January 5, 2026 - 6:00 PM - Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes

10 16 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners January 5 , 2026 6 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in regular session Monday , January 5 , 2026 at 6 00 pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina The following members were present Present Chairman Patrick E Harris , Vice Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr , Ted G Godwin , April Stephens , Bill Stovall , Michelle Pace Davis , and Mike Rose 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 Patrick E Harris called the meeting to order at 6 00 pm and the following business was transacted Chairman Harris reminded everyone of the Board’s six priorities including Public Safety , Infrastructure , County Employees , Financial Stewardship , Educational Funding , and Land Use and the Board’s continuing efforts to keep these priorities in mind when working through the agenda 1 Approval Discussion of Agenda Upon a motion by Commissioner Ted G Godwin , seconded by Vice Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr , and carried by unanimous vote , the Board approved the agenda as presented 2 Public Comment None 3 Public Utilities – Capital Improvements Plan Update Public Utilities Engineering Manager Kim Rineer , PE , presented an update to the Board on the Public Utilities Capital Improvements Plan Ms Rineer reviewed the following with the Board stating the information is based on the 2024 Capital Improvements Plan that was adopted in April of 2024 She stated this is a 20 - year plan that includes close to 1 billion in improvements for water , sewer , and reclaimed water Page17 January 5 , 2026 – 6 00 pm Continued Ms Rineer stated the above maps can be accessed on the County’s website for better viewing She stated Johnston County has a county - wide water system with projects spread from east to west She stated the wastewater system is mostly focused in the center of the County and serves four towns including Smithfield , Selma , Pine Level , and Four Oaks Ms Rineer shared the following information related to the Public Utilities Department’s new website noting it includes information about projects out for bid , in progress , and completed projects She stated interested parties can sign up to receive solitications for Requests for Qualifications Page18 January 5 , 2026 – 6 00 pm Continued Ms Rineer continued the presentation by reviewing information on current projects , as follows Ms Rineer noted the Timothy G Broome Water Treatment Plant Expansion project will increase capacity to 18 million gallons per day MGD At the inquiry of Commissioner Ted G Godwin , Ms Rineer stated while there has been some delay in construction due to supply chain issues , mainly there is a lack of depth in contractors for these types of projects and it can be difficult to find qualified construction contractors and subcontractors Ms Rineer stated this was also a very aggressive schedule and it is simply taking longer than expected Ms Rineer noted the 210 Wastewater Treatment Facility Expansion project will increase capacity to 8 MGD at this location as well as produce reclaimed water Page19 January 5 , 2026 – 6 00 pm Continued Ms Rineer stated once the Selma Wastewater Flow Equalization and Pumping Station improvements are completed , it will take all of Pine Level’s flow and nearly all of Selma’s flow and send it to the 210 Wastewater Treatment Facility which will open up capacity for both of those towns as well as the Town of Smithfield Upon a question by Commissioner Bill Stovall , Ms Rineer reported this facility serves the Eastfield Development as well as all the growth from Selma and Pine Level PagePage pageNumber520 January 5 , 2026 – 6 00 pm ContinuedPagePage pageNumber621 January 5 , 2026 – 6 00 pm Continued Ms Rineer reported that the majority of upcoming projects involve improvements to the water system She stated these will include adding storage , improving transmission , and new water supply She stated there will need to be a focus on developing the new Lower Neuse Water Supply Ms Rineer reiterated that this is a 20 - year plan and typically in slow times such plans are updated every five years ; however , because Johnston County is not experiencing slow times , staff will most likely bring back an update every other year She stated the new Land Use Plan as well as upcoming revisions to the Unified Development Ordinance will also affect water and sewer improvement plans and possibly add more projects to the Capital Improvements Plan She noted that staff is continuing to work with the regional partners as they will have changes to their own plans as time goes on She stated it is also important to be prepared for future adjustments in overall construction costs Ms Rineer concluded her comments stating most of the information in the presentation can be found on the website at wwwjohnstonncgov utilities She offered to answer any questions Commissioner Bill Stovall referenced the Timothy G Broome Water Treatment Plant expansion project and how that project is nearly a year behind , with most of the funding almost expended He stated although there is a Guaranteed Maximum Price GMP , he does not know of many general contractors that can take on a year of additional conditions without requesting some kind of compensation Commissioner Stovall asked who would absorb those additional costs Ms Rineer responded that when negotiating a GMP on a progressive design build project , there is a contingency included and contractors look for ways to find cost savings as the project progresses She stated in this instance , the project will take the entire contingency and cost the entire GMP Ms Rineer stated staff has been able to identify a certain amount of weather delays , but there has been nothing done on the County’s end to extend the construction period Upon questions by Commissioner Ted G Godwin , Ms Rineer explained that the County’s Public Utilities Construction Manager , Mike Keen , does an outstanding job of making sure projects stay within theirPagePage pageNumber722 January 5 , 2026 – 6 00 pm Continued contingencies and often under budget She stated Mr Keen can often determine value added design components during construction and will negotiate change orders when such opportunities arise Ms Rineer stated with regards to the Lower Neuse Water Supply , this will involve three major components including the intake on the river as well as the pipeline to the quarry and plant site She stated the intake in the quarry as well as the new treatment facility will involve significant costs She noted that staff is in the process of looking at cost sharing with the partners She reported financial modeling is ongoing and staff hopes to bring an update to the Board in the next couple of months At the inquiry of Commissioner Stovall , Ms Rineer confirmed the project will be designed for incremental expansion phases over the next decade She noted that the initial construction is often the most expensive because components like the pipelines and intakes are constructed to be oversized to handle future expansion phases Upon a question by Vice Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr , Ms Rineer stated by 2029 , it is estimated that projects in the Capital Improvements Plan will cost close to 500 million Vice Chairman Lawter asked about the leachate at the Landfill and how this ties into PFAS treatment Ms Rineer explained that the water plant will be the first to be regulated officially for the rules associated with PFAS and staff is looking at adding powder activated carbon at the plant as there is already a permitted system for this type of treatment She stated at the Landfill , leachate is such a concentrated waste stream , it has to be pretreated before it can even run through the regular treatment system and staff is working on a pilot study She stated a desktop study is currently underway and a unit would be put into place after that is completed Ms Rineer stated staff also plans to look at other opportunities to treat PFAS Vice Chairman Lawter asked which towns are not tied into the County’s water and wastewater systems Ms Rineer stated every town is connected in some form to the County’s water system She stated for some towns , the County is the primary supplier and in others the County is the secondary supplier for water but all are connected Ms Rineer stated Kenly , Micro , and Princeton are not tied into the County’s wastewater system She stated the County sends wastewater to the Town of Benson , but they have their own treatment facility Vice Chairman Lawter commented that he heard Ms Rineer mention the words resiliency and redundancy several times during her presentation and he spoke on the importance of this in looking at what happened in other areas of the State after weather disasters Ms Rineer agreed with Vice Chairman Lawter and stated cybersecurity is also now very important to consider for the SCADA systems The Board thanked Ms Rineer for the update 4 2024 – 2025 Strategic Planning Goals Update County Manager Rick Hester presented an update to the Board on the 2024 – 2025 Strategic Planning Goals Mr Hester recalled that a couple years ago , the Board began taking part in an annual two - day strategic planning session in an effort to set goals for the next year and provide direction to staff He noted this year’s session is coming soon in February Mr Hester reported on items discussed in last year’s session , as follows • Cost of Community Services Study and Economic Impact Model is currently underway with consultant and many of the County’s department heads involved in that process • Unified Development Ordinance UDO update process is nearing completion with expected approvals in early 2026 Planning Department staff and consultant are leading this project • Stormwater Management Positions – Public Utilities has filled these positions • Approval of updated stormwater regulations is completed and in place • Engage with Pharmaceutical Partners regarding their water system needs - staff is working closely with Grifols and Novo Nordisk retail customers of Clayton , but the County is the bulk provider • From the JD Solomon Report – discussion with Raleigh about 2 MGD of water – this is in progress JD Solomon is also assisting with connecting and working with other towns – an update is forthcoming • Wastewater System – Residential Sewer Service Policy was submitted to the Board after the last strategic planning session – revisions to this document will align with the upcoming UDO revisions ThePagePage pageNumber823 January 5 , 2026 – 6 00 pm Continued Public Utilities Department is working with the Planning Department on the integration of these two documents • Water and Sewer Regionalization Position – Progress is being made through a working group with staff and the Board A proposal to possibly work with the Central Pines Council of Government on regionalization has been discussed – to be determined Staff attended a workshop by Central Pines on this subject and received good information Anticipated to have this position in place soon • Discussions with partners ongoing – specifically Clayton – on long term water needs considering pharmaceutical partners in this • Formalizing the overall County Capital Improvements Plan – staff is working with Davenport County’s financial consultant – draft to be presented to Board for review and approval hopefully at the February meeting This will be a flexible document to account for changing priorities as time goes on • Purchase the Mast Building – completed • Johnston Community College Land Purchase in Clayton – completed • Clayton High School Project – underway • Department of Social Services Building – design underway Staff to keep the Board informed throughout this process • Creation of Asset Management Plan and Facility Assessment Document – Buildings & Grounds Director Daniel Clifton has been working on this and a final report should be ready for Board review in the next month • Creation of Organizational Chart – completed and on County website • Long - Term Planner Position – multiple efforts are underway to recruit an individual for this position • Creation of County Dashboard – This is data driven and once the unified software project is complete at the Land Use Center , a dashboard will be a component of this software • Transportation – Board continues to be involved in CAMPO through Vice Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr and the RPO through Commissioner Ted G Godwin The updated Comprehensive Transportation Plan has been adopted Mr Hester stated he will update the Board again at the upcoming strategic planning session in February 5 Duke Energy Easement – South Brightleaf Boulevard Property County Attorney Jennifer Slusser reported that Duke Energy has requested an easement on property owned by the County located off of South Brightleaf Boulevard and identified as Parcel ID 15J10015M She stated the easement would be for electrical transmission services and related to a relocation to support the County’s Neuse River Pump Station project Ms Slusser stated staff recommends granting the easement to Duke Energy Upon a motion by Commissioner Ted G Godwin , seconded by Commissioner Mike Rose , and carried unanimously , the Board granted the easement to Duke Energy on property located off of South Brightleaf Boulevard and identified as Parcel ID 15J10015M 6 Manager Reports and Comments None 7 Board Reports and Comments Commissioner April Stephens stated it is great to hear all the updates this evening especially with Public Utilities Commissioner Stephens stated before she became a Commissioner , she had no idea how extensive the work of Public Utilities was and it is exciting to see all the projects coming to fruition Commissioner Stephens stated it is an honor to be a part of a Board that is so determined to move things along Commissioner Stephens also took a moment and spoke on a citizen that praised the Tax Department for their assistance to him recently She thanked the Tax Department staff for their outstanding work Commissioner Mike Rose echoed the comments of Commissioners Stephens on all the work that has been accomplished in the last year Commissioner Ted G Godwin agreed that a lot of projects have been completed and many are still ongoing He stated a lot of money has been obligated for these projects and as the Board moves forward , it is important to always keep the budget in mind PagePage pageNumber924 January 5 , 2026 – 6 00 pm Continued Vice Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr noted that financial stewardship is one of the Board’s six priorities and he thinks the staff has a history of being mindful of the budget and what it has taken to achieve a AAA bond rating Vice Chairman Lawter reported that he attended the rededication of the All - Star Park in Clayton which is the oldest park in Clayton He stated that park is now named the Donald “ Clyde ” Sinclair Park and he has many memories of his children playing there He spoke on the improvements made to his park and he commended the Town of Clayton stating it adds to the quality of life for the citizens Chairman Patrick E Harris spoke on the importance of being mindful of the taxpayers ’ dollars stating this responsibility is not taken lightly by the Board He continued that while projects do cost money , it is a fact that delaying projects can end up costing more down the road Chairman Harris stated he has been hearing for over 25 years that the Department of Social Services is overcrowded and a new building is needed Chairman Harris commended the DSS employees as well as the citizens that have to visit those facilities because that department is split up into five different facilities and it can be very difficult for citizens to navigate as well as create difficult working conditions for employees Chairman Harris commented that this is a situation that can no longer be delayed and he commended the Board for moving this project along stating once complete , it will be a facility to meet the needs for 50 or 60 years in the future Chairman Harris stated he would also like to commend all the County employees and department heads that are working together to move things forward to better serve the citizens There being no further business , Commissioner Ted G Godwin moved the Board adjourn Vice Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 6 59 pm Patrick E Harris , Chairman Dana G Cuddington , Clerk to the BoardPage