Waldon stated there may be some recommendations regarding changes to the Design Manual He noted there will be protocols for governmental communication as well as the creation of a blueprint the County would refer to when making decisions on developments , investments , or intergovernmental relations Finally , Clarion will be recommending a schedule for monitoring the implementation procedures and noted a target for the next update of the plan should be determined At this point in the meeting , the audience and Board members participated in the interactive keypad polling survey to determine the overall level of interest in the various topics of the draft Comprehensive Plan Mr Waldon noted the same survey will be conducted during the public workshop on September 23 , 2008 Following the conclusion of the interactive survey , Commissioner Tony Braswell instructed Mr Waldon to send the results of the survey to the County Manager Chairman Pope asked Mr Waldon to make sure the local Chambers of Commerce would be contacted to get their input on the draft plan Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr requested Mr Waldon to have larger maps available at the public workshop Mr Waldon reported he would not be in town for the Board’s October 6 , 2008 6 00 pm regular meeting ; however , he noted Clarion will provide a summary of the results of the September 23 , 2008 public workshop to the Board for their review There being no further business , Commissioner Tony Braswell moved the Board adjourn Commissioner DeVan Barbour seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 7 00 pm Cookie Pope , Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage