Johnston County
Board
of Commissioners report from Jan. 6 sessions |
 |
Commissioners present:
Chairman Ted Godwin, Tony Braswell, Jeff Carver,
Patrick Harris, Butch Lawter, Chad Stewart, Larry Wood
Absent: None
During a public hearing Monday evening on Martin Marietta's request for permission to operate its quarry between Four Oaks and Benson "24/7," commissioners were torn between the company's business interests and quarry neighbors who feared all-night operations would keep them awake.
Presently, Martin Marietta is required by a county-issued special-use permit to limit its operating hours for excavating and transporting materials to Monday through Saturday, dawn to dusk.
The company wants that restriction lifted so it can deliver crushed stone to major highway projects around the clock since much of that work nowadays is done at night as required by contracts with the N.C. Department of Transportation.
During Monday's discussion, commissioners expressed hope that the company and its neighbors could work out a compromise --- perhaps allowing nighttime operations but not after 11 p.m. To encourage the parties to negotiate a settlement, Commissioner Braswell made a motion to delay a decision on Martin Marietta's request till next month. His motion won approval from all the other commissioners except Mr. Lawter, who voted no.
STILL NO DECISION ON WASTE-DECAL REPLACEMENT
The commissioners resumed discussions about replacing the county's solid-waste decal system with a fee on homeowners to pay for operation of Johnston's "convenience centers" for disposal of household garbage and trash. A proposal floated at Monday evening's meeting would add to annual property-tax bills a $35 garbage-disposal fee for each residence outside of Johnston's municipalities plus a $10 recycling fee for every residence throughout the county, towns included. Commissioners didn't have sufficient consensus for a vote on that or any other proposal, so they postponed a decision once more. Whatever is adopted likely won't take effect for at least another year and perhaps beyond that, since the vehicle-decal system is already in place for the current fiscal year. The annual fee for decals per residence is $100.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT "SURROGATE TOWNS"?
During the "Public Comments" portion of Monday evening's session, Denton Lee of Cleveland Township urged commissioners to consider more "special tax districts" in high-growth areas where residents are unlikely to support creation of new municipalities. "County Government has taken on the surrogate role of town governments" in areas like Cleveland and other fast-growing western townships, he said. Water and sewer districts as well as fire-protection districts are in place in many rural areas, he noted, but other services like recreation and law enforcement may need tax districts if dense suburbanization continues unabated. Those "special districts" are needed, he said, "so these services are paid for by the residents" therein, and are "not a burden on the rest of the county's taxpayers." Mr. Lee voiced support for proposals to steer dense residential development into the jurisdictions of existing municipalities, noting that "many of our towns are stagnant" and would welcome more residents.
YEAR-END REPORT FROM PLANNING DEPARTMENT
Commissioners received a year-end report from the county's Planning Department that includes these numbers: 49 major subdivisions approved in rural Johnston during 2019 --- up from 44 in 2018; 1,437 building lots approved this past year --- down from 1,865 in 2018; and 198.28 acres of "open space" set aside in proposed residential developments in 2019 --- up from 173.95 acres in 2018.
FIRST CITIZENS FAVORED FOR FIRE-DEPARTMENT LOAN
Commissioners approved an agreement with First Citizens Bank for a five-year, tax-exempt loan up to $400,000 to purchase a new truck for the West Johnston Fire Department --- even though First Citizens' bid of 2.98% interest was slightly higher than a bid of 2.95% from United Community Bank. Jimmy Wilkins, treasurer of the West Johnston Department, recommended First Citizens, noting that the department has enjoyed a good working relationship with that bank since 1963. Commissioner Lawter cast the only dissenting vote against approval, while Commissioner Carver recused himself from taking sides on the matter since he's a First Citizens employee.
DEPARTMENT-HEAD RETIREMENTS ANNOUNCED
Commissioners took note of the Dec. 31 retirement of Dean Barbour, the county's director of code enforcement, and the pending retirement of Dennis Cooper, the county's director of technology services, at the end of February. Employed by the county in 1988, Mr. Barbour has headed his department since 2007. Mr. Cooper, employed by the county in 1996, has been director of his department since 2013.