September 23, 2008 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 66 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners September 23 , 2008 Special Meeting – Citizens Workshop The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday , September 23 , 2008 at 6 00 pm in the Auditorium of the Johnston County Agricultural Building located at 2736 NC Hwy 210 , 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 , J Mark Payne , County Attorney , and Melissa A Daughtry , Paralegal Interim Deputy Clerk The Chairman called the meeting to order at 6 20 pm and announced the purpose of the meeting was to review with the citizens draft documents associated with the Johnston County Comprehensive Plan After self introductions by the Board members and staff , the Chairman turned the meeting over to Roger Waldon , Principal with Clarion Associates Mr Waldon reviewed with the audience the draft documents associated with the Johnston County Comprehensive Plan Mr Waldon outlined the Key Themes of the draft plan , as follows ? Managing Growth and Infrastructure ? Expanding Economic Opportunities ? Providing Housing Protecting Neighborhoods ? Preserving Farmland Rural Character ? Protecting Environmental Cultural Sites ? Enhancing Mobility ? Intergovernmental Coordination At this point in the meeting , the audience participated in an interactive keypad polling survey to determine the overall level of interest in the various themes of the draft Comprehensive Plan Note A copy of the survey results are on file in the Clerk to the Board’s office Following the conclusion of the interactive survey , Mr Waldon asked if there were any comments or questions by the audience Various Comments Questions by Audience Members follow ? The interactive survey highlights some of the higher priorities in the County concerning what needs to be done to manage growth ; however , the issue of how the County will pay for the improvements remains unanswered ? A concern was expressed that with the continued growth in the County , the issue of injuries and fatalities due to transportation infrastructure needs must be taken into consideration ? The County must firm up long range plans in conjunction with the Department of Transportation on how to deal with transportation needs for areas that have the potential for growth ? It was noted that the County has received a grant to develop a Farmland Protection Plan and as the County continues to grow , preservation is a key component ? The Planning Department currently has one set of rules for growth and development to oversee the entire County A different set of rules for growth and development should be established for the more rural areas of the County Further , a wider buffer needs to be established next to the agricultural districts ? The Bentonville Battleground is an important historical component of the County and should be included in the Comprehensive Plan Page67 September 23 , 2008 - 6 00 pm Continued ? School issues should be included in the “ Managing Growth and Infrastructure ” theme rather than the “ Intergovernmental Coordination ” theme ? As the Comprehensive Plan continues to develop and ideas are received , the County must keep in mind the rights of landowners There being no further business , the meeting adjourned at 7 30 pm The remainder of the evening allowed an opportunity for audience members to review maps and ask questions of the Clarion representatives as well as staff members Cookie Pope , Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage