November 6, 2007 - 7:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 484 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners November 6 , 2007 Special Meeting The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday , November 6 , 2007 at 7 00 pm in the Auditorium of the West Johnston High School located at 5935 Raleigh Road , Benson , 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 , 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 related issues in Johnston County The Commissioners introduced themselves to the audience 1 Discussions Concerning Land Use Planning and Related Issues At the Chairman’s request , County Manager Rick Hester reviewed with everyone some of the items the County currently has in place related to land use planning which includes county - wide zoning , subdivision regulations , as well as the Johnston County Planning Board Mr Hester called on Planning Director Berry Gray to comment further Mr Gray stated county - wide zoning has been in place since 1991 and he noted the zoning ordinance was revised in October 2000 to include the zoning specifications Mr Gray mentioned some of the more recent tools in place which includes the 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 Further , the County has in place floodplain regulations and stormwater management rules which regulate drainage of stormwater runoff , through the County’s Land Development Code Finally , Mr Gray reported in addition to the Mountains to the Sea Trail Master Plan , the County utilizes a land use planning guide , endorsed by the Commissioners , which identifies areas of concern and how those areas of concern can be addressed Mr Hester informed everyone that copies of the recent Blue Ribbon Committee Report were available for those interested as well as he asked those in attendance to fill out a survey concerning land use planning to leave with staff The Chairman called for any citizens wishing to address the Board to come forward Elizabeth Carter , 50 Austin Pond Road , Clayton , expressed her concerns to the Board regarding recently approved developments in her area Ms Carter stated with developments such as the new Super Wal - Mart , the new Johnston Memorial Hospital medical center location , and the proposed Cunningham Tract subdivision , she believes the traffic situation will become increasingly worse Ms Carter voiced her worries over the future quality of life , given the new development that has been approved Ms Carter stated she is not against development ; however , she would like to see better planning to address traffic and infrastructure first Commissioner Wade M Stewart noted the difficulties in trying to balance citizen concerns with growth and development in the County and stated the Board is concerned for the citizens regarding the safety of traffic ; however , road building is a State function Commissioner Stewart stated the Board will be continuing to meet with Department of Transportation officials and encourage the DOT to provide more traffic improvements In response to a question from Ms Carter , Mr Gray provided an overview of the required traffic improvements that will be constructed at the new Super Wal - Mart on Hwy 42 in the Cleveland community Suzanne Flynt , 95 St Jiles Drive , informed the Board that she enjoys the convenience development offers ; however , she was concerned over the I - 40 NC 42 area as being named a “ prime example of how not to manage growth ” Ms Flynt noted in addition to traffic , she is also worried about the current timeline of school construction as well as the enrollment numbers , parks and recreation limitations , the need for sidewalk requirements for subdivisions , and fire and emergency services response times Ms Flynt expressed concern in that she felt sometimes her voice and others are not always heard and asked for better growth management as well as proper infrastructure to serve development Page485 November 6 , 2007 - 7 00 pm Continued Dan West , 225 Plantation Road , Clayton , asked if a site had been selected for the new Cleveland area high school Chairman Pope reported a location had been selected at the intersection of Polenta Road and Monroe Road Commissioner DeVan Barbour stated although the site and the purchase price have been approved , the actual land transaction was forthcoming and the Board of Education would like to have the school open sometime in 2009 or 2010 Frank Pittman , 279 Landover Drive , Four Oaks , and I - 40 NC 42 area business owner , voiced concerns for the traffic congestion at the I - 40 NC 42 area and asked what could be done to better improve the situation Commissioner Tony Braswell responded he had recently attended a meeting of the DOT and it was identified that a single - point interchange is needed at the I - 40 NC 42 area ; however , the downside to this project is funding Commissioner Braswell noted while there are some emergency transportation issues being evaluated on Hwy 42 to address safety issues , a single - point interchange at this intersection is not anticipated until 2015 He reported the DOT is also looking at how to phase traffic signalization to help with the traffic flow Commissioner Braswell cautioned that while traffic improvements are being reviewed and some are underway in the area , the situation may become worse in the interim , due to construction Commissioner Braswell stated the new Wal - Mart would be bringing many of these traffic improvements to the intersection and the DOT will continue to monitor the situation Bruce Nichols , 1340 Little Creek Church Road , Clayton , stated he would like to see the County begin working towards buying development rights from landowners Mr Hester reported the possibility of buying development rights from landowners was being studied along with other issues by the County and a report will be forthcoming to the Planning Board as well as the Commissioners at some point in the future Martha Engeman , 23 Peggy Court , Cleveland community , inquired as to how citizens could become more involved in the planning process and also if there were plans for more parks or preserved open spaces in Johnston County Commissioner Braswell commented that last year , the County did initiate the 36 million recreation bond which will be used to help expand parks and recreation programs across the County He noted that certainly the County has more needs than current recreation services ; however , he felt the recreation bonds were a good starting point Commissioner Braswell reminded everyone that the County does have a fee in lieu of open space requirements in the subdivision regulations Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr stated that in recent school land purchases , the Board has approved purchasing extra acreage in an effort to accommodate sports and recreation programs Further , Commissioner Mims noted the County is planning for the future and has adopted a reclamation program at the Johnston County Landfill to one day develop athletic fields , nature trails , etc ; however , he cautioned the reclamation program is in the distant future Mr Hester reiterated that Johnston County is also involved in the Mountains to the Sea Trail program and he would be glad to later share more on that plan with anyone interested Mike Krause , 204 Goldfield Drive , Garner , stated he operates a land surveying business in the I - 40 NC 42 area Mr Krause thanked the Board for recently denying a land rezoning , stating he felt had the development gone ahead as proposed , it would have created massive problems with traffic Mr Krause inquired if there were any studies being performed with regards to future additional water sources for Johnston County Commissioner W Ray Woodall responded that the County has been proactive in trying to secure additional water sources He noted Johnston County currently has a good water supply ; however , is mandated by the State to implement water conservation measures due to the drought Commissioner Woodall assured Mr Krause that the County staff is actively working on a new water supply to address the future needs of the County Page486 November 6 , 2007 - 7 00 pm Continued In response to a question from Mr Krause concerning wastewater allocations , Commissioner Stewart responded County staff is working on long range plans to double , if not triple , the current capacity of the County’s wastewater He noted the process of expanding wastewater capacity is time consuming ; however , the Board is actively monitoring the situation Commissioner Stewart commented Johnston County has an excellent staff that is continuously planning for the future and the Board stays well - informed Commissioner Barbour agreed that the permitting process for wastewater capacity is difficult ; however , the County has recently been approved to move forward with expansions Commissioner Mims reported the County had recently purchased nitrogen credits from an out - of - county user who did not need the credits which should help to alleviate the wastewater capacity needs Mr Krause commented that in talking with his surveying clients , he is hearing that if there is some kind of impact fee that would help to accommodate new schools and infrastructure , many developers would like to know what that fee is and have the option to pay such impact fees at the end of their development projects , rather than having to finance those costs up front and pay over time Mr Krause also noted he would like to see the County purchase large tracts of land for parks rather than set aside small strips of land in subdivisions for the open space requirements Mr Hester reiterated the importance of the County’s long range reclamation plan at the Johnston County Landfill and stated it was one of the County’s true treasures Mr Hester informed everyone that the County purchased an additional 500 acres at the landfill for a total of 1,000 acres with a life of 92 years He noted the County has received offers from as far as New Jersey requesting to bring their municipal solid waste to the County’s landfill ; however , the Board has denied these requests in an effort to conserve the landfill life Commissioner Stewart voiced his concerns with the dilemma the Board is facing in trying to properly manage citizen input with growth and development He noted the County has changed greatly over the last several years and now many longtime Johnston County landowners are trying to stop farming and are hoping to cash out by subdividing their property for development Commissioner Stewart questioned what the Board should tell those landowners who want to develop their property He reminded everyone that he remembered a time when two decades had past before a new school was needed and now , the County is building two new schools each year with more needed Commissioner Stewart stated the Board is very concerned about the needs of the County including building more schools , addressing traffic issues , providing for parks and recreation services , and funding the Sheriff’s Department as well as Emergency Services to assist with public safety Commissioner Barbour recalled that in 1992 , the Board of Education was evaluating whether or not to close the school in the Cleveland community due to declining enrollment He noted it was phenomenal to see the difference in the area from then to now Commissioner Mims commented that he read from 1950 to 1980 , the population in Johnston County increased by a total of 7,000 people and now the County increases that much every 2 to 3 years He further noted in 1994 , the County’s debt stood at 129 million ; however , today , the debt stands at approximately 300 million Commissioner Stewart reiterated the Commissioners are struggling to manage spending to address all the needs in the County and maintain the current tax rate At 8 10 pm , it was the unanimous consent of the Board to have individual conversations with the audience members and adjourn Commissioner Mims encouraged everyone to fill out a survey and leave it with staff ____________________________ Cookie Pope , Chairman Paula G Woodard , Clerk to the BoardPage