Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes - October 6, 2025 6:00 PM

10 611 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners October 6 , 2025 6 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in regular session Monday , October 6 , 2025 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 , 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 RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr called the meeting to order at 6 00 pm and the following business was transacted Chairman Lawter 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 Appointments Announcement Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr stated the Board utilized written ballots at the 10 00 am meeting for appointments to the Child Fatality Prevention Team , the Fire Protection Service District Commission , the Planning Board , and the Tourism Authority Chairman Lawter stated the votes have been tallied and he announced the following appointments were made Child Fatality Prevention Team – Matt Thompson was reappointed for a three year term to expire on October 31 , 2028 Fire Protection Service District Commission – Kendall Hocutt , Jeremy Daughtry , and Chadwick Ward were reappointed for two year terms to expire on October 31 , 2027 Planning Board – Robinson W Williams was appointed to fill an unexpired term ending February 28 , 2028 Page612 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued Tourism Authority – Alicia Whitehurst was appointed for a three year term to expire on October 31 , 2028 Chairman Lawter reported there was not a majority of votes for the appointment to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and the Commissioners have been provided with ballots on the top two vote recipients He asked for Commissioners to complete their ballots and submit them to the Clerk to the Board who will tally the results to be announced later 2 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 adding the Smithfield Ballpark Project Discussion as an item after the Rezoning Conditional Use Request 3 Public Comment A Recognition of Johnston Community College Student Gabriel Robertson County Manager Rick Hester introduced Johnston Community College Student Gabriel Robertson Mr Hester stated Mr Robertson has been very involved in the Student Government at Johnston Community College and has also started his own 4 - H Club Mr Robertson addressed the Board and stated this is his first time attending a Board of County Commissioners meeting He stated he has had a calling to become involved with public service and is trying to become actively involved Mr Robertson stated he attends Johnston Community College and will be majoring in Applied Engineering with plans to attend a four year college for International Development The Board wished Mr Robertson good luck on his future endeavors 4 Public Hearing Rezoning Conditional Use Requests Advertised – The Johnstonian News and The News in Review – September 24 and October 1 , 2025 Certified letters were mailed to adjoining property owners on September 22 , 2025 A notice was posted at the location on June 30 , 2025 for Case 25 - 06 The Chairman opened the Rezoning Hearing for Case 25 - 06 Case 25 - 06 Petition to rezone 1256 acres located on Pierce Road near the intersection of Cleveland Road in the Cleveland Township from Agricultural Residential AR to Industrial 2 – Conditional Zoning I2 - CZ Tax ID 06D01007C Owner G Paul Sherrill , Jr Applicant Greystar Development East , LLC Conditional Zoning Request Various Heavy Industrial Uses Planning Director Braston Newton stated the petition is to rezone 1256 acres located on Pierce Road near the intersection of Cleveland Road in the Cleveland Township from Agricultural Residential to Industrial 2 – Conditional Zoning He stated the conditional zoning request is to allow for various industrial uses Mr Newton stated the Board has been provided with the table of permitted uses associated with the industrial zoning classification from the County’s ordinances and he noted the items highlighted in red are uses that are excluded from this request as noted in the conditions proposed by the applicant The surrounding land uses are zoned Agricultural Residential and used for residential and agricultural purposes ; Interstate Highway Interchange and used for many different businesses and industrial uses ; and General Business and used for multiple business uses Mr Newton stated the area is located within a designated “ Regional Mixed Use Center ” future land use place type on the County’s Envision Johnston Comprehensive Land Use Plan He stated these areas are intended to be centers of activity that include a mix of retail , restaurant , service , office , and civic institutional uses He noted a very small portion of the lot is also located in the Interstate Highway Interchange overlay Mr NewtonPage613 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued stated the traffic count for this portion of Pierce Road is 1,400 vehicles per day as of 2022 and it does not appear on the County’s former Comprehensive Transportation Plan as needing improvement ; however , this area does show a tremendous amount of growth and Cleveland Road to the northwest is slated to be improved in the newly adopted Comprehensive Transportation Plan Mr Newton stated the applicant has provided a site plan with a rendering as well as a limited traffic study At the inquiry of Commissioner Michelle Pace Davis , Mr Newton stated existing industrial businesses already located in the area include the Merritt Properties which is commercial industrial flex space and allows for light industrial uses He stated a number of those flex spaces are rented or are being upfitted for uses such as mechanical contractors , retail level distribution , and an indoor athletic complex He stated there is another site across Cleveland Road to the northeast with another commercial industrial flex space facility scheduled to begin construction later this year Mr Newton stated to the southeast on Cleveland Road just before the interchange , there is another industrial facility Upon a question by Commissioner Mike Rose , Mr Newton stated water and sewer are available at this location ; however , the allocation for those would not be approved until the plans are approved and a permit issued He noted this type of facility typically does not generate a large amount of flow Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr called to the Board’s attention the uses listed in the conditions that would be excluded and stated that in looking at the table of permitted uses , there remains quite a few that would be allowed The Chairman called for the applicant to come forward and called the following to everyone’s attention Proposed Conditions 1 Permitted uses All I - 2 uses with the exception of the following , which will NOT be allowed asphalt plant , concrete plant , cotton gin - cotton waste processing , Feed Seed Flour manufacturing , fertilizing manufacturing , livestock sales , meat packing plant , and poultry processing plant proposed by applicant 2 A Class C 3 large trees , 4 small trees , and 12 shrubs every 100 linear feet landscape buffer shall be installed along all conditional zoning lines All buffers must be placed outside of any fencing existing vegetation may be used 3 The development shall conform to all requirements of the Johnston County Land Development Code 4 Applicant shall submit a detailed site plan for review and approval by the Planning and Zoning Department Staff 5 All signage shall comply with the Johnston County sign code 6 All lighting shall be downlighting so as to not shine onto adjacent properties proposed by staff 7 All structures must comply with all rules enforced by Federal , State , and Local agencies 8 Secure an NCDOT driveway permit Conditional Zoning Applicant Questions 1 That the use or development is located , designed , and proposed to be operated so as to maintain or promote the public health , safety , and general welfare ; Applicant The planned use of the project will be light industrial warehousing The site is currently a vacant field The proposed uses will avoid currently mapped environmental features adjacent to the site The site will also plant enhanced Type C buffers along property lines adjacent to residential where current vegetation does not exist 2 That the use of the development appears to comply with all required use and intensity regulations of Articles II & IV of the Johnston County Land Development Code and the applicable specific standards in section 14 - 257 and with all applicable regulations ; Applicant The project is located 500 ’ from the major intersection of Cleveland Rd and Hwy 42 The intended proposed uses of the site are light industrial which is consistent with a significant amount of delivered and proposed development within the corridor off Hwy 42 and Cleveland Rd In addition , the site is partially within the IHI zoning district Intended uses for the site would be consistent and allowable by right in the IHI district 3 That the use or development is located , designed , and proposed to be operated so as to maintain or enhance the value of contiguous property , or that the use or development is a public necessity ; Applicant The development along Hwy 42 directly off Interstate 40 has the majority built out There are minimal undeveloped parcels for industrial , job creating , uses within such close proximity This development will increase the availability of industrial spaces lacking in this area In addition , due to being a vacant field , the additional landscaping proposed will enhance the visual appearance of the parcel 4 That the use or development conforms with general plans for the physical development of the County’s Planning jurisdiction , the Design Manual , or other development policies as adopted by the Board of Commissioners Page614 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued Applicant The development is located within the Johnston County Regional Mixed Use Center of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan The proposed site sits on the transition from more business and retail to the south and residential to the north The light industrial usage fits in the overall future plan of this region Attorney Tom Johnson , Williams Mullen , 301 Fayetteville Street , Raleigh , representing the applicant , addressed the Board Mr Johnson stated they have done a lot of work based upon the comments and feedback received at the Planning Board meeting He noted they have made significant changes to the conditions as it relates to the uses that would be excluded Mr Johnson stated they also engaged The McAdams Company to perform a traffic study which normally would not be required for a project of this size Tanner Hicklin with Applicant Greystar Development , 555 Fayetteville Street , Raleigh , provided the Board with a background on Greystar stating they are an owner , operator , developer , and manager of commercial properties headquartered in the Carolinas He stated for a long time they have had a significant presence in Raleigh with over 600 team members in the area and they are the largest manager of communities in the Greater Raleigh area Mr Hicklin stated they hope to begin their Technology Drive Project in Johnston County later this year He stated this site would be similar in design to the Technology Drive Project Mr Hicklin stated they hope to continue finding new ways to grow in Johnston County and their goal for this as well as other projects is to meet the needs of local , regional , or national businesses while also meeting the needs of the communities He stated based on feedback from the County and the community they have made design changes as well as excluded additional uses to hopefully align with the vision of the growth for the corridor Mr Johnson readdressed the Board and reviewed the following presentation with the Commissioners PagePage pageNumber5615 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued Mr Johnson stated after the Planning Board meeting , they reviewed the table of permitted uses and have more than doubled the number of uses to be excluded to address community concerns He noted the trucking terminal use has been excluded because there was a lot of comment at the Planning Board meeting about this ; however , he stated there may be deliveries to the site from a tractor trailer or box truck from time to time Mr Johnson stated the following building design examples are the type of image that Greystar intends to have at the subject site He also reviewed the targeted businesses with the Board PagePage pageNumber6616 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued Mr Johnson reviewed the following aerial with the Board demonstrating there is a natural buffer in between the subject site and the nearest residential subdivision He noted they have agreed to install a Class C buffer which is a more intensive type buffer PagePage pageNumber7617 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued At Mr Johnson’s request , Nate Bouquin , Traffic Engineering Lead with The McAdams Company , reviewed the following traffic information with the Board He noted that of the estimated 34 daily truck trips , this would include all types of trucks such as delivery trucks and UPS deliveries Mr Bouquin stated they did not find that there would be substantial impacts to the area based on the proposed project at the subject site Mr Johnson reviewed the following information with the Board as it relates to utilities and stormwater PagePage pageNumber8618 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued Mr Johnson stated the proposed development would not impact schools because it is not a residential use Mr Johnson stated the request is consistent with the Envision Johnston Land Use Plan He stated as it relates to traffic improvements , no additional improvements would be necessary simply because this is an area where the North Carolina Department of Transportation has already made significant improvements At the inquiry of Commissioner April Stephens , Mr Johnson stated there will be some loading docks to allow for box truck type deliveries ; however , they are proposing the Class C buffer which is a more intense buffer He noted the applicant has removed “ trucking terminal ” from the list of allowed uses Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr stated there are other uses on the table of permitted uses that raise questions for him , specifically the boat manufacturing , bus repair and storage terminal facility uses , and the extraction of earth products Mr Johnson stated they do not intend to have a boat manufacturing facility at this site , but there could be boat sales or repair At the inquiry of Chairman Lawter , Mr Hicklin stated if there are additional uses that cause concern they can be addressed The Board took a moment to review the table of permitted uses Mr Hicklin stated they are open to excluding uses that would produce noxious odors , noise , or pollution Mr Johnson stated they want to be careful not to eliminate uses that could be done on a small scale Commissioner Stephens noted this is a conditional zoning and anything approved would remain with the property even if it changes ownership in the future She also noted that some of the uses would require a special use permit which would have to come back to the Board for approval Upon a question by Commissioner Mike Rose , Mr Johnson stated the few homes located along Cleveland Road are not part of this project He stated he believed that one of those homeowners came to the Planning Board meeting with questions but did not state any concerns about the proposed project Commissioner Stephens noted that a few of those home sites have since been converted to commercial uses At the inquiry of Chairman Lawter , Mr Johnson stated the proposed conditions are acceptable and they have added more excluded uses as was noted in the presentation The Chairman called for anyone else present that wished to speak to come forward Ms Kana Cutchin , 85 Fieldsview Drive , Garner , Sherrills Place Subdivision , addressed the Board and stated her neighborhood would back up to the proposed development Ms Cutchin noted the pond on the property in between the residential development and the proposed site is no longer there Ms Cutchin stated as a resident on Pierce Road , her main concerns involve safety and the traffic that any business would create She stated while she appreciates Greystar’s efforts to bring employment to Johnston County , she does not believe Pierce Road is appropriate Ms Cutchin stated a lot of the comparisons by the applicant came from properties on Hwy 42 and Pierce Road is not meant for the type of traffic that a business would bring Ms Cutchin expressed concerns with the accuracy of the traffic study stating she anticipates increased traffic in this area with the opening of 540 Ms Cutchin stated Pierce Road is a residential area and is not conducive to increased traffic Mr Johnson stated the traffic study was based on data and McAdams also conducted actual counts in the area He stated the distribution showed that roughly most all of the traffic on Pierce Road going west would be motor vehicles and any trucks would most likely be a UPS or Fed Ex truck making deliveries Mr Johnson again agreed to discuss the list of permitted uses Commissioner Ted G Godwin asked about excluding the following uses - boat manufacturing , chemical manufacturing , household industrial , dry cleaning laundry plants , and the extraction of earth products Chairman Lawter asked if boat sales is separate from boat manufacturing PagePage pageNumber9619 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued Mr Hicklin stated if boat manufacturing is a concern , it can be added to the list of exclusions He asked if showroom type sales could remain Commissioner Godwin commented that he would not think showroom type sales would be an issue Chairman Lawter stated to Mr Johnson’s earlier point , he does not want to exclude something if it can be scaled down , but he does not want to see this facility become something that would create noise or odor Mr Hicklin stated although it is not a target business , they would like to retain showroom sales He stated heavy manufacturing is not what they are trying to do at this location The Board discussed with the applicant the list of uses to be excluded Ms Cutchin readdressed the Board and asked if there is a timeframe for construction or when the units would be occupied She also asked if the applicant can address how long it would interrupt travel within the Pierce Road community Mr Hicklin stated the construction duration of the proposed project would be about one year and there would be little to no impact on the roadway He stated they hope for a quick lease - up of the units , but it is speculative by nature There being no further public comments , the Chairman closed the public comment portion of the hearing Mr Newton reported the Planning Board recommended denial of the rezoning and adoption of a Resolution for the Statement of Consistency as submitted in the agenda packet ; however , this was based on the prior application and not the current revised proposal Mr Newton stated staff’s recommendation was for approval Mr Newton listed the following as additional excluded uses based on discussions during the hearing between the Board and the applicant boat manufacturing interior only showroom sales allowed ; carpet manufacturing carpet cleaning allowed ; chemical manufacturing assemblage and combining allowed ; dairy products processing assemblage , packaging , and distribution allowed ; extraction of earth products ; furniture manufacturing based on scale - large scale manufacturing distribution is excluded refinishing and small custom items allowed ; glass manufacturing repair replacement allowed ; mining quarry operation ; pharmaceutical manufacturing assemblage , packaging , and distribution allowed ; plastics manufacturing would be limited to heat pressed or molding ; and roofing materials manufacturing Mr Newton noted the following items as listed by the applicant would also be excluded uses At the inquiry of the Chairman , Mr Johnson confirmed that in general , the conditions with the exclusions as listed by Mr Newton are acceptable , until they can see the final list to be compiled by staff There being no further comments , the Chairman closed the Rezoning Hearing for Case 25 - 06 Page0620 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued Decision on Rezoning Case 25 - 06 Case 25 - 06 Petition to rezone 1256 acres located on Pierce Road near the intersection of Cleveland Road in the Cleveland Township from Agricultural Residential AR to Industrial 2 – Conditional Zoning I2 - CZ Tax ID 06D01007C Owner G Paul Sherrill , Jr Applicant Greystar Development East , LLC Conditional Zoning Request Various Heavy Industrial Uses Motion Commissioner Ted G Godwin moved the Board adopt the following Statement of Consistency that was provided in the staff report and approve the rezoning request with conditions as discussed and outlined by Mr Newton for Case 25 - 06 Commissioner April Stephens seconded the motion Discussion Commissioner April Stephens stated she initially had strong concerns based on the feedback that was received at the Planning Board meeting Commissioner Stephens stated if this were located further down Pierce Road and not already at an intersection with contiguous commercial properties then she would have further concerns Commissioner Stephens noted the applicant is further reducing the intensity through the exclusion of uses which shows they have listened to the concerns of the community Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr commented that the conditional zoning process allows the Board and applicant to work through the differences and mitigate some of the community’s concerns Vote The motion carried by unanimous vote Statement of Consistency This request is consistent with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan in that it is located within a designated “ Regional Mixed Use Center ” Future Land Use Placetype on the Envision Johnston 2040 County Comprehensive Land Use Plan These areas are intended to be centers of activity that include a mix of retail , restaurant , service , office , and civic and institutional uses Part of the property is also in the IHI overlay which would allow this use by right This property is also in an activity node Conditions Page1621 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued 5 Smithfield Ballpark Project Discussion Continued Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr stated this item is a continuation from the morning meeting He stated Smithfield Town Manager Michael Scott is in the audience for questions if needed Commissioner Mike Rose stated he has heard from constituents about this project both for and against and he has listened to all those concerns Commissioner Rose stated if he thought this was public money that was simply being spent for a ballpark to help a team make money then he would be opposed ; however , he has tried to research and understand what Smithfield is asking Commissioner Rose stated it is not unprecedented for a municipality to provide a facility that is leased to a company whether it be for a baseball park or football stadium Page2622 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued Commissioner Rose stated Johnston County is in need of more activities for families and an event venue like this is needed where families can go to ballgames for not only the Tobs , but also for high school or college events He further stated that he looks at this as being an economic engine for the County and he asked Finance Director Chad McLamb to run some numbers earlier today based on numbers provided by Mr Scott along with a more conservative estimate Commissioner Rose reported that Mr McLamb’s estimate indicates that if the County were to approve the requested 2 million to help build the ballpark , then between sales taxes and the hotel occupancy tax , it would take somewhere between 10 to 16 years to get this money back Commissioner Rose continued that a lot of times when talking about parks and things that help with quality of life , there is no return on investment and it is simply about doing the right thing and having places for people to congregate and have a good time However , he stated in this situation , the County is able to recoup the investment over time Commissioner Rose stated Fleming Stadium , where the Tobs currently play , was built in 1939 and in 86 years there has been many memories made , and much economic activity around that stadium He stated in looking at the numbers provided by Mr McLamb , if the County is thinking long - term , this could be an economic engine for tourism to bring people to Smithfield and Johnston County He stated the Board has the choice of not doing this and keeping 2 million in the fund balance , or allocating these funds and in 20 years having double the return with a baseball stadium that is also creating memories for families as well as economic activity Commissioner Rose stated he feels like this is a great opportunity for the Board to consider and at the end of the day he believes the money will be recouped many times over Commissioner April Stephens stated in speaking from her heart , she would love to see something new like this come to the County for families to enjoy , but her head tells her there are the finances to consider Commissioner Stephens stated she wants to make sure that if the Board allocates the requested funds , that everyone agrees that they want this to be bigger than just a local baseball team Commissioner Rose stated it has to start somewhere and as projects go , this is a relatively small start He stated if Smithfield came to the County wanting to start a baseball team that was not already in existence , then he would have concerns ; however , the Tobs team is a proven entity that has existed for over 80 years Commissioner Rose stated the Tobs regularly sell out a 2,500 - seat stadium and the one being considered by Smithfield is 1,800 seats Commissioner Rose agreed with Commissioner Stephens that he would like to see something bigger , but he feels like the County has to start somewhere Commissioner Bill Stovall stated he has to ask the question that if this is such a good investment then why is it not still in Wilson Commissioner Stovall stated ultimately this is a for - profit private enterprise that the County would be subsidizing and he does not see this as a taxpayer responsibility He stated if this is such a good investment then there should be private investors as opposed to taxpayer money Commissioner Stovall stated he does not have anything against sports , but he does not see this initiative as a role of government Commissioner Stovall acknowledged that the County has put money in the Johnston Regional Park , but that project is on a priority list that was established and agreed upon by the Board at their strategic planning session Commissioner Stovall stated he is concerned because the Board cut the tax rate as low as the Commissioners thought it could be cut while still meeting all the obligations and working on the priority list which includes needed buildings for County government due to an increase in the demand for services Commissioner Stovall noted the County will have to borrow funds to meet all those needs He stated that although the request is only for 2 million , it will take approximately 10 to 16 years to recoup this money and these are funds that the County may need for emergencies Commissioner Stovall stated he does not feel there is enough incentive to take this risk and it would be best served by the private sector Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris stated he has studied this issue and while he can see both sides , for him it comes down to a quality of life issue for the citizens and making sure there are things for the citizens to do and having places for families to make memories Vice Chairman Harris stated although he was not a huge proponent of the Community Park in Smithfield back when it was built , he can now see where it has turned out to be a significant benefit to not only Smithfield , but to the entire County with citizens coming from all over as well as surrounding counties to use those facilities Vice Chairman Harris stated while one can question if it is really the County’s responsibility to provide quality of life type things , he thinks the answer is yes that citizens want to have things for their families to do He stated the County does not have anything like this ballpark and based on the fact that the County will eventually recoup the money , he does not believe this is a bad investment Vice Chairman Harris stated the Tobs team already has an 80 year history and the Town of Smithfield is taking the lead on this and will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance He stated he looks at this as a one - time investment to partner with the Town of Smithfield on an economic development project Page3623 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued Motion Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris moved the Board approve the request to fund the Smithfield ballpark project in the amount of 2 million over the next two fiscal years Commissioner Mike Rose seconded the motion Discussion Commissioner Ted G Godwin stated he has given this proposal a lot of thought and although Commissioner Stovall makes a good point , he is thinking about the quality of life for the citizens Commissioner Godwin stated the situation with Tobs leaving Wilson was beyond their control , but this was a great history of baseball in Wilson Commissioner Godwin stated he feels this is the right thing to do Commissioner Mike Rose stated he can appreciate everything Commissioner Stovall stated ; however , Wilson is losing the Tobs because of the situation with the Mudcats Commissioner Rose stated if Wilson thought baseball was a bad idea then he does not think they would be putting 85 million into a downtown stadium for the Mudcats He stated Wilson is not able to keep both teams and has chosen to put all their efforts into the new minor league stadium rather than maintaining the Fleming Stadium for the Tobs Commissioner Rose noted that Wilson hates to see the Tobs go , but they are moving forward with a much bigger initiative Commissioner Bill Stovall stated if things were different then he possibly could agree with Commissioner Rose ; however , the County is coming off of a tax revaluation that basically saw an increase in property taxes for almost every taxpayer in the County Commissioner Stovall stated he has had many people come to him and tell him that they can no longer afford to live in Johnston County because of the revaluation Commissioner Stovall stated the timing is not right for this project and he cannot vote in support Commissioner Michelle Pace Davis stated she has had a lot of concern over this because she sees both sides Commissioner Davis stated she does not take the taxpayers ’ money lightly ; however , she does not want the County to lose an opportunity that may not come about again Commissioner Davis stated the Board must consider the quality of life and she feels this is an opportunity to partner with the Town of Smithfield She stated as Smithfield Town Manager Michael Scott talked about at the morning meeting , this money is going to the Town of Smithfield who will manage the baseball park so if the Tobs leave , the baseball park would still be there Commissioner Davis stated because of the quality of life and the opportunity to bring in tourism for the County , she can support this Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr stated the Tobs and their ownership are proven entities and there is no denying their success and the community involvement they bring Chairman Lawter stated the problem for him is unlike other economic development incentive packages the Board has approved , this is going to a private entity for them to make a profit Chairman Lawter stated the County has many other needs like the new Clayton High School as well as County facilities as is outlined on the list of priorities Chairman Lawter acknowledged that other local governments have built stadiums with public dollars ; however , those were often heated debates as to whether public money should be spent on those facilities and the votes were usually split He agreed that while the Tobs team has a history of being successful , for him it goes back to public dollars going to a private for - profit entity Chairman Lawter stated he cannot vote for this at this time Vice Chairman Harris stated he would like to clarify that this allocation is going to the Town of Smithfield and not the Tobs He stated this is going to the Town to help build a facility that will serve the citizens in the County with the thought that the generation of tax revenue from this will more than repay what the County is investing Vice Chairman Harris stated this is not subsidizing a for - profit business , but rather this is partnering with the Town of Smithfield on an economic development project Commissioner Mike Rose commented that this project would create a steady stream of revenue for Johnston County Commissioner Rose further stated this is revenue that does not have to be charged to property taxes which he hopes people understand Commissioner April Stephens asked if there is a plan for the revenue generated , once the County recoups the initial 2 million She asked if that revenue could perhaps be applied towards building more parks and recreational facilities in the County Vice Chairman Harris stated sales tax revenue goes into the General Fund and everything that goes into the General Fund helps to keep the tax rate as low as possible because it is a cumulative process Page4624 October 6 , 2025 – 6 00 pm Continued Commissioner Godwin stated to him , the real advantage is that the people who will come to enjoy ballgames will also spend money Vice Chairman Harris stated he had a conversation with Johnston County Visitors Bureau President Aaron Mullins and he seems very confident this will bring in a marketable economic factor in which the County and the Town of Smithfield can both benefit He also noted that when the County collects sales taxes , every municipality in the County gets a portion of that revenue Vote The motion carried by the following vote Ayes Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris and Commissioners Ted G Godwin , April Stephens , Michelle Pace Davis , and Mike Rose Nays Chairman RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr and Commissioner Bill Stovall 6 Manager Reports and Comments None 7 Board Reports and Comments Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris reported that conversations are continuing on a behavioral health urgent care facility with County staff and Alliance He stated he is excited about the progress that has been made and he feels confident they are close to being able to provide care for the citizens Vice Chairman Harris stated everyone can agree that mental health is a huge crisis for not only Johnston County , but also the State and the nation There being no further business , Commissioner Ted G Godwin moved the Board adjourn Vice Chairman Patrick E Harris seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 7 35 pm RS “ Butch ” Lawter , Jr , Chairman Dana G Cuddington , Clerk to the BoardPage