August 20, 1996 - 6:30 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

August 20, 1996The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday, August 20, 1996, at630 oclock pm at Waverleys Restaurant on Hwy 70 East in Smithfield, North Carolina, with thefollowing membersPresent John M Booker, Vice Chairman, James W Cash, Jerry F Wood, Eleanor N Creech,Cecil M Massengill, and Cookie PopeAbsent Norman C DenningAlso Present Richard B Self, County Manager, Rick Hester, Assistant Manager, Joyce H Ennis,Clerk to the Board; Officials from the municipalities in the CountyFollowing dinner, the Vice Chairman called the meeting to order Municipalities also called theirmeetings to orderDimminnDon Johnson, Mayor of Benson, thanked everyone for coming He stated the mayors have meton several occasions and are pleased that the County has completed a 20 -year water and sewer study,however, they would like to know how the Countys plans will affect the municipalities He noted thatpolicies regarding the towns ETJ and potential annexation areas need to be established, and both theCounty and town officials need to have input in these decisions He stressed the need for opencommunications between the towns and the County in order for everyone to be working toward the samegoalsCommissioner John M Booker responded that the County has gotten into the water and sewerbusiness due the extensive growth in the rural areas and the increasing need for these services The biggestchallenge has been to find a way to pay for the initial service, as well as establish a revenue source forfuture maintenance and growth The County does not have the ability to pay with ad valorem tax money,and must depend on user pay methods of financingConcerning the Countys water plant, Commissioner Booker stated the Board realized that if theCounty was going to be involved in rural water service, they needed to own the water plant The Countyhad invested considerable money in the Smithfield Water Plant, and offered to buy the facility from thetown, however, Smithfield declined to sell The Board then decided to build a new facility that would meetthe needs of the County He noted that at some point, the new facility will be at capacity, and, in hisopinion, at that time the County should again negotiate with the town before expandingHe thanked the mayors for initiating this meeting and their effort to bring about more opencommunication and cooperation among local governments in the County With more services desired anddemanded than the County can afford, it will require everyone working together He stressed theCommissioners are continuing to seek help from the General Assembly to provide revenue sources to meetthe many needs which have arisen from the unprecedented growth in the County He stated the Countycitizens must be allowed to decide their own destiny, and asked the town officials to work with the Boardon this matterJack Austin, Mayor of Four Oaks, stated the towns are looking for boundaries so they will knowwhere their retail customers will end and the Countys will begin He voiced concern that the waterdistricts might encroach on the townsJames Lipscomb, Clayton councilman, voiced concern that providing rural water and sewerdistricts would create areas of dense growth, which would place a burden on the nearby towns Hereferenced the impact such growth would have on recreation facilities and the general quality of lifeMayor Joe Hobbs of Smithfield addressed the need for everyone to work together to make theCounty a better place to live He stressed the importance of good communicationsSelma Mayor Joe Moore spoke of the problem Selma had when they annexed into a fire districtand asked for information on how fire districts are determinedClayton Mayor Doug McCormick presented a map of Clayton and the surrounding area Hestated that Clayton would like a service district beyond the ETJ so that Clayton could expand in the futureHe pointed out the growth surrounding Clayton and the towns proposed 45 acre recreational park nextto Clayton Middle SchoolCommissioner Cookie Pope commended the towns on all they are doing and stated her communityof Cleveland supports their effortsThere being no further comments, Commissioner Eleanor N Creech moved the Board adjournCommissioner Cecil M Massengill seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voteNorman C Denning, ChairmanJoyce K Ennis, ClerkDetailsAnnotationsEntry PropertiesModified11192013 120056 PMCreated442003 85846 AMTemplateMinutesFieldsMinutes - TypeSpecialMinutes - Date8201996Book20