April 18, 1997 - 8:30 AM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Retreat)

April 18, 1997The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in retreat on Friday, April 18,1997, at 830oclock am in the meeting room at the Lee House on Industrial Drive, Smithfield, North Carolina, withthe following membersPresent Norman C Denning, Chairman, James W Cash, Vice Chairman, Jerry F Wood,Eleanor N Creech, Cookie Pope, Thomas M Moore, and James H Langdon, JrAbsent NoneAlso Present Richard B Self, County Manager, Rick Hester, Assistant County Manager, JohnMassey, Finance Officer, Debra Henzey, Facilitator, and Joyce H Ennis, Clerk to theBoardThe meeting was called to order and Debra Henzey, Communications Director for the NCAssociation of County Commissioners and facilitator for the retreat, went over the proposed ground rulesfor the day She listed potential agenda items, which had earlier been suggested, and asked the Boardmembers and staff to select the six they felt were most urgent for discussion The following items werechosen as agenda items Land Use Planning Zoning; Water Sewer; Education; Solid Waste;Rescue Fire EMS; and Intergovernmental1 Land Use Planning and ZoningThe Board identified the following areas of concern? Preparing for growth? Traffic problems generated with growth? Comprehensive Land Use Plan - Updated Zoning Ordinance? Adequate Staffing? Stormwater Runoff? Zoning designations - R -20 Does this need to be added back as designation? Open Areas - Natural spaces left in areas of development? Special Use Districts? Funding? Zoning Enforcement - How aggressive? Junk cars -junk yardsGrowth IssuesThe question of whether the County needs a comprehensive land use plan or just an updatedzoning ordinance was discussed Cal Genereux, Planning Director, explained that an updated zoningordinance is now being written with the help of the Division of Community Assistance, and the roughdrafts should be available for the Boards review within the next few months He noted a comprehensiveplan is different - it is a policy which controls the location of specific development and looks at futuregrowth patterns It was agreed that the Board would like to explore the possibility of a comprehensiveplan Mr Genereux noted there might be some funds available through FEMARoad IssuesThe Board discussed the problems with private roads in subdivisions It was noted some of theseroads do not meet state standards It was also noted that unless a road is accepted by the state formaintenance, school buses are not allowed to go on them Often property owners do not understand thisand are upset when their child must walk or be taken to the main road Mr Genereux informed the Boardthat several counties have adopted private road requirements to assure that property owners are madeaware of the status of the road at the time they purchase the property Regulations would also give theCounty a way of regulating the issuance of permits based on the completion of the road The Board askedthe staff to come up with some recommendations They suggested a statement might also be put on theplat concerning requirements for school bus routesMr Genereux addressed the problems that are occurring because of stub outs in subdivisions TheCounty has encouraged interconnections between subdivisions to keep some of the traffic off the majorroads, however, some developers are ending these roads short of the property line causing problems foradjacent developer This is particularly crucial when the new development is land - locked and has noaccess to a main road Again staff was asked to come up with proposals for road policiesThe Board also discussed the need to make sure planning is done ahead oftime by the Departmentof Transportation at new school sites500Other Planning and Zoning IssuesThe Board discussed the number of junk cars in the County and asked the staff to come up withsome recommendations for a possible junk car ordinanceThe question was asked whether it would be feasible to limit the number of rezoning cases heardby the Board each month The consensus was that limiting the number of rezoning cases in a monthwould not be fair to everyone and could create problems for the citizens The Board agreed that additionalstaff for the Planning Department would be a better solutionFees were discussed briefly and the Board instructed staff to provide a comparison of JohnstonCountys fees with similar counties It was noted the Planning Department needs to be as self - supportingas possibleStaffing NeedsMr Genereux explained the Planning staff will need another person solely to address stormwaterregulations and implement the new environmental protection regulations the County must adopt in orderto satisfy the Fish and Wildlife CommissionTwo additional staff are needed, one professional and one clerical position Mr Genereux notedthat at present, the planners are having to answer telephones and fill out permits, and can barely find timeto prepare for rezoning cases and new subdivisions Little time is available for actual planning Theadditional planner would share the responsibilities and allow the office to enforce the zoning ordinancewhen signed complaints come in This would help free time for the Director to work on long rangeplanning2 Water and Wastewater IssuesWastewaterCounty Manager, Richard Self, and Public Utilities Director, Haywood Phthisic, explained thehistory of the wastewater plant and sewer system in the County Mr Self referenced the 201 FacilitiesPlan in the late 1970s and the decision to expand the regional plant to accommodate the four towns,Smithfield, Selma, Four Oaks and Pine Level The plant was deeded to the County along with the majorinterceptor lines, and the County contracted with the towns to operate their pump stations The Countyhad a contract with Hydro Management Services to operate the plant from 1984 to 1988, at which timethe County developed a Public Utilities Department and took over the management and operation of theentire system, including all pump stations Mr Phthisic noted that in the early 1990s the 201 Plan wasamended in order to borrow 32 million for expansion The debt service for the expansion is currentlyusing up the portion of the user charges which provide capital reserve funds, and he projected that thisyear the County will need to increase the sewer rate by 15 per thousand gallons, the first increase inthree years This will raise the user cost to 130 It was noted the towns need to be notified so they canplan for this increase in their budgets Tim Broome commented that sewer has always been operated asan enterprise fundThe Board discussed the sewer fee schedule and revenue options that could replace the current10 gallon capacity fee It was determined that the central district, made up of the four towns, should beconsidered separate from the rest of the County A proposed 20 year capital plan for the central areaoffered four options ranging from a capacity charge only, which when recalculated amounted to1320 gpd, to a commodity surcharge of 45 per 1,000 gallons Two additional options were includedwhich combined the two types of charges The Board agreed to present the options to the towns and letthem decide which direction they wish to take It was pointed out that ifthe towns choose any option otherthan the commodity surcharge, the County would need a contract with the towns concerning the collectionof the fees based on building permits A special meeting was called for Tuesday night at 6 pm, and theClerk was instructed to notify all the towns and news mediaThe Board discussed revenue options for a 20 year capital plan for the western area district,which included residential capacity fee, commercial capacity fee, commercial acreage charge andcommodity surcharge It was suggested a third special district of Kenly, Princeton, Clayton and Bensonmight need to be considered that would not include the treatment plant cost because wastewater in theseareas does not go to the central plant After discussing the different options, the Board agreed to workwith the four towns first, then discuss the rest of the County at a later meetingMr Phthisic asked for direction from the Board concerning limitations on allocations He statedthe Countys procedure has been first come - first served, and requests are rescinded if not used in oneyear The Board agreed to leave this procedure in place, but stressed the applicants are to be notified inwriting of this policy when they make application501Water IssuesThe Board discussed the 20 year water study and the need for another presentation for theCommissioners to review the document It was suggested the study should be expanded to includecommunity well systems It was noted that before the County begins taking over community well systems,a well - defined policy with specific rules and regulations needs to be establishedTim Broome, Engineer, stated the County might consider a capacity surcharge to provide fundingfor expansion of water lines and future capital needs at the water plantSolid WasteHaywood Phthisic stated the new landfill should be ready for operation in the fall Because of thedifficulty in finding qualified and reliable operators, he suggested the County might consider a privatecontract for operation The Board agreed and asked Mr Phthisic to bring back proposals for theirconsiderationA materials ban at the landfill was discussed, especially for cardboard Mr Phthisic noted thatcardboard is costly to dispose of but easily recycled He noted that one way of handling this might be toincrease the tipping fee for loads containing cardboard The Board asked staff to bring suggestions backto the Board for their consideration It was stressed that if the County changes its policy, the public shouldbe notified in advanceEngineer Tim Broome informed the Board about a possible future alternative waste disposalprocess He explained his firm is currently talking with a company that is proposing a new process ofturning waste into a carbon based waste product that burns, similar to coal There would be a residualproduct that would still have to go into the landfill, therefore, this company is considering building theirplant adjacent to a new subtitle D landfill such as Johnston Countys The process, in Mr Broomesopinion, is about five years from being marketable, and some grant money could be available in the futureMr Phthisic stated that as anticipated, the County will need to increase the tipping fee for nextfiscal year to 37 per ton because of the new landfill and in order to set aside money for expansion Henoted that with the growth the County is experiencing, the life of the new landfill is probably considerablyless than the 20 years first expected Again the Board stressed the need for making sure the users areaware of this increase before it goes into effectMr Phthisic also asked the Board for direction on the following mattersAn amendment to the solid waste ordinance to require that all loads carried to the landfillare covered Currently most trucks are not covered and litter is strewn up and down thehighway near the landfill Staff was instructed to look into this and bringrecommendation back to BoardC D Waste - he requested this be considered as a separate waste, especially shinglesThis should be considered construction debris, however roofers are currently advisingpeople with decals to bring their shingles in several small loads to avoid the tipping costsThe Board stated they would have no problem with considering construction debris asa separate waste, however again they stressed the need to publicize this matter well inadvanceCommercial decals Warren Grimes, Solid Waste Manager, stated the commercial decalsare being abused When the commercial decals were established for small business, theminutes specified a limit of not more than three 90- gallon carts per week equivalent toapproximately 1 pick -up truck load This is being abused, especially at the Brogden siteStaff to remind these haulers of the limit of three 90- gallon carts per weekOther Utility IssuesThe Board briefly looked at several other utility matters and agreed these issues will probablyneed further study? Environmental protection in Swift Creek Basin? Joint venture wastewater intercept treatment with Garner? Capital funding - McGees Crossroads School - off site wastewater? Capital funding East Clayton Industrial Wastewater Treatment? Formal policy - sale of water facilities to municipal systems - to private water companies? Policy on extension of out -of- county rural water into Johnston5023 Miscellaneous IssuesThe County Manager briefly went over several issues that because oftime, the Board did not havea chance to discuss? Courthouse Needs - He noted that state mandates are coming through the AdministrativeOffice of Courts that will require very strict regulations for safety in and around thecourthouse? Report coming on Fire Rescue? Building Codes Minimum housing standards could create homeless population Anyrestrictions would have to be funded by ad valorem taxes and should be enforceable? Retention Ponds - possibility of fencing for safety purposes? Foster Children Numbers are increasing rapidly - We may be looking at a group homein the future? Law Enforcement Needs - neighborhood patrol work in unincorporated areas Greatdemands on deputies, more jail inmates? Old Glendale School - What is to be done with it - Board asked County Manager to bringthis to the Board at next meeting? County Lots - What to do with County property not being used or needed for future useThe Board agreed these need to be sold at public auction? Performance Audit Pay Study for County employees The Board instructed the CountyManager to get estimates for these studiesThe County Manager noted that the Board heard from only two of 29 departments - all of whichhave needs Most are understaffed He stressed the special need for a full -time County Attorney, as wellas an engineerThere being no further comments, the retreat was adjournedNorman C Denning, ChairmanJoyce K Ennis, ClerkDetailsAnnotationsEntry PropertiesModified11192013 113941 AMCreated422003 73609 AMTemplateMinutesFieldsMinutes - TypeRetreatsMinutes - Date4181997Book20