December 15, 2003 - 8:00 AM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 546 MEETING OF THE JOHNSTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS December 15 , 2003 The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Monday , December 15 , 2003 , at 8 00 am in the Commissioners ’ Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse , Smithfield , NC with the following members present Present James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman , Cookie Pope , Vice - Chairman , Thomas M Moore , Allen L Mims , Jr , Wade M Stewart , W Ray Woodall , and Jeffrey P Carver Absent None Also Present Rick J Hester , County Manager , Joyce H Ennis , Clerk to the Board , Mark Payne , County Attorney , and Finance Officer , John R Massey The Chairman called the meeting to order and noted the reason for the meeting is for the Board to consider a resolution to establish the proposed Johnston County Research and Training Zone RTZ and appoint a district advisory committee for the zone , as allowed by NCGS § 153A - 31712 1 Resolution Establishing the RTZ , and Appointing the RTZ Advisory Committee The Board discussed the five member advisory committee for the proposed zone It was noted that the following names have been submitted by the industries as recommendations John Pratt Novo Nordisk , Mary Joan Kuhn Bayer , and Norwood Thompson Oak Knoll Chairman Langdon stated he would like to see the chairman of the Economic Development Commission , Linwood Parker , and a Commissioner on that board as the two representatives of the County Following discussion concerning the committee membership , Commissioner Cookie Pope moved the Board adopt the following resolution establishing the Johnston County RTZ and appointing the initial RTZ Advisory Committee Commissioner W Ray Woodall seconded the motion Discussion Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr stated he was previously not supportive of this because he felt it was done too quickly for everyone to have an opportunity to consider all the aspects of the proposal He noted he liked the concept from the beginning , and now having time to consider the advantages of having the training center , he will support the proposal Commissioner Cookie Pope commended the Economic Development Department and the Economic Development Commission for all the work they put into making this a reality She called this a great day for Johnston County Commissioner W Ray Woodall stated , in his opinion , this is a great opportunity for Johnston County to move forward , and something for which all Johnston County citizens can be proud Vote There being no further comments , the motion carried by unanimous vote RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING DISTRICT IN JOHNSTON COUNTY PURSUANT TO NC GENERAL STATUTE § 153A - 31711 WHEREAS , job creation and economic development are among the primary goals of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners ; and WHEREAS , Johnston County is working in partnership with Johnston Community College to establish and operate a workforce development center to develop and maintain a highly trained , skilled workforce to meet the needs of local Johnston County industries ; and WHEREAS , NC General Statute § 153A - 31711 et seq allows for the creation of an economic development and training district to promote economic development , attract new industry and provide revenue to support a training center such as the Johnston Community College Workforce Development Center ; and WHEREAS , certain Johnston County corporate citizens eligible for inclusion in such an economic development and training district have petitioned the county for the creation of an economic development and training district ; andPage546 - A December 15 , 2003 continued WHEREAS , Johnston County has determined it is in the best interest of the citizens of Johnston County to create the “ Johnston County Research and Training Zone ” hereinafter sometimes referred to as ‘ RTZ ’ pursuant to NC Gen Stat § 153A - 31711 et seq ; NOW , THEREFORE , BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners of Johnston County meeting in regular session on the 15th day of December , 2003 makes the following findings of fact 1 Johnston County has received a petition seeking the establishment of an economic development and training district , or Research and Training Zone ‘ RTZ ” in Johnston County and that said district includes the following Johnston County corporate citizens Bayer Corporation ; Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries , Inc ; Fresenius Kabi Clayton , LP ; as well as certain property owned by the Johnston County Airport Authority , Oak Knoll Limited , a North Carolina Limited Partnership , and RET Properties LLC , a North Carolina Limited Liability Company known as the North Aviation Industrial Park 2 A report has been made consistent with the requirements of NC GenStat § 153A - 31712 c including a map of the proposed district 3 This report has been made available for public inspection in the office of the Clerk to the Board of Commissioners for at least four weeks prior to the date of the public hearing held concerning the creation of the district 4 A public hearing was held on this matter on November 24 , 2003 after proper notice and in compliance with all applicable statutes and rules 5 The proposed district meets the standards set forth in NC Gen Stat § 153A - 31712 a 6 Economic development of the county will be served by providing selected skills training in a facility , such as the Workforce Development Center , specifically designed to address the needs of targeted industries such as pharmaceuticals , biotech processing , telecommunications , electronics , and allied ancillary or subordinate services to induce existing industries and targeted industries to improve and expand their facilities and to induce new industries to locate facilities within the district , thereby providing employment opportunities to the residents of Johnston County 7 It is impractical to provide training facilities and services on a county - wide basis to all existing and future employees in the county to the same extent any services are intended to be furnished within the proposed district 8 It is economically feasible to provide the proposed training center and services , such as the Johnston Community College Workforce Development Center within the proposed district without unreasonable or burdensome tax levies NOW , THEREFORE , BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Johnston County Board of Commissioners hereby establishes the “ Johnston County Research and Training Zone ” pursuant to NC Gen Stat § 153A - 31711 et seq subject to the following terms and conditions 1 The initial district will consist of the area set out in the map attached hereto as Exhibit 1 incorporated herein by reference 2 There is hereby established a district advisory committee consisting of five members , three of the initial advisory committee members shall serve three year terms while two of the initial advisory committee members shall serve two year terms a thereafter all advisory committee member terms shall be three years ; b three of the committee members shall consist of persons capable of representing the interest of the associations of owners and tenants established within the district pursuant to NC Gen Stat § 153A - 31712 a 10 , and two members shall represent the county ; c the Johnston County Board of Commissioners has received a list of persons whom the association of owners and tenants request be considered for appointment to the committee The initial advisory committee members shall be as follows John Pratt representing Novo Nordisk Industry Mary Joan Kuhn representing Bayer Industry Norwood Thompson representing Oak Knoll Ventures Chairman of the Economic Development Commission initially Linwood Parker County Commissioner initially Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr d whenever a vacancy occurs on the committee by a person filled by appointment by the Board of Commissioners representing the association of owners and tenants , the Board of Commissioners prior to filling the vacancy , shall request the association to submit the names of at least two persons to be considered for the vacancy , and the Board shall fill the vacancy by appointing a person so submitted 3 The Board of Commissioners shall establish an initial tax rate for the RTZ at the time it adopts in annual budget at a rate of no more than 08 per 10000 valuation for all property located within the district Page546 - B December 15 , 2003 continued 4 The proceeds of the taxes collected within the district will be expended to pay the annual debt service for the capital cost of the Workforce Development Center , operating and maintenance cost for the center or other ancillary services directly related to the creation and operation of the center 5 Every year , beginning in the year 2005 , by no later than April 30 , the Johnston County Board of Commissioners shall receive a report from the advisory committee reporting on all revenues expended within the district within the previous year ; assessing the economic development and training needs for the district ; and a recommendation for the tax rate to be set in the coming tax year together with a recommendation as to the best allocation of tax revenues within the district 6 The district may be expanded by resolution to the extent permitted by law , annexing territory found to be in compliance with existing statutory requirements and consistent with the goals of the county to promote economic development and workforce training consistent with the following procedure a All landowners petitioning for annexation within the district must complete application for inclusion in the district Landowners may be subject to an application fee established by the county manager b Existing landowners within the district provide a petition seeking inclusion of the subject landowner ; c Within 60 days from the receipt of a completed application for annexation into the RTZ , Johnston County shall hold a public hearing to consider the inclusion of all land of landowners who have petitioned for inclusion of their land in the district and successfully completed the application ; the Board may vote on an application any time after the public hearing d All property annexed into the district will be subject to the then existing tax rate effective January 1 of the following year 7 The Johnston County Board of Commissioners may by resolution abolish the district in a manner consistent with NC Gen Stat § 153A - 31716 or then applicable statutory requirements 8 The Johnston County Board of Commissioners may adopt new or additional rules not inconsistent with the statute regarding the operation of the district by separate ordinance or resolution at anytime 9 This resolution is effective January 1 , 2004 th Adopted this the 15 day of December , 2003 Chairman Langdon agreed the action taken today shows the County’s support for industries , and creates the right environment for them to grow This will be a great advantage in recruitment and expansion of industry for Johnston County He too thanked the Economic Development people who worked hard to make this happen He appointed Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr to represent the Board of Commissioners on the RTZ Advisory Committee Commissioner Thomas M Moore pointed out he serves on the Triangle J Council of Governments , and this resolution puts Johnston County ahead of other counties in looking toward the future He noted , in his opinion , this action will help Johnston County as much as anything done in recent history Chairman Langdon thanked Commissioner Moore for his input in economic development matters , and noted that looking back over the years , Mr Moore has had more experience than most in the advancement of industry in Johnston County There being no further business , Commissioner Cookie Pope moved the Board adjourn Commissioner W Ray Woodall seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote ____________________________________ James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman _____________________________ Joyce H Ennis , Clerk to the BoardPage