February 5, 1973 - 11:00 AM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes

February 5, 1973 - Regular1 4Fit width#25Meeting Board of Commissioners for the County of JohnstonFebruary 5, 1973The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in regular session in the Commissioners Roomof the ,Johnston County Courthouse, Smithfield, North Carolina, February 5, 1973,-at 10 oclock am,with the following members presentNorman C Denning, Chairman, Frank B Holding, Freddie Adams, Howard Benton and HoytCastleberryMembers Absent NoneCommissioner Freddie Adams opened the meeting with prayerThe following business was transacted1 No Tax Discounts - 1973 TaxesHarper Godwin, Tax Collector advised the Board of Commissioners that it was time to considerwhether or not the County was going-to grant a tax discount for 1973 taxes Mr Godwin stated thatthe tax discount could be restored on taxes paid prior to September in future years by filing anapplication with the State Board of Assessment by April, 1973After much discussion the Board agreed that no discounts be allowed on 1973 county taxes2 Taxes Released - Dennis F StanleyUpon the recommendation of Harper Godwin, Tax Collector, Commissioner Howard Benton moved thatpersonal property automobile taxes for the years 1957 and 1958 1957 balance due 1820 and 19582788 in the amount of 4608 be released in the name of Dennis F Stanley, Smithfield, NorthCarolina, due to the fact that taxes were paid at the time licenses purchased in the State of GeorgiaCommissioner Frank B Holding seconded the motion which was carried3 Applications -_Deputy Tax CollectorHarper Godwin, Tax Collector, presented to the Board several applications that he had receivedfor the Deputy Tax Collectors position that is vacant in his officeChairman Denning asked that Commissioner Howard Benton and Mr Godwin work together in screeningthese applications and report back to the Board at the next regular meeting4 Tax Listing Method DiscussedThe Board of County Commissioners, upon introduction by Commissioner Frank B Holding, discussedat length a more desirable method of listing household items subject to personal property taxation Itwas noted, that under a percentage method a taxpayer could elect to take a fixed percentage of houseand lot value or still itemize their household propertyCommissioner Frank B Holding stated that this method would simplify tax listing in JohnstonCounty and would prove to be a more equitable way to determine personal property valuationsCommissioner Holding further stated that should the Board adopt a;ten percent 10 ratioit wouldbring in more revenue, since many taxpayers are not listing their household items at ten percent 10 of their house and lot value Commissioner Holding added that about thirty 30 counties in NorthCarolina use this method of listing household itemsIn conclusion, Norman C Denning, Chairman, asked Commissioner Holding to study his proposalfurther and report back to the Board at the next regular meeting5 Road Petition - S R # 2145 and 2147The Board of Commissioners was presented with a petition from the property owners on S R #2145 and S R # 2147 located in Beulah Township requesting that these roads be pavedCommissioner Hoyt Castleberry moved that the petition be approved and mailed to the StateHighway Commission in Wilson, North Carolina, with the Boards recommendationsCommissioner Freddie Adams seconded the motion which was carried6 ReportsThe following reports were filed with the BoardHarper Godwin Tax CollectorM W Knott Electrical InspectorRubert C Barbour Dog WardenEleanor Hooks LibraryWilson Broadwell Civil DefenseFebruary 5, 1973 Coat7 Road Petition - Add To SystemThe Board of Commissioners was presented with a petition from property owners of the John RHowell, Jr sub-division off S R # 2320, located in Pine Level Township, requesting that this roadbe added to the Secondary Road System for maintenanceCommissioner Freddie Adams moved that the petition be approved and mailed to the State HighwayCommission in Wilson, North Carolina, with the Boards recommendationsCommissioner Howard Benton seconded the motion with was carried8 Additional Members Appointed to Board of HealthUpon the recommendation of the Johnston County Board of Health, Commissioner Freddie Adams movedthat Mrs Ray Smith of Benson and Mr William Clayton of Clayton be appointed to the Johnston CountyBoard of Health Mrs S mith for a term of two years and Mr Clayton for a term of one year, these termseffective January,, 1973Commissioner Howard Benton seconded the motion which was carried unanimously9 Condition of CourthouseMr Richard J Williams and Miss Rhetta Martin appeared before the Board of Commissionersregarding the lack of upkeep of the Johnston County Courthouse and the unbelievable dirty mess insidethe Courthouse, such as cluttered hallways, dirty windows and floorsj unpolished brass and etc MrWilliams expressed much concern and stated that this is one of the most beautiful buildings in theCounty, inside and out, and should be kept cleanThe Board discussed this situation with Mr Williams and Miss Martin and assured them that theywere aware and that steps are being taken to clean up and repair the Courthouse Commissioner Adamscommented that improvements are being made at the present time to the building and other work plannedfor the near future10 Dr Robert S Rankin Visited With BoardMr Tom Lassiter introduced to the Board of Commissioners Dr Robert S Rankin of Duke University,who is the key figure in` the Johnston County Forum Dr Rankin stated that the forum has been atremendous success and he was enjoying his stay in Johnston County Dr Rankin is living in Smithfieldduring the forum Dr Rankin asked the Board of Commissioners for its full cooperation and support onMarch 28, 1973, at a Workshop for Local Government Officials at the Johnston County Agriculture Building,followed by a dinner, with Albert Coates as guest speaker and final forum session at the Public Librarywith Terry Sanford, President of Duke Universityq as main speakerI The Board expressed its deep appreciation to Dr Rankin for his contribution to this Countyduring the forum and assured him of their support11 W G Massey, Register of Deeds Proposal for Higher FeesW G Massey, Register of Deeds, appeared before the Board asking the Boards opinion aboutraising fees charged for documents processed in his office Mr Massey stated that a number of countieswanted the General Assembly to authorize a higher schedule of uniform fees for Register of Deed officesin North CarolinaAfter discussion, Chairmaft Denning appointed a committee of Commissioner Hoyt Castleberry andJames C Woodard to work with Mr Massey on this fee schedule and report back to the Board at a laterdate12 Detective Agency - Sheriffs DepartmentSheriff Rayford Oliver appeared before the Board again requesting a special detectiveagency under the supervision of the Sheriffs Department Joe Hines, SBI Agent, appeared with theSheriff Sheriff Oliver stated that he and Commissioner Freddie Adams had been working-on this projectfor the past thirty 30 days, visiting other counties to see how their detective agency operates,Commissioner Adams stated that this was an urgent and pressing need in Johnston County, with theincreasing crime rate, however, he felt he and the Sheriff needed a little more time to make a completeand thorough investigation on how to set up this agencyChairman Denning asked Commissioner Adams and Sheriff Oliver to continue their study and reportback to the Board at a later date13 Radio Communications TowerThe Board of Commissioners, by motion of Commissioner Freddie Adams, seconded by CommissionerFrank B Holding and carried, authorized Sheriff Rayford Oliver to erect the radio tower for thecounty -wide communications system on the back area of the county owned property fronting 301 highway,between Smithfield and Selma, adjacent to Jones Brothers Furniture Company, The Board further orderedthat a fence be placed around this radiotower0February 5, 197314 Road Petition - S R # 2106The Board of Commissioners was presented with a petition from Walter Barnes and other propertyowners on S R # 2106, located in Oneals Township, Route # 1, Middlesex, requesting that this road be,pavedCommissioner Frank B Holding moved that this petition be approved and mailed to the StateHighway Commission in Wilson, North Carolina, with the Boards recommendations Commissioner Freddie Adams seconded the motion which was carried15 N B Grantham - Planning BoardMr N B Grantham, Chairman, Johnston County Planning Board, appeared before the Board and madea progress report of the activities of the Planning Board during the past months Mr Grantham advisedthat the Reconnaissance Survey should be ready by Wednesday, February 7, 1973Chairman Denning and the Board of Commissioners asked Mr Grantham and his Board to study theneed for a County Manager for Johnston County, The Board also asked the Planning Board to take a closeand extensive look at the garbage disposal needs, which seems to be a number one problem for the Countyat this time16 Trustee Appointed - Johnston Memorial HospitalCommissioner Hoyt Castleberry moved that William Powell Bagley, Route # 3, Clayton, NorthCarolina, be appointed to the Johnston Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees for a term of six yearsexpiring October 1, 1978Commissioner Frank B Holding seconded the motion which was carried unanimously17 C S Coats - County HistoryMr C S Coats visited with the Board and advised that he had talked with Dr Jones, Director,Department of Archives and History, regarding federal funds available for the writing of county historyand that it was Dr Jones understanding there were no such funds available18 N C State Highway Commissioner - Rudolph JonesMr Rudolph Jones, North Carolina State Highway Commissioner, and Mr Paul Anderson, DistrictEngineer, visited with the Board and discussed Johnston Countys Secondary roads Mr Jones advised theBoard that he encourages the priority system of paving and commended Johnston County for following thissystemHowever, Mr Jones further commented that he wanted to hear the Boards opinion about policiesI paving and maintenance of secondary roads The Board of Commissioners and Mr Jones agreedthat they were in favor of seeing more secondary roads paved in this CountyMr Jones and Mr Anderson also advised the Board that the North Carolina State HighwayCommission could not secure the right of way of S R # 1363, the Board suggested that the HighwayCommission move on to the next priority19 Abandonment of Portion of S R # 1218 I -95 Service RoadAt, the request of Paul Anderson, District Engineer, North Carolina State Highway Commission,Commissioner Howard Benton moved that the portion of Secondary Road # 1218 I -95 Service Road remainingon the Secondary Road System, which is approximately one -tenth of mile, be abandoned or deleted from theSecondary Road ProgramCommissioner Freddie Adams seconded the motion which was carried unanimously20 Joint Meeting - Board of Commissioners and Area Mental Health BoardMr Fred Wright, Administrator, Johnston County Mental Health Center, appeared and requesteda joint meeting of the Board of County Commissioners and the Area Mental Health Board on Wednesday,February 21,1973, at 730 pm, at the Conference Room of the Mental Health Center The purpose ofthis meeting to discuss some new proposals of the Mental Health Center in the areas of new staff, re-classification and revision of present budget and also to discuss the future plans for programdevelopment of in- patent and out- patient services21 Selma Rescue Squad - Radio EquipmentCommissioner Freddie Adams moved that the County,furnish the Selma Rescue Squad with one basestation and one mobile unit in keeping with the Countys policy in providing radio equipment for theCounty Rescue SquadsCommissioner Howard Benton seconded the motion which was carried unanimously4L8February 5, 197322 Resolution - J Dobbin BaileyThe following resolution was introduced by Commissioner Freddie Adams, duly seconded byCommissioner Howard Benton and was carried unanimouslyRESOLUTIONWHEREAS, Honorable J Dobbin Bailey served as a member of the Johnston County Board ofCommissioners from 5th March, 1945; until December 4, 1972, and as Chairman of the Board ,from 2ndDecember, 1968, until December 4, 1972;WHEREAS, Mr Bailey was known for his wit, gentle and kind character, fiscal soundness, andpositive and progressive approach to County problems;WHEREAS,hisleadershipas Chairmanof the Board wasoutstanding;WHEREAS,Mr,Bailey hasdemonstratedhis great loveand devotion for Johnston County and itspeople;AND, WHEREAS, the members of the Board feel that the official minutes should carry an expressionof the esteem and gratitude that all of said members have for Mr BaileyNOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners of Johnston County officiallyrecognize the great and devoted service of the Honorable J Dobbin Baileyas County Commissioner from5th March, 19459 until 4 December, 1972, and further to wish Mr Bailey and his lovely wife, Charlie,many more years of good health and happiness23 Micro Town DumpCommissioner Freddie Adams informed the Board that the Town of Micro had opened the townsgarbage dump to the public for use without charge, and therefore, moved that the Town of Micro be paid15000 per month effective February 1, 1973Commissioner Howard Benton seconded the motion which wap carried24 County To Purchase Lot on North StreetCommissioner Frank B Holding moved that the County of Johnston purchase a lot from E VWilkins located on North Street adjacent to the lot already owned by the County for a total purchaseprice of 7,000Commissioner Howard Benton seconded the motion which was carried unanimously25 Minutes ApprovedThe Board of Commissioners reviewed the minutes of the Board meeting of January 2, 1973Commissioner Howard Benton moved that the minutes of this January 2, 1973 meeting be approvedas recordedCommissioner Frank B Holding seconded the motion which was carried unanimously26 County -Wide Police Force ProposedJoe Grimes, President, Greater Smithfield -Selma Chamber of Commerce, and other members of theChamber appeared before the Board of County Commissioners with a proposal for a county -wide police forcefor Johnston County Mr Grimes stated that a study had been made by an independent consultant and theChambers Board of Directors was recommending the establishment of a county -wide police commissionMr Grimes explained in detail how this proposed county -wide police force would operate withpolice protection for the entire county on a 24 hour a day basis The county -wide force would replaceexisting town police departments, as the county would be divided into,Ypolice precincts It was furthernoted that the Chamber favored this system rather than increasing the County Sheriffs DepartmentCommissioner Holding stated that he and the Board favored expansion of the Sheriffs Departmentbecause of the increasing crime rate in Johnston County and that long range planning for a county -widepolice force was something that would have to wait Commissioner Holding further commented that it wouldbe much simpler if the jurisdiction of the local police departments were extended to cover rural areasof the county Mr Grimes stated that this was exactly what they were asking for in a little differentmannerAfter much discussion, Mr Grimes asked the Board Chairman toappoint a committee made up ofrepresentation from all law enforcement agencies in the County to study the feasibility of a county -wide pbl ce force Chairman Denning related that he would not appoint such a committee until thisproposal had been submitted to the towns and had received favorable reaction However, ChairmanDenning did authorize Commissioner Freddie Adams to act as representative for the Board of Commissionersregarding this matterUpon a motion by Commissioner Freddie Adams, duly seconded by Commissioner Howard; Benton andcarried unanimously the Board recessed to meet again February 21, 1973, at 730 pm, in joint sessionwith the Area Mental Health Board?r-00t ?,Eleanor N Cree k9, Clerk Norman C Denning, Chairman