December 5, 2022 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Rezoning)

10 280 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners December 5 , 2022 6 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in regular session Monday , December 5 , 2022 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr , Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris , Tony Braswell , Ted G Godwin , Fred J Smith , Jr , Richard D Braswell , and April Stephens Absent None Also Present County Manager Rick J Hester , County Attorney Jennifer J Slusser , Clerk to the Board Dana G Cuddington , and Executive Assistant Deputy Clerk Susie Reeves Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr called the meeting to order at 6 00 pm and the following business was transacted Announcements from the Chairman Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr stated the Board utilized written ballots at the 10 00 am meeting for the appointments to the Veterans Services Advisory Board Chairman Lawter stated the votes have been tallied and he announced the following Bradley Palmer was reappointed Veterans Services Advisory Board – Upon a motion by Commissioner Ted G Godwin , seconded by Commissioner Richard D Braswell , and carried unanimously , the Board appointed Mr Palmer for a term to expire on December 31 , 2025 Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr announced that the applicant has requested for Cases 22 - 17 and 22 - 18 to be postponed until the February 6 , 2023 6 00 pm meeting 1 Approval Discussion of Agenda Upon a motion by Commissioner Ted G Godwin , seconded by Commissioner Richard D Braswell , and carried by unanimous vote , the Board approved the agenda postponing Cases 22 - 17 and 22 - 18 until the February 6 , 2023 6 00 pm meeting 2 Public Comment There were no public comments 3 NC Department of Transportation – Easement Request Ms Denise Amato with the North Carolina Department of Transportation requested the Board to consider granting an easement on property identified as Tax ID 15I09033B and located at the bridge on NC Hwy 210 , just before the Johnston County Agricultural Center Ms Amato reported the NCDOT will be replacing the bridge at this location and requires a drainage easement from Johnston County in order to complete the project She stated the request is for one permanent utilities drainage easement , two permanent drainage easements , and one temporary construction easement She stated the temporary construction easement would terminate once construction is complete Ms Amato stated there is an on - site detour for the bridge and mentioned a meeting that was held with the Department of Transportation’s engineers Chairman , R S “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr stated that he along with Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris and County Manager Rick Hester attended a meeting with Department of Transportation’s representatives discussing the length of time of the project Mr Lawter stated the Board preferred to see a wider bridge section , but with the time constraints and the delays it would take to redesign and then eventually do the project , would not be timely and once it is taken off the list there is no guarantee when it would get back on the list He also stated concerns about a 108 mile detour , but when it was further described at the meeting it would be more like a mile and a half and maybe less than a mile difference in the travel end He stated after conversations with Emergency Services , they could make the accommodations so there would not be any significant impact on providing service He noted the meeting did give an opportunity to bring up other future projects and it was a very collaborative meeting He stated we know the Department of Transportation does not build something based on speculation so they are not goingPage281 December 5 , 2022 – 6 00 pm Continued to build a five - lane wide bridge and wait 30 years for it to be used He stated that is not the way they function and fund projects He noted it will be an inconvenience , but not quite the inconvenience that they originally thought Commissioner Patrick E Harris stated once everyone sat down and studied the project and spent time with the Department of Transportation representatives , it made a lot more sense He stated the detour being the worst case scenario , if you went from point to point , it’s really not going to be the major inconvenience that they had thought He also stated it was an opportunity to try to push for some additional things , but at the end of the day they felt a lot better after looking at the maps and studying the process Upon a motion by Commissioner Ted G Godwin , seconded by Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris , and carried by unanimous vote , the Board approved the easement request 4 Public Hearing Rezoning Conditional Use Requests – The News & Observer , The Johnstonian News and The News in Review – November 23 and Advertised November 30 , 2022 Certified letters were mailed to adjoining property owners on November 21 , 2022 Notices were posted at the locations on October 7 , 2022 for Cases 22 - 27 and 22 - 28 The Chairman opened the Rezoning Hearing for Case 22 - 27 Petition to rezone 373 acres located at 4880 NC Hwy 96 in the Selma Township from Agricultural Case 22 - 27 Residential AR to General Business – Conditional Zoning GB - CZ Tax ID 14M08010B Owner Blade Hunter Perdue Applicant Adams & Hodge Engineering , PC Planning Director Braston Newton stated the petition is to rezone 373 acres located at 4880 NC Hwy 96 in Selma Township from Agricultural Residential to General Business – Conditional Zoning The zoning request is for outdoor storage with utilities and services provided by Northside Fire District and Thanksgiving Rescue The surrounding land uses are zoned Agricultural Residential and used for residential and agricultural purposes , Zoned I - 1 and used as a woodworking shop ; Zoned Community Business and used as a gas station , auto service station ; Zoned General Business – Special Use District for a Dollar General and is zoned and used as a mobile home park The area is located within a designated “ Secondary Growth Area ” on the County’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan Mr Newton stated the traffic count for this portion of NC Hwy 96 is 2,100 vehicles per day as of 2018 and this portion of Hwy 96 does not appear on our Comprehensive Transportation Plan and appears as an existing major thoroughfare needing improvement The Chairman called for the applicant to come forward Staff displayed the proposed conditions on the screen as follows 1 Proposed uses Land use restricted to outdoor storage of boats , RV’s , travel trailers , trailers , and 10 - wheeled box trucks Proposed by applicant 2 The development shall conform to all requirements of the Johnston County Land Development Code Proposed by applicant 3 Lighting shall be engineered dark sky down - lighting so as to not shine onto adjacent properties Proposed by applicant 4 24 - hour accessibility Proposed by applicant 5 Applicant shall submit a detailed site plan for review and approval by the Planning and Zoning Department Staff Proposed by applicant 6 Site may include a future covered 3 - sided outdoor storage area Proposed by applicant 7 A Class B 2 large trees , 3 small trees , and 9 shrubs every 100 linear feet landscape buffer shall be installed along all rezoning lines 8 All signage shall comply with the Johnston County sign code Proposed by applicant 9 If 17,000 SF of impervious area is planned or 1 acre will be disturbed , a stormwater permit will be required 10 If one acre or more is planned to be disturbed , an erosion control permit will be required 11 Emergency vehicles must be granted gate access and gate must be located far enough off of roadway to accommodate emergency vehicles 12 An 8 foot opaque fence or an 8 foot fence 4 foot berm with an adequate planting of evergreen material , at staff’s discretion , to satisfy the intent of the opaque fence requirement , will be installed around the storage area 13 NCDOT driveway permit required 14 Gate shall be at least 100 ’ from right of way if trailer storage is proposed and be permitted by the Johnston County Building Inspections and the Fire Marshal Division 15 Gate must have a Knox e - switch for Emergency personnel access Page282 December 5 , 2022 – 6 00 pm Continued Donnie Adams , Adams & Hodge Engineering , on behalf of the applicant , addressed the Board Mr Adams stated the use would be all outdoor storage which should not be confused with mini - storage and is identified on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan as a secondary growth area and also at the intersection of Little Divine and Highway 96 Mr Adams stated it is a neighborhood center with the uses mentioned and this site is approximately a quarter mile from there He also stated the layout of the site is very typical to the last few that were brought before you He further stated they are proposing the perimeter to be protected with a combination of landscaping and fencing and that is covered specifically in the conditions of use He offered to answer any questions Chairman asked for anyone in the audience that would like to make a comment to come forward Annette Calderia 5014 NC Hwy 96 , Selma stated this parcel is connected to her backyard and questioned if this would be going through her yard Chairman asked for staff to put the plans on the screen At the inquiry of Commissioner Ted G Godwin , Ms Calderia stated her house faces the Dollar General on Hwy 96 Chairman Lawter asked for an explanation of the plans from the applicant At the inquiry of Ms Calderia Mr Adams stated there are no plans for development in the area in question He stated the outdoor storage would stop about three quarters of the way through the property and would not affect her property There being no further public comments , the Chairman closed the public comment portion of the hearing Mr Newton reported the Planning Board recommended approval of the rezoning and adoption of a Resolution for the Statement of Consistency with an attached list of conditions as submitted in the agenda packet Mr Newton requested the applicant’s verbal approval of the conditions Chairman Lawter requested the owner to come forward Owner , Blade Perdue agreed with the conditions presented Commissioner Richard D Braswell stated that with the pending changes that the Board may be making to the Land Use Plan , with more parking needed , the outdoor storage is going to be a commonplace thing and a positive for the community He stated there is a need for more outdoor storage Commissioner Ted G Godwin stated he is familiar with this area and it is a business community and there are a lot of residences as well as active viable businesses in that intersection There being no further comments , the Chairman recessed the Rezoning Hearing for Case 22 - 27 Decision on Rezoning Case 22 - 27 Petition to rezone 373 acres located at 4880 NC Hwy 96 in the Selma Township from Agricultural Case 22 - 27 Residential AR to General Business – Conditional Zoning GB - CZ Tax ID 14M08010B Owner Blade Hunter Perdue Applicant Adams & Hodge Engineering , PC Commissioner Ted G Godwin moved the Board adopt the following Statement of Consistency Resolution and approve the rezoning request with the conditions as outlined for Case 22 - 27 Commissioner Richard D Braswell seconded the motion , which was carried by unanimous vote RESOLUTION FOR CASE NUMBER 22 - 27 RESOLUTION APPROVING A ZONING AMENDMENT AND ADOPTING A STATEMENT OF CONSISTENCY REGARDING AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAPS OF JOHNSTON COUNTY WHEREAS , pursuant to NC Gen Stat § 160D - 605 , prior to adopting or rejecting a zoning amendment , the governing board is required to adopt a statement approving or rejecting the zoning amendment and describe if the amendment is consistent or inconsistent with the comprehensive zoning plan and why the board considers the action taken to be reasonable and in the public interest ; WHEREAS , the Johnston County Planning Board has reviewed a proposed amendment to The Official Zoning Maps of Johnston County , for parcel identified as tax ID 14M08010B located at 4880 NC Hwy 96 in Selma Township , from Agricultural Residential to General Business - Conditional Zoning Page283 December 5 , 2022 – 6 00 pm Continued WHEREAS , based on a review of the proposed amendment the Planning Board found that the proposed amendment is consistent with the Johnston County Comprehensive Land Use Plan and updates and further recommended that the Board of Commissioners approve the proposed amendment ; and WHEREAS , this Board has reviewed and considered the above written recommendation of the Planning Board and has held a public hearing on the proposed amendment , and this Board desires to approve the zoning amendment and adopt a statement describing why the adoption of the proposed amendment is consistent with the Johnston County Comprehensive Land Use Plan and updates , and the Board considers the proposed amendment to be reasonable and in the public interest NOW , THEREFORE , BE IT ORDAINED BY THE JOHNSTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS THAT 1 This Board finds and determines that the adoption of the proposed amendment to the Official Zoning Maps of Johnston County is consistent with the Johnston County Land Use Plan and updates thereto because the Land Use Plan and updates indicate that a The amendment aligns with “ Goal 1 , Objective 2C Reduce the possibility of incompatible uses and mitigate them when they occur ” found in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan 2 This Board finds and determines that it is reasonable and in the public interest to approve the proposed amendment because a The zoning designation of General Business - Conditional Zoning provides a complimentary service within a growing community ; and b The site is located within the Secondary Growth Area which is experiencing the stressors of growth and requires a need for specific services within the community 3 This Board approves the proposed zoning amendment from Agricultural Residential to General Business - Conditional Zoning th Adopted this the 5 day of December , 2022 The Chairman opened the Rezoning Hearing for Case 22 - 28 Commissioner April Stephens requested to be recused from Case 22 - 28 for the purposes of being involved in this transaction Upon a motion by Commissioner April Stephens , seconded by Commissioner Tony Braswell , and carried unanimously , the Board voted to accept the request from Commissioner April Stephens to recuse herself from Case 22 - 28 Map Amendment petition to remove a parcel from the Environmentally Sensitive Area ESA Tax Case 22 - 28 ID 11L05023Q Owner John Robert Foscus & Rani Celeste Foscue Applicant Adam & Hodge Engineering , PC Planning Director Braston Newton stated the petition is a map amendment to amend the official zoning map to remove a particular parcel from the environmentally sensitive area which is one of the overlay districts The area is located within a designated “ Secondary Growth Area on the County’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan Mr Newton stated he has included in the packet a staff report an excerpt from our Land Development Code which describes our environmentally sensitive area overlay district Mr Newton mentioned the orthophoto from Johnston County GIS showing a shaded hatched area He stated this is the County’s boundary for the environmentally sensitive overlay district and this encompasses about two - thirds to three - quarters of the property He also stated this property has been approved for a 35 lot residential development and if this is removed from the environmentally sensitive area this would not have any impact on that approval in terms of giving them an opportunity to create more lots He stated it would move some lot lines which is considered a minor modification in a staff approval He stated the applicant will give some testimony that may justify the removal of the environmentally sensitive area district He noted staff has reviewed the request and has forwarded to the public utilities department and stormwater engineer and they have no concerns He offered to answer any questions Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr asked if anyone had any questions Chairman Lawyer stated he had a question , but not specific to this case He mentioned that this is not the first time the Board has had a case like this and in the future how do we clean this up or do we deal with this on a case - by - case basis Mr Newton stated staff would have to evaluate or do an analysis to determine historically how this boundary was developed Mr Newton also stated he does not think it was arbitrary , but does not have anything to refute that at this point He stated they would look back for reference at North Carolina maps and see where they actually correspond and whether an environmentally sensitive overlay district and the applicable water bodies that the environmentally sensitive overlay district exists to protect Chairman Lawter called for the applicant to come forward PagePage pageNumber5284 December 5 , 2022 – 6 00 pm Continued Donnie Adams , Adams & Hodge Engineering , representing the applicant , addressed the Board Mr Adams stated we are talking about an environmentally sensitive overlay district which is basically contour driven He stated this is not the first case , but in the past prior to some of the zoning changes , this had been something that was handled at the engineering level and handled at public utilities when they were going through erosion control or storm water process He stated now it is associated with the zoning and the difference between being in the environmentally sensitive overlay district and being outside the environmentally sensitive overlay district He said outside the environmentally sensitive overlay district is a 30,000 square foot minimum lot size and inside the environmentally sensitive overlay district is a 40,000 square foot minimum lot size He stated this is the reason they are coming before the Board at the zoning level He stated on this particular site after a quick evaluation of the existing contour , it shows that all the water runs away from the environmentally sensitive overlay district He stated Jordan - Narron Road is a high point to consider and this site is on the outside of that and drains away from it There being no further public comments , the Chairman closed the public comment portion of the hearing Mr Newton reported the Planning Board recommended approval of the rezoning and adoption of a Resolution for the Statement of Consistency as submitted in the agenda packet Commissioner Ted G Godwin stated it is his understanding if approved the minimum lot size will be 30,000 throughout and if not approved the minimum lot size in the environmentally sensitive area would be 40,000 and the reason it is not applicable is because of the contour and it does not match the map overlay Mr Newton stated essentially it does not and the drainage for the property does not flow to one of those identified water bodies based upon the topographic information we have Commissioner Godwin stated it looks like an arc of a circle drawn around Cattail Pond Mr Newton stated that is the difficulty they are having with the sensitive overlay district and there are several locations within the county where the environmentally sensitive overlay district is established He stated there is limited historical data or information to show exactly how they derived from those areas There being no further comments , the Chairman recessed the Rezoning Hearing for Case 22 - 28 Decision on Rezoning Case 22 - 28 Map Amendment petition to remove a parcel from the Environmentally Sensitive Area ESA Tax Case 22 - 28 ID 11L05023Q Owner John Robert Foscus & Rani Celeste Foscue Applicant Adam & Hodge Engineering , PC Commissioner Richard D Braswell moved the Board adopt the following Statement of Consistency Resolution and approve the rezoning request for Case 22 - 28 Commissioner Fred J Smith , Jr seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote with Commissioner Stephens abstaining RESOLUTION FOR CASE NUMBER 22 - 28 RESOLUTION APPROVING A ZONING AMENDMENT AND ADOPTING A STATEMENT OF CONSISTENCY REGARDING AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAPS OF JOHNSTON COUNTY WHEREAS , pursuant to NC Gen Stat § 160D - 605 , prior to adopting or rejecting a zoning amendment , the governing board is required to adopt a statement approving or rejecting the zoning amendment and describe if the amendment is consistent or inconsistent with the comprehensive zoning plan and why the board considers the action taken to be reasonable and in the public interest ; WHEREAS , the Johnston County Planning Board has reviewed a proposed amendment to The Official Zoning Maps of Johnston County , for a parcels identified as tax Tag ID 11L05023Q located on Jordan - Narron Road in O’Neals Township , by removing the subject property from the Environmentally Sensitive Area Overlay District WHEREAS , based on a review of the proposed amendment the Planning Board found that the proposed amendment is consistent with the Johnston County Comprehensive Land Use Plan and updates and further recommended that the Board of Commissioners approve the proposed amendment ; and WHEREAS , this Board has reviewed and considered the above written recommendation of the Planning Board and has held a public hearing on the proposed amendment , and this Board desires to approve the zoning amendment and adopt a statement describing why the adoption of the proposed amendment is consistent with the Johnston County Comprehensive Land Use Plan and updates , and the Board considers the proposed amendment to be reasonable and in the public interest NOW , THEREFORE , BE IT ORDAINED BY THE JOHNSTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS THAT PagePage pageNumber6285 December 5 , 2022 – 6 00 pm Continued 1 This Board finds and determines that the adoption of the proposed amendment to the Official Zoning Maps of Johnston County is consistent with the Johnston County Land Use Plan and updates thereto because the Land Use Plan and updates indicate that a The amendment aligns with “ Goal 10 Protect Natural and Cultural Sites ; Objective 10B Protect Ecologically Sensitive Areas ” found in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan 2 This Board finds and determines that it is reasonable and in the public interest to approve the proposed amendment because a The Environmentally Sensitive Area Overlay District is intended to be consistent with the drainage basins of the perennial streams identified in the Johnston County Land Development Code , Section 14 - 103 b 2 ; and b The site is located within the Primary Growth Area The request is reasonable and in the public interest in that the map amendment corrects an inaccuracy 3 This Board approves the proposed zoning amendment , removing the subject parcels from the Environmentally Sensitive Area Overlay District th Adopted this the 5 day of December , 2022 5 Planning Activity Report and Comprehensive Land Use Plan continued discussion Planning Director Braston Newton stated as was mentioned a few meetings ago , we would take a look at the draft future land use map and some of the donut holes and would address to see if there could be modifications made to those He stated in discussing with the project team they have prepared a presentation that reinforces the methodology and would look at three areas within the presentation and show what changes they propose can occur if chosen by the Board and the implications thereof Mr Newton introduced Meg Nealon with Nealon Planning to address the Board Meg Nealon with Nealon Planning stated they had meetings with the team and staff to look at specifics and response to some questions that have been raised as it relates to the map She stated one of the questions was in regards to refinements to the mapping and to make sure it is reflecting what this group , Board and the community as a whole is looking for from a policy standpoint She stated what was put together is a very brief presentation that looks at the map in its current form and then looks at some of the specifics as we scan around the map and think about what the opportunities are as it relates to future development and what can be supported with infrastructure Commissioner Fred J Smith , Jr inquired about a copy of the map for each board member to have at their seats Ms Nealon referenced the current map on the screen She noted the place types on the map as it offers a greater range than you presently have in Johnston County to consider in accommodating future development She said this will serve you well and the questions were more at a granular level at specific parcels and thinking about what the potential is for reaching those with infrastructure specifically , utilities She stated those were examined a bit closer as in the presentation so you will have that description of the place types Ms Nealon noted the agricultural area which is one of the place types that had a lot of discussion She noted what constitutes an agricultural area in the mapping to date Ms Nealon stated a lot of that encompasses what is considered to be viable agriculture so we want to revisit what that means She said it does acknowledge what is on the ground today but also acknowledges some potential for agriculture being part of the mix in the future knowing that those adjustments can be made She stated relating to this as the plan goal that came through the process of farmland being preserved and that the agricultural industry continues to thrive as a piece of the local economy Ms Nealon noted an example of a policy statement that goes along with that is minimizing the potential for intense residential development in agricultural areas She stated some of what we are hearing through the process was the potential for some of the agricultural land that is in operation today to be impacted by adjacent development that is coming online , particularly residential development with new neighborhoods next to farms that are operating and affecting those operations She stated that is an example of what is intended by a color on a map and there is a lot more detail that goes into those types of elements in the plan Ms Nealon continued with some of the specifics of what is behind that She stated today a present use value designation there and we are also capturing conservation easements or areas near those that are intended for agricultural use within or adjacent to the voluntary agriculture districts She stated those are in place to not only protect the farmers from nuisance claims and lawsuits but to also recognize some areas where contiguous farms have some ability to be more viable because of the sheer number of acres within that property She further stated property size and soils are a factor and the concentration of these operations She continued , in looking at the map , the goal for residential areas is to have physically efficient compact growth to lessen the tax burdens She said to think about where development is going to occur over the long term , 20 years out and how to be good stewards of the County’s resources She also stated to look for ways where growth can occur in a way that takes advantage of existing infrastructure or areas where infrastructure can be feasibly extended She said there was thought about the future residential types targeting areas where utilities could easily reach our already service area A relatedPagePage pageNumber7286 December 5 , 2022 – 6 00 pm Continued policy example is directing future growth towards the municipalities and looking at the utility service area She stated to look at the municipalities and the areas around those as well as the interchange areas that are also identified as service areas There is quite a bit of acreage in all of those areas and directing some of the future residential growth to those areas there is a lineman between that and where you are seeing these colors that represent the residential place types She stated the suitability factor is there and is reflective of the kinds of things that a site selector that is looking for property to develop for residential purposes would also be looking at She noted the list of suitability factors is in alignment with that type of site selector list She stated looking at the suitability and comparing it to the suitability for agriculture Naturally if we show all of the suitability maps there would be overlap in all of these She stated there are parcels across the landscape that would be suitable for residential , agriculture and commercial She said as they are thinking about market projections and where things are likely to be drawn in the near term versus the post 20 year mark She stated they sorted out the place types to the maps to recognize where the County can more feasibly serve some of these areas in the near term versus something that would be a longer term opportunity Ms Nealon went through some of the examples with the Board to show potential map changes from previous conversations At the inquiry of Commissioner Fred J Smith , Jr , Chairman R S “ Butch ” Lawter stated no action would be taken at the meeting and requested from staff to provide the updated maps to the Board as shown in the presentation Ms Nealon noted these are examples of how the map may change and be reflective of the policy She stated they only pulled out a couple of these areas for the Board to look at as examples Ms Nealon referenced the area near the Wake County line with the other side being the Marks Creek area near Wendell She continued showing maps pertaining to Pine Level and Micro areas indicating rural living and agricultural areas At the inquiry of Commissioner Tony Braswell , Ms Nealon clarified where on the maps the ETJ areas are located Ms Nealon continued with the presentation and asked for any questions or comments Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr stated he likes the way we are looking at the donut holes of agriculture and looking at the option of making it something other than agriculture He stated the plan feels a little disconnected in places as we have goals in one section and then we have the objectives and policies He stated he would like to see a flow so we have a clear goal , objective and policy He noted an example is supporting the municipalities and exactly what that means , whether it is financial support , infrastructure improvements or water and sewer He stated there needs to be more teeth in clearly stating the goals , objectives and policies He stated he would email his concerns to staff to further discuss his concerns He stated he would like to see the plan reflect the goals , objectives and policies Commissioner Tony Braswell commented on municipal limits within some of the towns that do not have their own services and are using Johnston County services Chairman Lawter stated from the regionalization study heard this morning , there may be some alternatives there and address those in some of our regional studies to see the impact of how we handle those Commissioner Fred J Smith , Jr reflected on the day that towns came to the earlier meeting asking for money so they could provide services He stated we have towns that have water lines that malfunction and need millions of dollars He stated as Commissioners , we financially support the towns dealing with defective infrastructure , but then say we want to drive all the development and growth of this County to the Towns who cannot financially handle it He stated he does not see any logic in the plan , that he is a conservative and does not think the government should be planning but so much He stated when we talk about managing landowner and investor expectations , we are talking about the government saying that it wants to manage the private sector He stated he cannot support that The private sector and freedom is what has made this country what it is today Commissioner Smith said the results are not good when the government comes in and tries to manage the private sector He stated he is not opposed to establishing rules for development He stated when the private sector works with the public sector you get a good outcome After further discussion between Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr and Commissioner Smith , Chairman Lawter stated there needs to be a public hearing at some point , which does not mean we are done with the process He asked for staff to look at a date and location in late February to have a public hearing Commissioner April Stephens stated she feels like we’re looking at this from a 10,000 foot view She stated she has thoughts and ideas of things that she would like to implement to my plan and make sure they make sense to the planning dept She stated she is working on her specific questions and how do we start towards some type of strategy implementation She noted making a list of top five priorities and ways to envision the outline they have created She suggested every Commissioner make a list with regards to their districts to come up withPagePage pageNumber8287 December 5 , 2022 – 6 00 pm Continued five priorities and then there would be 35 priorities to really dive and dig into and figure out what is logistically feasible Chairman Lawter stated we have a starting point with goals already listed in the public process He stated he personally thinks there are some combinations in there and would like to receive their lists and see where they match up here He stated the key is getting beyond the 10,000 foot level and getting in there with specific ideas and comments He stated this is a detailed document and again mentioned setting the public hearing or coming back with some detailed recommendations Commissioner Stephens was in favor of the idea She stated when we all get our ideas together on how we can start to put some changes and implementations in place , the public will see this and then we can show them what the next level looks like and get their feedback Ms Stephens specific details of the changes that we are planning to make Chairman Lawter stated there are some finer points that need to be worked out and suggested holding off on a hearing in January Chairman Lawter requested from staff to clarify goals , objectives and policies and put those in a way so they can follow those a little more readily and asked for options to have more specifics in what certain things mean and how to be in the policy Commissioner Richard D Braswell stated before we started working on the how that we got to know why we need to establish the goals but not every goal will be each Commissioner’s goal He stated we are all going to have different ideas so it may take a meeting to just discuss this topic He said we need to decide what and then how He also stated he would like to see the Board take into consideration not to over regulate or carry their authority too far Commissioner Smith stated the board needs to decide where they want this to go and to direct staff of what they want this county to look like Chairman Lawter stated the plan for this Board for a long time has been pushing growth towards municipalities He stated at the next meeting to be prepared to discuss the what and bring your suggestions and top priorities Commissioner Tony Braswell suggested a public hearing Ms Stephens suggested coming back with their top five priorities and coming back with those for the public She stated we need to have more specifics to take to the public 6 Manager Reports and Comments County Attorney Jennifer Slusser addressed the Board as it relates to a First Amendment to a Resolution authorizing the amount to be spent by the Johnston County Board of Education to acquire real property to be used for a school project site She stated on October 17 , 2022 the Board approved a resolution to acquire approximately 90 acres of real property on the North side of Talton Farm Road in Smithfield , Johnston County She stated upon additional review and additional discussions with the property owner staff has received information that additional acreage on that parcel is available for acquisition and the property could be used for the purposes of a school site project as well as opportunities for parks , open space and greenways Ms Slusser stated originally , the Board approved 90 acres for acquisition and now has the opportunity to acquire a total of 211 acres with the purchase price being 42 million dollars She noted the concept would be very similar to what the Board did with the Earp property and Johnston County Board of Education would do all of the due diligence and confirm the suitability She noted upon closing , a deed would be prepared for the Johnston County Board of Commissioners for the portion that would be utilized for that parks , open space and greenways She stated she has that for the Board’s consideration if it is something the Board wants staff to move forward concurrently with the Board of Education Ms Slusser recommended the Board adopt the amended resolution Upon a motion by Commissioner Tony Braswell , seconded by Commissioner Richard D Braswell , and carried by unanimous vote , the Board adopted the First Amendment to Resolution authorizing the amount to be spent by the Johnston County Board of Education to acquire real property to be used for a school project site 7 Board Reports and Comments Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr welcomed new Deputy Clerk Susie Reeves and congratulated her on her new position PagePage pageNumber9288 December 5 , 2022 – 6 00 pm Continued Chairman Lawter also expressed his condolences to the family of Freddie Stancil upon his recent passing Chairman Lawter noted Mr Stancil was a member of the Airport Authority and a big part of the Johnston County Community Chairman Lawter expressed his condolences to Commissioner Fred J Smith , Jr and his family with the passing of his brother , Irvin Duval Smith , Sr He stated Mr Smith , Sr was a big part of the Archer Lodge and the Riverwood Community Chairman Lawter also reported the process has begun with the Johnston County Public Information Office and several departments on updating the branding for the County and looked forward to an update at a future meeting in January There being no further business , Commissioner Richard D Braswell moved the Board adjourn Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 7 27 pm RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr , Chairman Dana G Cuddington , Clerk to the BoardPage