December 2, 2024 - 10:00 AM - Board of Commissioners Highlights

10 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE JOHNSTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING DECEMBER 2 , 2024 - 10 00 AM Videos of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners meetings may be viewed at the following https wwwyoutubecom jocogovnc Marine Corps League Detachment 1236 of Johnston County led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr recognized newly appointed Board members , Michelle Pace Davis and Michael David Rose 1 Organization of the Board Commissioner RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr was elected to serve as Chairman and Commissioner Patrick E Harris as Vice Chairman for one - year terms 2 Approval Discussion of Agenda - Agenda approved 3 Consent Agenda Items - Consent agenda approved including waivers in the length of service policy A Approval of Minutes – November 4 , 2024 10 00 am and 6 00 pm B Department of Transportation – Additions to System NC DOT is requesting the Board to concur with their recommendation to add the following roads to the State Maintained System Shady Oaks Drive , Spruce Point Drive , Maddox Cove and Teakwood Circle – Spring Branch – Elevation Township Renaissance Drive , Monalisa Court , Fresco Drive and Davinci Drive – Popular Estates – O’Neals Township C Adoption of Regular Board Meeting Schedule for 2025 D Approval of Public Officials ’ Bonds for the County Each year staff requests the Board to approve public officials ’ bonds for County employees All regular employees are bonded under a blanket bond of 50,000 Certain positions require different bonding amounts E Town of Kenly – Appointment to Kenly Planning Board The Town of Kenly is requesting the Board to make the following appointment to the Kenly Planning Board representing the ETJ area of the Town Kristen Kirby , 1982 NC 222 E , Kenly term expiring on 2 28 2026 PageF Sheriff’s Office – Request to Surplus Vehicles and Equipment and Schedule Public Auction Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell is requesting the Board to surplus the following vehicles and equipment and approve for them to be auctioned online to the public by Wester Auction Company Wester Auction Company has agreed to conduct this live online auction beginning at 6 00 pm on Sunday , January 12 , 2025 Year Make Model VIN Mileage 1 2016 DODGE CHARGER 2C3CDXAT3GH303674 130,486 2 2016 DODGE CHARGER 2C3CDXAT3GH303657 131,762 3 2018 DODGE CHARGER 2C3CDXAT1JH210742 129,913 4 2018 DODGE CHARGER 2C3CDXAT8JH210754 131,153 5 2018 DODGE CHARGER 2C3CDXAT2JH210748 130,201 6 2019 DODGE CHARGER 2C3CDXAT5KH568315 117,833 7 2019 DODGE CHARGER 2C3CDXATXKH568309 131,948 8 2019 DODGE CHARGER 2C3CDXAT4KH568306 130,253 9 2019 DODGE CHARGER 2C3CDXAT8KH568308 130,161 10 2019 DODGE CHARGER 2C3CDXAT5KH568301 133,128 11 2016 Grasshopper Lawn Mower SN 6611930 12 2012 Honda 4 - Wheeler SN 1HFTE38H1C4003308 13 2012 Honda 4 - Wheeler SN 1HFTE38H0C4003252 NOTES Item # 11 was purchased with funds received from the NC Department of Revenue and proceeds from the sale of this equipment must be credited back to the appropriate revenue line item in the Sheriff’s Office budget 1051007414 Items # 12 and # 13 were purchased with federal forfeiture funds and proceeds from the sale of these items must be credited back to the appropriate revenue line item in the Sheriff’s Office budget 1051007418 G Approval of Contract Amendment - Rebranding Phase 2 - Implementation Staff requests approval of a contract amendment with Engine , Inc for Phase 2 of the rebranding process The implementation phase is essential for the public information office to accurately deploy the new brand throughout all County Departments The contractor will assist with a variety of design , marketing , print , production , and writing jobs that will be critical in accurately establishing the brand across departments The cost of the contract amendment is 59,500 H Confirm Designation of Child Fatality Prevention Team Community Child Protection Team and Future Local Team The NC Child Fatality Prevention System is a statewide multi - disciplinary system that was developed in the 1990 s consisting of the North Carolina Child Fatality Prevention Team , North Carolina Child Fatality Task force and local teams CFPTs and CCPTs Passed in 2023 , changes to the law via the 2023 Appropriations Act now requires all Board of County Commissioners to determine if the local team proceeds as a single or multi - county team Staff requests the Board confirm and approve Johnston Countys continuation and designation as a single county team , approve a Resolution Confirming the designation of Child Fatality Prevention Team Community Child Protection Team CFPT CCPT and Future Local Team as a single county team PageI Appointments Livestock Arena Management Board – 5 positions ; 2 year terms Gracie Wells Chamblee , Ron Hughes , Sammy Wayne Lee , and Leslie Averill have applied for reappointment Art Pittman has applied for appointment Moccasin Creek Service District Board – 1 position to fill an unexpired term ending October 31 , 2025 representing the rural area of the district Applicants must reside or own real property in the District and be a resident of Johnston County Debra Heuertz has applied for appointment Nursing Home Adult Care Home Community Advisory Board – 20 positions ; 1 year initial term for new appointees or 3 year terms for reappointed members Glenda Apple , Florence Burrell , Renee Zais , Elena Marie Dodson and Catherine McCormick have applied for reappointment Research and Training Zone Advisory Committee – 1 position ; 3 year term Brian Stoker has applied for reappointment J Budget Revisions i Social Services – 18,01296 – To place funds that has been received by DSS back into the correct expenditure line items to allow funds to be used for other needs Funds have been collected and deposited into the Social Services Admin revenue account ii Sheriff - 10,23387 – To move revenues into appropriate expenditure line items iii Jail - 1,09159 – To move revenues into appropriate expenditure line items K Tax Releases & Refunds – 10 16 2024 – 11 15 2024 4 Public Comments The following individuals addressed the Board during Public Comment • Human Resources Benefits Manager , Taylor Ingersoll recognized retiring Johnston County Employees Deborah Sharp EMS ; Bernadett Elliott DSS • Chairman acknowledged an email from Archie and Pamela Roberts Note Full comments can be viewed in the video from the meeting at the following link https wwwyoutubecom watch v 1B6w0GDR_Dg 5 Johnston County 911 Communications – Public Safety Paging Project Request approved Johnston County 911 Communications is requesting the Board of Commissioners to consider allocating funds for the immediate upgrade of the county’s emergency paging system used for notifying our First Responders of emergency calls in our county The purpose is to increase efficiency in the notification of Emergency Personnel to calls with a significantly lower notification timeframe , eliminate tone mixingPage accidental activations , and will allow responders the ability to monitor channels on the P25 800mhz radio system Migrating to this method will prepare our county to move to P25 800mhz when the technology allows and totally move away from VHF paging platform entirely This will in turn save the county recurring costs of maintaining two independent radio systems This project will require the purchase of Unication G5 pagers , related chargers , base stations chargers for station alerting , and programming included for all Fire , EMS , Emergency Services and support agencies that utilize the Johnston Counties paging system This project meets the Florida Sheriff’s Association Purchasing Contract that we have used on past projects for competitive pricing and purchasing guidelines The total ask for the Boards consideration is a not to exceed amount of 917,11188 to cover the cost of the entire project with a break down listed below Actual projected cost 917,11188 911 Budgeted FY Funds 150,00000 Project costs minus budgeted funds 767,11188 6 Cooperative Extension – NC Tobacco Trust Fund Grant – “ Adding Value to Feeder Cattle ” Request approved Johnston County Cooperative Extension is requesting board approval to accept a grant in the amount of 31,10696 to purchase portable cattle handling equipment The equipment will be available to area cattle producers at low rental cost Use of this equipment will improve the health and efficiency of beef cattle herds while adding value to feeder calves and ensuring the safety of workers engaged in the management of beef cattle We will additionally implement a feeder calf preconditioning program to provide technical assistance , training , and records assistance to producers of beef cattle 7 Cooperative Extension – NC Tobacco Trust Fund Grant – “ JoCo Grows Ag Literacy ” Request approved Johnston County Cooperative Extension is requesting board approval to accept a grant in the amount of 40,000 to aid in the effort of reaching 10,000 K - 5 youth within 3 academic years By working with Johnston County Public Schools , Johnston County 4 - H , and Johnston County Homeschoolers , the JoCo Grows Agriculture Committee will launch The JoCo Grows Junior Extension Agent Adventure Guide Whereas Johnston County has a robust agricultural education and FFA program in both middle and high schools throughout the county , there is an amazing opportunity to provide agriculture education to youth in the K - 5 range This interactive agricultural education tool has been designed to do just that through the areas of agriculture , nutrition , and 4 - H youth development This adventure guide has also been matched to complement the North Carolina Standard Course of Study to help teachers easily integrate the activities into their lessons The budget priorities for the JoCo Grows Ag Literacy project include the printing costs of the JoCo Grows Junior Extension Agents Adventure Guide booklets , and the Junior Extension Agent kits that are made up of reusable and program related items for those that complete the Adventure Guide 8 Johnston County Fire Marshal – Johnston County Fire Service Apparatus Policy Request - Request approved Johnston County Fire Commission requests the Board of Commissioners to consider a policy outlining the process for submitting and reviewing requests to purchase fire apparatus submitted by applicable Johnston County Fire Departments 9 Parks , Greenways & Open Space - East Coast Greenway Feasibility Study Adoption It was the consensus of the Board to review the Study and add this item to the January 6 , 2025 meeting McAdams Company will be presenting the East Coast Greenway Smithfield to Benson Feasibility Study for the Commissioners review The Parks and Greenway program recommends adoption of the study to take advantage of section construction and improvements that can be included in larger NCDOT projectsPagePage pageNumber5and town projects These inclusions could provide the county with substantial savings in future design and construction cost 10 Public Utilities – Central Johnston County Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility CJCRWWTF Preliminary Treatment Facility Improvements Project - Request approved In February 2024 , the County awarded the construction contract for the CJCRWWTF Preliminary Treatment Facility Improvements Project to Dellinger , Inc and adopted a capital project budget In August 2024 , staff identified a necessary emergency repair to the main influent line to the plant The failure required piping and manhole replacement on the influent main In order to make the extensive repairs , by - pass pumping was required to send influent into the plant and prevent sewer overflows The County is working through an existing emergency on - call contract with Sanford Contractors , Inc to complete the necessary repair Staff proposes revisions to the existing capital project budget to fund the necessary repairs See below the proposed revised project budget Existing Proposed Expense Construction Phase – Technical Services 766,80000 150,00000 Construction Dellinger , Inc 9,741,09200 9,741,09200 Emergency Repair and By - Pass Pumping Influent 000 950,00000 Contingency 487,10800 187,10800 Total 10,995,00000 11,028,20000 Revenue County ARPA Funding 3,500,00000 3,533,20000 2023 State Appropriations Funding 7,495,00000 7,495,00000 Total 10,995,00000 11,028,20000 Staff recommends approval of the revised capital project budget and capital project ordinance 11 Public Utilities – 210 WWTF Diversion Projects – Proposed Capital Project Budget Revision - Request approved The Board of Commissioners previously approved a capital project budget and ordinance for the 210 WWTF Diversion Projects This capital fund includes several projects to facilitate flow diversion to the 210 Wastewater Treatment Facility WWTF The project includes a leachate diversion force main , diversion of flow from Whitley Heights WWPS to Swift Creek Road , a gravity sewer main diversion to abandon Cleveland K - 5 WWPS and the Eastfield Wastewater Facilities Reimbursement Agreement diverts flow from Selma and Pine Level Staff proposes a budget revision to fund a portion of the project Landfill Leachate Diversion with remaining ARPA funds and include the Girsberger Diversion Project in the capital fund The proposed revised project budget is as follows Existing Proposed Construction 1,803,35718 2,410,35718 Cleveland K - 5 WWPS Abandonment 66,52148 66,52148 Landfill Leachate Diversion Project 871,13000 871,13000 Whitley Heights Diversion Project 865,70570 865,70570 Girsberger Diversion Project Future 000 607,00000 Developer Reimbursement Eastfield Agreement 4,028,43900 4,028,43900 Reimbursement for Flow Diversion of Selma PS # 3 262,33600 262,33600 Technical Services 16,00000 16,00000 Easements 10,00000 10,00000PagePage pageNumber6Contingency 87,00000 87,00000 Cost of Revenue Bond Issuance 49,52338 49,52338 Total Project Cost 6,256,65556 6,863,65556 Funding for the proposed project is as follows Sewer SDF Reserve Fund 500,00000 235,87000 ARPA Funds 000 871,13000 Water Sewer Revenue Bonds 5,653,58956 5,653,58956 Private Development Contribution for Whitley Heights Upsize 103,06600 103,06600 Total Project Funds 6,256,65556 6,863,65556 Staff recommends approval of the revised capital project budget and capital project ordinance 12 Public Utilities – Lower Neuse Water Supply – Proposed Capital Project Budget Revision - Request approved In June 2024 , the Board of Commissioners adopted a capital project budget for the Lower Neuse Water Supply project , which includes a new intake on the Neuse Richardson Bridge Road , a water treatment plant located on County - owned property , utilization of the existing County - owned “ abandoned ” quarry and finished water mains from the new plant to the transmission system The initial budget includes preliminary planning for the project with the Owner’s Advisor and funding to support a United States Geological Survey USGS gauge on the Neuse River at Richardson Bridge Road The Owner’s Advisor will assist the County with issuing Requests for Proposals and negotiating the guaranteed maximum price GMP for the design - build portions of the project Staff proposes an updated project budget to include the Owner’s Advisor services through the GMP negotiation and further design , planning and permitting Furthermore , staff proposes funding a portion of the project with remaining ARPA funds The proposed revised project budget is as follows Existing Proposed Technical Services 850,00000 5,217,00000 Total Project Cost 850,00000 5,217,00000 Funding for the proposed project is as follows ARPA Funds 000 1,503,00000 Town of Clayton 000 2,608,50000 Water System Development Fees 850,00000 1,105,50000 Total Project Funds 850,00000 5,217,00000 Previously approved MOA with Town of Clayton commits approximately 500,000 If the Town does not commit to additional stages of the project , the County will fund the 2,108,500 with water system development fees Staff recommends approval of the proposed revised capital project budget 13 Public Utilities – Proposed Amendment No 1 to Memorandum of Understanding Between NCDOT , USFWS and Johnston County - Request approved Johnston County entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the North Carolina Department of Transportation NCDOT and United States Fish and Wildlife Service USFWS in 2005 The 2005 MOU expanded the previously established Environmentally Sensitive Area ESA and contained additional provisions to ensure the implementation of environmental protectionPagePage pageNumber7measures for development within the ESA The ESA includes the Little Creek , Swift Creek , White Oak Creek and portions of the Little River watersheds The requirements within these watersheds are intended to protect the endangered species in these areas , in accordance with the Endangered Species Act County staff is proposing revisions to the County Stormwater Management Ordinance , which will address common concerns for stormwater management associated with new development and include revisions to meet the updated Neuse Rules The proposed modifications are somewhat inconsistent with the existing MOU Therefore , County staff consulted with USFWS and NCDOT to propose an amendment to the original Memorandum of Understanding Between the North Carolina Department of Transportation , The United States Fish and Wildlife Service , and the County of Johnston , North Carolina The proposed MOU amendment includes the following modifications • New residential developments not served by public sewer shall be designed with a minimum impervious area of 6,000 square feet per lot • In the ESA , new residential development shall attenuate stormwater runoff for all potential storm events between the 1 year through 100 - year storm events • For the Middle Creek watershed , new residential development shall attenuate stormwater runoff for all potential storm events between the 1 year through 100 - year storm events • Elimination of the Land Dedication Program Staff respectfully requests the Board’s approval of the proposed Amendment No 1 to the Memorandum of Understanding Between the North Carolina Department of Transportation , The United States Fish and Wildlife Service , and the County of Johnston , North Carolina 14 Brightspeed Broadband Update - Informational item 15 Appointments Library Board of Trustees – 2 positions to fill unexpired terms ending June 30 , 2025 Donna Daughtry and Martha Mills were appointed 16 Delinquent Tax Collection Report - Informational item 17 Manager Reports and Comments - None 18 Board Reports and Comments Commissioner Ted G Godwin said we are starting a new year with new Board members and reminded everyone that every dollar spent belongs to the taxpayers Commissioner Godwin also said with the current group of commissioners , we can always come to the consensus to do the right thing especially with guidance from great staff Commissioner Bill Stovall said the most important thing a government can have is transparency Commissioner Stovall said citizens will have a better understanding of the decisions and why they are made Commissioner Stovall welcomed new Commissioners Michelle Pace Davis and Michael David Rose Commissioner Michelle Pace Davis stated she is excited to be a part of a great team Commissioner April Stephens welcomed the new Commissioners and expressed her excitement about the path the Board is on , and the things planned to be accomplished in the next four years and years after Commissioner Stephens also mentioned the newly appointed Mayor for the Town of Benson , Dr Max Raynor PagePage pageNumber8Commissioner Mike Rose said he is looking forward to serving on the Board and having served as a Town Commissioner , it has always been evident that the needs and wants were unlimited , but the funds were very limited Commissioner Rose said he believes this Board has a history of being very good financial stewards of taxpayers money and looked forward to being a part of those decisions in the future Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris welcomed the new Board members and appreciated their confidence in him continuing as Vice Chairman Vice Chairman Harris agreed with Commissioner Godwin in that the government has nothing to give without first taking it from someone else and believes this Board has been good stewards of taxpayers money Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr appreciated the Board’s confidence in him continuing as Chairman Chairman Lawter said the new Commissioners will bring new talents and skills to the table 19 Closed Session – NCGS 14331811 a 3 – Attorney - Client Privilege No action was taken Page