May 4, 2026 - 6:00 PM - Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes

10 335 Meeting of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners May 4 , 2026 6 00 pm The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in regular session Monday , May 4 , 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 , Ted G Godwin , April Stephens , Bill Stovall , Michelle Pace Davis and Mike Rose Absent Vice Chairman RS " Butch " Lawter , Jr 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 1 Approval Discussion of Agenda Upon a motion by Commissioner Ted G Godwin , seconded by Commissioner Mike Rose , and carried by unanimous vote , the Board approved the agenda as presented 2 Public Comments A Citizen Comments - Leon Cobb Leon Cobb , Buffalo Road , addressed the Board and noted that the young lady that received a County Challenge Coin at the last meeting was his granddaughter Mr Cobb spoke on his love for his granddaughter and his family stating his family goes back a long time in Johnston County and fought in battles against oppression 160 years ago Mr Cobb spoke on all the changes that have occurred over the years in the County and stated once a right is lost , a person can never get it back Mr Cobb stated citizens have a right to live freely and do what th they want to on their own property He spoke on the upcoming 250 Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and how representation should be fair across the County Mr Cobb expressed his concerns that all citizens do not have fair representation across the County and he referred to the Bill of Rights as it relates to people having freedom of speech and the right to peacefully assemble or petition the government to address grievances Mr Cobb spoke on the need to make sure people feel secure in their own homes and are protected against unreasonable searches and seizures Mr Cobb expressed his concerns regarding the draft Unified Development Ordinance as it relates to violations and fines He spoke on how under the UDO , County officials can levy fines and he feels that people who are being accused of a violation should get a fair trial with a jury Mr Cobb referenced and read from the Declaration of Independence and spoke on the need to protect the rights of the people Mr Cobb reminded everyone of the Constitution and spoke on his concerns regarding the government imposing taxes on people without their consent B Citizen Comments - Will Byrd Will Byrd , Smithfield , addressed the Board regarding the draft Unified Development Ordinance UDO stating at the last County Commissioners meeting , it was shared that citizens would have a revised draft to review in advance in order to be prepared to discuss the document at future meetings Mr Byrd expressed his concerns that a revised UDO document has not been posted for the public to review and he is curious to learn if the language regarding the regulation of farm animals has been removed Mr Byrd continued his comments by expressing concerns regarding the County's water supply Mr Byrd stated there is a limited supply of water and it is disappointing to see development that has occurred increasing to a point where his children can no longer afford to live in Johnston County Mr Byrd also shared his concerns with the Board regarding the outside consulting firm that was contracted by the County to write the UDO document Mr Byrd stated the County has had decades to work on a UDO internally and he is disappointed that the County contracted with an outside consulting firm to dictate local rules and regulations Mr Byrd asked about the cost involved with using an outside consulting firm to create the UDO and further asked about additional costs that would be associated with future revisions to the document or developments Mr Byrd spoke on the importance of looking out for the longtime residents in the County stating growth has to stop until such a time as the proper infrastructure can be put into place Page336 May 4 , 2026 - 6 00 pm Continued C Citizen Comments - Meleka Byrd Meleka Byrd , Smithfield , stated she would like to echo previous comments by her husband , Will Byrd , regarding the limited water supply Ms Byrd stated the water supply is a major concern as it relates to development in the County She stated there is too much development and not enough water for everyone Ms Byrd also expressed her frustration that a revised Unified Development Ordinance UDO document has not been released for the public's review Ms Byrd stated it feels as though false or mis - information is being given to the citizens because they are being told that changes are being made and the UDO is being revised , but citizens are unable to review that information for themselves Ms Byrd spoke on the need to slow development and consider things like the water supply and traffic congestion and how they are affecting the longtime residents of the County Ms Byrd reiterated the need for the County to post the revised UDO document so that citizens can have adequate time to review the text and provide their feedback Ms Byrd expressed her disappointment with the entire UDO process and stated the Board needs to consider what the residents want She asked the Board for more transparency in the process Ms Byrd also stated the stakeholders group charged with reviewing the UDO document needs to be stakeholders representing all of the people in Johnston County 3 Planning and Zoning - Unified Development Ordinance UDO Update Planning Director Braston Newton provided the Board with an update on the UDO process Mr Newton spoke on the stakeholder group and stated it is a diverse group consisting of representatives from the farming community , Cooperative Extension , Soil Conservation , the development community , and appointed elected officials He stated many of the individuals serving on the stakeholder group also served on the committee that helped draft the Envision Johnston Land Use Plan Mr Newton stated the group has gone through Chapters A and B line by line and the next step will be to have a legal review of those chapters He stated once the legal review is complete , those chapters will be released to the public Mr Newton noted that the entire original draft will remain on the website for information purposesPage337 May 4 , 2026 - 6 00 pm Continued and the newly revised chapters will be posted separately so it is important to be aware of which documents are being reviewed He stated they have begun reviewing Chapter C with proposed recommendations coming soon followed by a review of Chapter D Mr Newton noted the remaining chapters relate to stormwater and erosion control which were revised and approved last year He stated no additional changes are being proposed to those chapters other than items related to state or federal mandates Mr Newton reviewed the following considerations that are being revised within the UDO in accordance with previous direction from the Board He noted the consideration for buffers is still being discussed with feedback from the public being received Mr Newton spoke on the special events for temporary uses He noted that activity from Bonafide Farms is exempt and this section refers to one - off or seasonal type uses such as a produce stand from a home garden Mr Newton stated the intent is not to prohibit those activities so language is being considered to allow for those temporary uses Mr Newton stated currently the minimum lot area within the Agriculture Residential district is 30,000 sf with public water and then 40,000 sf with a private well or located within an Environmentally Sensitive overlay area He stated there has been conversation on a proposal to uniform this to 30,000 sf ; however , that is still under discussion Page338 May 4 , 2026 - 6 00 pm Continued Mr Newton discussed the above proposed schedule with the Board and asked for feedback He noted that although chapters will be released to the public as they become available it is the hope to have a complete revised document released to the public by June He stated staff proposes one or two public hearings by the Board of Commissioners in September before adoption consideration sometime in October He noted that only one public hearing is legally required ; however , it may be advisable to have at least two public hearings to allow th for public comment Mr Newton stated an additional public drop - in session is proposed for July 16 to allow for the public to talk one on one with staff and the consultant and have any questions answered in a more informal setting Mr Newton offered to answer any questions Chairman Patrick E Harris stated he wants to make sure the public has plenty of opportunities to review the document and understand the revisions Chairman Harris expressed support for the drop - in session to allow for feedback and discussion from citizens At the inquiry of Commissioner Mike Rose , Mr Newton stated one issue staff had seen in the County is complaints regarding larger animals in major subdivisions He stated there have been substantial issues where citizens have complained about larger animals in major subdivisions where for example , residents on half acre lots have tried to have larger animals which has caused conflicts between neighbors Mr Newton stated staff has even been called into court on some situations regarding such disputes He stated there have been concerns regarding chickens , pigs , goats , and other such animals in major subdivisions which is why language was proposed in the original UDO draft ; however , the Board has asked that language pertaining to animal regulations be removed Upon a question by Commissioner April Stephens , Mr Newton confirmed that language regarding the regulation of animals has been removed from the UDO draft at the direction of the Board Commissioner Stephens stated that she thinks language was originally added due health and safety concerns because there have been complaints from citizens in the past She noted that she had received a communication from a concerned citizen right after she became a commissioner about a horse that was not receiving proper care Mr Newton clarified that language regarding the health and safety of animals remains in the Animal Services ordinances to protect the treatment of animals Upon a question by Commissioner Rose , Mr Newton confirmed the consideration regarding buffers and lot size are still being discussed and nothing has been decided as of yet Commissioner Michelle Pace Davis stated as it relates to temporary uses , she had thought that produce stands had been removed from that language Mr Newton stated it was his understanding that produce stands would remain under that category because they can sometimes last longer than a couple of months during the growing season ; however , he welcomes direction from the Board Commissioner Davis stated she feels produce stands should not be a part of that language There being no further questions , Chairman Harris thanked Mr Newton for the update 4 Manager Reports and Comments NonePagePage pageNumber5339 May 4 , 2026 - 6 00 pm Continued 5 Board Reports and Comments Commissioner Ted G Godwin commented that he feels everyone has forgotten why the Unified Development Ordinance UDO process was started , which was to try and slow down and better manage growth Commissioner Godwin stated he was born in Johnston County and personally he would not like to see any more growth until it can be accommodated comfortably Commissioner Godwin further stated he believes in freedom , the Constitution , the Bill of Rights , and limited government ; therefore , although he does not want to see more development , he does not feel he can tell someone what they can and cannot do with their own land , including building a subdivision He stated it is truly a dilemma and very difficult to manage Commissioner Godwin spoke on the need to work together to find solutions Commissioner Mike Rose reported he attended the funeral for former Johnston County Commissioner Chairman and North Carolina House Representative James H Langdon , Jr who passed away recently Commissioner Rose stated it was an honor to attend the service and listen to all the speakers talk about Mr Langdon and all he did for the people Commissioner April Stephens stated she would like to expand on Commissioner Godwin's comments regarding the UDO Commissioner Stephens stated the Commissioners are trying to be good stewards of the County and they welcome all feedback from the citizens Commissioner Stephens stated this is a continuing process and she wants to make sure conversations are ongoing and perspectives are being shared She stated that she feels the UDO document is getting better which is the result of all the feedback and conversations with the citizens Commissioner Stephens stated she wants to remind everyone that the consultants are not perfect and they are trying to guide the process She noted that it is important to see what other counties are doing and what has worked or not worked for them because it helps Johnston County make better decisions Commissioner Stephens commented that she wants everyone to realize the main focus is Johnston County's citizens and the Commissioners are listening to the residents Chairman Patrick E Harris stated the Board appreciates the input from those attending tonight's meeting and from all those that have provided their feedback He noted Johnston County is a large county and the UDO process is a challenging task so the Commissioners are actively working to figure it out He stated it is important to note that the Board is not trying to rush through the process and wants to answer all the questions and understand all the concerns There being no further business , Commissioner Ted G Godwin moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Mike Rose seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote The meeting adjourned at 6 51 pm Patrick E Harris , Chairman Dana G Cuddington , Clerk to the BoardPage