February 20, 2023 - 6:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes

10 349 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners February 20 , 2023 6 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in regular session Monday , February 20 , 2023 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 , Finance Officer and Deputy County Manager J Chad McLamb , 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 Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris opened the meeting with a prayer Commissioner Ted G Godwin led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag 1 Approval Discussion of Agenda Upon a motion by Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris , seconded by Commissioner Ted G Godwin , and carried by unanimous vote , the Board approved the agenda as presented 2 Consent Agenda Items Upon a motion by Commissioner Ted G Godwin , seconded by Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris , and carried by unanimous vote , the Board approved the consent agenda items as follows A Approval of Minutes – January 3 , 2023 10 00 am and 6 00 pm B Department of Transportation – Additions to System The Board concurred with the NC DOT’s request to add the following roads to the State Maintained System Beaver Tavern Drive , Falling Leaf Lane and Fall Bridge Circle – Beaver Falls – Banner Township C Town of Benson – Appointment to Benson Planning Board Per a request by the Town of Benson , the Board made the following appointment to the Benson Planning Board representing the ETJ area of the Town Rodney Starling , 100 Massengill Farm Road , Benson term expiring 12 31 2024 D Town of Benson – Appointment to Benson Board of Adjustment Per a request by the Town of Benson , the Board made the following appointments to the Benson Board of Adjustment representing the ETJ area of the Town Hampton Whittington , Jr , 2330 NC Hwy 50 N , Benson term expiring 12 31 2024 Kelvin Barbour , 2185 NC Hwy 50 S , Benson term expiring 12 31 2024 E Sheriff’s Office - Approval of purchase of Sheriffs bond pursuant to NCGS 162 - 8 in the amount of 10,00000 with Travelers Insurance Page350 February 20 , 2023 – 6 00 pm Continued 3 Public Comments No one spoke at this time Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr acknowledged an e - mail received from Kevin Parks regarding the condition of South Ridge Drive in Garner Subdivision He directed the e - mail to staff to follow up on the concerns 4 Manager Reports and Comments None 5 Board Reports and Comments Commissioner Richard D Braswell stated he would like for the Board to discuss regionalization further He stated new towns are being formed surrounding the County and once they establish public utility departments for water and sewer it will be even harder to work towards regionalization Commissioner R Braswell stated he can remember a time when the City of Raleigh just managed their own utility system ; however , now most of the towns in Wake County are all under the City of Raleigh’s utility system Commissioner Ted G Godwin stated Commissioner Richard D Braswell’s comments make sense , and the process can become complicated especially with environmental laws making it an even larger issue Commissioner Godwin also noted that a couple years ago the Board voted to do away with restricted access to the convenience sites for trash disposal He continued that progress has not been made with finding an alternate funding source , and he reminded everyone that this will be one of his priorities at the planning session Commissioner Godwin stated he is committed to doing whatever it takes to have meaningful discussions on this issue Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris provided an update on the mental health issue with Alliance Health He stated there has been a proposal from Alliance which is being reviewed by Health Director Dr Marilyn Pearson and staff He noted that Commissioner Ted G Godwin is also involved in those meetings and a report would be brought back to the full Board when more details are available Vice Chairman Harris assured everyone that this is still a priority they are actively working on to make sure citizens receive the care they need Commissioner Fred J Smith , Jr stated he agrees with Commissioner Richard D Braswell’s comments on regionalization and its importance Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr noted that he also agrees with the regionalization comments Chairman Lawter announced that the Board will be holding the Strategic Planning Session on March 15 - 16 , 2023 at Campbell University and the meeting will be livestreamed 6 Closed Session – NCGS 14331811 a 3 – Attorney - Client Privilege Upon a motion by Commissioner Fred J Smith , Jr , seconded by Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris , and carried by unanimous vote , the Board recessed regular session to sit in closed session for the purposes of consulting with an attorney employed by the Board in order to preserve the attorney - client privilege , pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 143 - 31811 a 3 No action was taken Commissioner Ted G Godwin moved the Board adjourn closed session and resume regular session Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote There being no further business , Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Richard D Braswell seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 6 57 pm RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr , Chairman Dana G Cuddington , Clerk to the BoardPage