Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes - March 23, 2026 6:00 PM

10 162 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners March 23 , 2026 6 00 pm – Special Meeting The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Monday , March 23 , 2026 , at 6 00 pm in the Auditorium of the Johnston County Agriculture Building located at 2736 NC Hwy 210 , 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 to the Board Susie Reeves Chairman Patrick E Harris called the meeting to order at 6 00 pm for the purposes of holding a town hall style meeting to present the current draft of the Unified Development Ordinance UDO , address community questions , and gather public feedback Vice Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr opened the meeting with an invocation and Commissioner Mike Rose led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag Chairman Harris stated the UDO process has been a long and laborious process to this point and he noted that no vote would be taken this evening on the adoption of the UDO Chairman Harris stated this meeting is another opportunity for the Board to hear from the citizens He stated Planning Director Braston Newton will present information on the current draft of the UDO and Consultant Anna Willis will assist Chairman Harris stated once the presentation is finished , there will be break - out sessions where citizens can visit various stations to learn more information , ask questions , and share feedback He stated the Commissioners will also be visiting the interactive stations to listen to the citizens and he hopes this process will allow citizens to walk away tonight with a better understanding and feeling about the process Chairman Harris asked if any Commissioners would like to share any thoughts before staff’s presentation Commissioner Michelle Pace Davis thanked everyone for attending this meeting and stated she looks forward to conversations with the citizens Commissioner Davis stated citizens are encouraged to fill out comment cards at the interactive stations which the Commissioners will be able to go back and read and consider later She stated this will be very crucial to the process Commissioner Bill Stovall welcomed everyone to the meeting stating he appreciates the level of interest shown by the citizens on this matter Commissioner Ted G Godwin thanked everyone for coming to the meeting stating with a little patience and everyone working together , he thinks this process can be successful Commissioner April Stephens stated she appreciates all the feedback and dialogue from the citizens over the past few months on the UDO process Commissioner Mike Rose thanked everyone for coming to the meeting and stated this is a process being led by staff and the consultant He noted the Commissioners are seeing the revisions to the document at the same time as the public and he feels that everyone has a common goal of trying to make Johnston County the best place it can be Vice Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr thanked everyone for coming to the meeting and for the passion that everyone has shown during this process Vice Chairman Lawter stated this level of participation shows the interest in the present and future of Johnston County He thanked everyone for their participation in this process and stated the Board wants to hear what the citizens have to say He stated changes are being made in accordance with what people want to see and at some point , a final document will be completed Vice Chairman Lawter commented that the most important thing to remember is that everyone is working to build a great future for Johnston County and its residents Chairman Harris called on Planning Director Braston Newton and Consultant Anna Willis to begin the presentation Page163 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting Continued 1 UDO Informational Update Presentation Planning Director Braston Newton and Consultant Anna Willis reviewed the following presentation with the audience Page164 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting ContinuedPage165 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting ContinuedPagePage pageNumber5166 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting ContinuedPagePage pageNumber6167 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting ContinuedPagePage pageNumber7168 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting ContinuedPagePage pageNumber8169 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting ContinuedPagePage pageNumber9170 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting ContinuedPage0171 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting ContinuedPage1172 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting ContinuedPage2173 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting ContinuedPage3174 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting Continued Ms Willis invited those present to visit the interactive stations , speak with the staff and consultants , and fill out the comment cards with any feedback She stated staff , the consultants , and the Board of Commissioners will remain available to answer any questions or address any concerns Chairman Patrick E Harris thanked Ms Willis and Mr Newton for the information Chairman Harris stated he would like to reiterate information from the presentation that the next UDO draft will not include limits on farm animals Chairman Harris encouraged those present to visit the interactive stations Following requests by citizens in the audience , Chairman Harris allowed time for a Question & Answer session Michelle Benson , Four Oaks Area , asked for information as to the guidelines that were used to create the initial UDO draft and what was the expected outcome Mr Newton shared that the adopted Envision Johnston 2040 Comprehensive Land Use Plan was the driving document behind the UDO Audience member from the Princeton area no name was given shared concerns that development has gotten out of control She shared that her farm has been in her family for 100 years and the area in general was farmland ; however , there are over 400 new homes planned nearby She expressed concerns that all the new development is placing too much of a demand on infrastructure like water and electricity and that the existing residents are being pushed out by all the new residents that do not understand their way of life She stated she feels this is poor planning Chairman Harris commented that when new houses are built , it is because someone sold that land Chairman Harris stated he does not disagree with all the concerns ; however , there has to be a legal reason to deny someone from being able to do something with their land that they want to do He stated there has to be a mechanism in place for good growth and that mechanism is a good UDO which is what the Board is trying to do Chairman Harris stated the Board has heard many residents say they do not like the way the County is headed in the future , and a good UDO is the best way to get control and channel growth towards more appropriate areas Audience member no name given shared that everyone has the same concerns regarding growth and infrastructure failures She asked how the current UDO draft and in particular the paper zoning districts compare to what surrounding counties are doing and how does it help the County catch up infrastructure demands Mr Newton explained that the reason for the paper districts is because of legislation that was ratified by the North Carolina General Assembly in late 2024 He stated that legislation essentially says a local government cannot downzone property without each individual property owners written consent He stated the paper districts exist on paper solely because of that legislation He stated the intent was to try and protect the most rural areas of the County to prevent the higher density Mr Newton continued that currently , the County is treated all as the same and right now the majority of the County is Agriculture Residential with the same density regardless of location He stated this was a way to try and manage development and direct growth to encourage development in the areas where there is existing infrastructure that can support it or where there are plans to improve infrastructure to support that future development Audience member no name given , stated she has been fighting for a UDO for years because she has been fighting for her family’s farm She expressed concerns that the setbacks have been cut by 75 in the latest version from the original UDO draft She stated the reason for the UDO was to have larger setbacks and more buffers to help the agriculture community , but now that has been reduced and she takes issue with that change She expressed concerns as it relates to development impacts on school capacities and shared her frustrations that developers are impeding on other people’s property She asked for the Board to reconsider the buffers and make them stricter Chairman Harris shared that when the UDO process first began , he was in favor of 150 ft buffers ; however , once the first draft was released with 150 ft buffers , a large part of the major farm owners in Johnston County came together and sent the County a letter stating 150 ft buffers was too much because it used up tooPage4175 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting Continued much valuable land He stated those farm owners instead suggested 25 ft buffers Chairman Harris spoke on the difficulties of the process when there are groups that want different things Mr Newton noted there is an interactive station that offers detailed specifications on the buffer options within the draft document and he invited members of the audience to visit that station and share their thoughts He further noted that amendments will continue to be made in an effort to get the best possible document Cherry Johnson , Willow Springs , stated she owns farmland in the Willow Springs area Ms Johnson asked if the UDO is approved , but then developers are allowed to rezone properties , what is the justification for bending established rules for developers Tiffany Wallace added that ultimately the Board of Commissioners make the final decisions on rezonings and the Board needs to vote properly Mr Newton stated although the Land Use Plan is not the reason for this meeting , it is the reasoning behind the development of the UDO He stated the Land Use Plan is the guidance document that forms all decisions with regards to land use in the County Mr Newton stated there was a tremendous amount of public engagement and participation in the Land Use Plan Process and the UDO is a direct reflection of that and every land use decision made He stated for rezonings , when a request comes in , staff first refers to the Land Use Plan to try and determine whether or not the request is consistent with the Land Use Plan and that information is then conveyed to the Planning Board and ultimately the Board of County Commissioners during their decision process Ms Johnson stated a viable UDO should be clear enough that there are no exceptions or bending of the rules for development Jacey no last name given addressed the Board and asked , as it relates to density and cluster for subdivisions , is it described on developable or undevelopable land She stated a lot of the conservation neighborhoods end up using the undevelopable land as their natural areas which she feels is overdevelopment anyway She also asked if the new UDO allows for variances Mr Newton explained that variances are addressed in the new UDO , but noted that is something the County currently has He stated variances are reviewed and decided upon by the Board of Adjustment ; however , for developments that request sewer service , those projects go to the Board of Commissioners because it involves an allocation of the County’s sewer capacity Mr Newton stated with regards to cluster development , the new UDO mandates a buffer in between non - compatible development He stated cluster development essentially says there will be an increase in the overall density while using less land and therefore creates greater open space He noted that in a lot of situations the buffer will expand because the developer is going to use environmental features which is going to be part of the open space area Will Byrd stated he believes the biggest issue of the UDO has to do with development Mr Byrd listed and questioned various sections within the UDO draft stating he feels it should be more about property rights instead of development Mr Byrd asked about grandfather clauses for existing properties Mr Newton stated some of the sections referenced by Mr Byrd have already been removed from the draft and noted a new revised draft will be released soon Mr Newton stated with regards to grandfather clauses , there is a nonconformity section in the UDO document He stated if something exists at the date of adoption of the UDO , then it becomes what is called a legal non - conforming use or non - conforming feature of that property and it can remain as it is , essentially grandfathered Upon comments and questions from the audience about future changes to existing properties , Mr Newton stated a property owner may have to either adhere to the new standards or seek a variance as it relates to future changes once the UDO is adopted Donald no last name given expressed concerns with the County saying what can and cannot happen on existing properties already established and how fines can be levied for properties found in violation of the UDO He shared that if he wanted to live in a subdivision with covenants , then he would have done that , but he did notPage5176 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting Continued and he feels he should be allowed to use his property as he wishes He also stated if residential developments are going to come , the infrastructure should be in place first Meleka Byrd shared information with the Board from the UDO draft as it relates to fines that can be levied on properties found in violation Ms Byrd stated she always tries to find the positive and negative in all situations She stated the one positive that has come out of the UDO process is the number of people that have all come out together to let it be known that they do not like or want the UDO Ms Byrd stated the term “ Bonafide Farm ” keeps coming up and she wants the Board to understand that not everyone wants to be a Bonafide Farm Ms Byrd stated the issue is not about Bonafide Farms , but it is instead about every single person living in this County having the right to do what they want to on their own land Ms Byrd also shared her frustrations that the community’s concerns are not being addressed and the Commissioners are not responding to calls or emails regarding the UDO Chairman Harris reiterated that the purpose of this meeting is to hear from the citizens and come up with a document acceptable to everyone Commissioner April Stephens stated the purpose of this meeting is to meet with citizens at the interactive stations and answer questions one on one and address the concerns Commissioner Stephens assured everyone that the Board is hearing the feedback from the citizens Ms Byrd expressed her concerns regarding the amount of money that has been spent on the UDO process stating these funds could have gone to other needs like food for struggling senior citizens Ms Byrd shared her frustrations over the UDO process stating it needs to be thrown out and started over without an outside consultant Mr Newton clarified that some of the information on the fines referenced by Ms Byrd involve riparian buffer violations or stormwater violations and those are State Law Mr Newton stated the County does not use fines as a revenue generator and instead tries to work with property owners towards compliance Sydney Olsen stated the Commissioners were elected by the people and the citizens have a right to speak up Ms Olsen stated they have the right to protest and speak up with anger towards the UDO Ms Olsen stated she has emailed and called Commissioners and only received a response from Commissioner Mike Rose She stated not everyone can be a Bonafide Farm but everyone deserves to be heard Ms Olsen shared her concerns with language in the draft UDO as it relates to special events , produce stands , and farmers markets Ms Olsen stated she is hearing that this language was taken out ; however , that version is still on the website Mr Newton clarified that a new version of the UDO will be drafted and posted on the website after this meeting in an effort to incorporate the feedback from tonight Ms Olsen shared her frustrations with being able to adequately review the correct document and understanding how it impacts property Ms Olsen spoke on the need to work together and for the Commissioners to listen to the concerns Joe Kennedy stated they use funds from their farm to help homeless people , mainly homeless veterans because the government is failing that population Mr Kennedy shared his experience as a veteran needing help and how hard that process can be to navigate He stated the animals on their farm helped him greatly and the funds from that operation help to get others off the streets Mr Kennedy encouraged the Board to think about the downstream effects to the community and how communities are impacted by growth He thanked the Board for taking the time to listen to the people at this meeting Crystal Broderson , Wilders Township , asked for clarification on the limits of animals for hobby farms stating her farm is not a Bonafide Farm Mr Newton confirmed that limits on farm animals have been removed from the UDO document Page6177 March 23 , 2026 – Special Meeting Continued Chairman Harris thanked everyone for coming out to the meeting and sharing their feedback He asked for everyone to visit the interactive stations before they leave stating there is a lot of good information and he encouraged everyone to leave a comment card with their input There being no further business , and following the conclusion of the interactive stations , the meeting adjourned Patrick E Harris , Chairman Dana G Cuddington , Clerk to the BoardPage