Johnston County
Board
of Commissioners report from June 1 sessions |
 |
Commissioners present:
Chairman Ted Godwin, Tony Braswell, Jeff Carver,
Patrick Harris, Butch Lawter, Chad Stewart, and Larry Wood
Absent: none
County
prepares plan for distributing
$3.6 million from federal CARES Act
The exact amount allocated to
Johnston County is $3,646,014, County Manager Rick
Hester told the County Commissioners at their
monthly meeting Monday.
He presented a plan (required by the state) that
directs most of the money to cover COVID-19
expenses incurred by the county, with smaller
amounts going to Johnston's municipalities and
several fire departments.
Mr. Hester emphasized that the amounts are
subject to change as actual expenses are
tallied in the weeks ahead.
The bulk of the money --- almost $3.2
million --- is to be directed through County
Government for medical expenses such as
COVID-19 testing, costs of personal
protective supplies and disinfection of
facilities, extra payroll costs for
employees "whose services are substantially
dedicated to mitigating or responding to the
COVID-19 public-health emergency," expenses
related to distance learning brought on by
school closings, expenses related to
"telework" required of public employees,
costs of family and medical leave granted
public employees because of stay-at-home
orders, and more.
The rest of the money is tentatively
allocated as follows: Town of Clayton
$250,000; Town of Smithfield $111,469; Town
of Kenly $30,238; Kenly Fire Department
$4,012; Town of Four Oaks $1,051; Four Oaks
EMS $3,711; Town of Benson $5,600; Town of
Wilson's Mills $11,454; Wilson's Mills Fire
Department $2,988; Town of Pine Level
$20,000; Town of Princeton $5,564; Princeton
Fire Department $12,750; Cleveland Fire
Department $2,180; Micro Fire Department
$3,137; and Bethany Fire Department $1,265.
CARES
stands for Coronavirus
Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security --- the title
of the
$2-trillion
package of
federal aid
approved by
Congress in
March.
An advertised hearing on the proposed county budget for 2020-21 drew no responses from the public --- neither in person at Monday's meeting nor as written comments submitted in advance. David Johnson, president of Johnston Community College, and Interim Superintendent of Schools Ben Williams appeared briefly before the board. Dr. Johnson asked that $200,000 removed from operating funds be restored for capital improvements. Dr. Williams noted that COVID relief funds coming to the school system could not be used to supplement its operating budget in the year ahead. Commissioners have scheduled budget sessions for 6 p.m. next Monday (June 8) and the following Monday (June 15) when they hope to adopt the budget for the new fiscal year that starts July 1.
NO OBJECTIONS TO HIGHER DEVELOPMENT FEES
An advertised hearing on proposed increases in the county's one-time water and sewer development fees also drew no comments from the public. Utilities Director Chandra Farmer emphasized that the fees will apply only to new residential and commercial construction, not to existing homes and businesses, even if they're not presently connected to county utilities but choose to do so later on. Based on a recent study, the higher fees scheduled to take effect July 1 are calculated to cover the cost of new infrastructure required for new development, thereby protecting existing customers "by allowing growth to pay for growth," Ms. Farmer said.
N.C. "PILOT" SURVEY HERE ON BROADBAND INTERNET
Commissioners pledged the county's cooperation in promoting a state-administered survey in Johnston County on Internet Broadband service. Jim Corrin of the N.C. Department of Information Technology said the survey to gather data on high-speed Internet connectivity for both households and businesses is a"pilot" project that could turn out to be "the gold standard" for such surveys statewide. In response to questions from commissioners, Mr. Corrin said the survey's data would likely encourage smaller, entrepreneurial businesses to deliver high-speed services to under-served rural areas of the county. "There is no charge for this," he assured commissioners wondering what the survey might cost the county.
ROCK-QUARRY TRUCKS PERMITTED TO RUN ALL NIGHT
Following a public hearing during the Monday evening session, the board voted 5-2 to grant Martin Marietta's request for permission to allow trucks to transport rocks out of its quarry on Raleigh Road near Benson around-the-clock seven days a week. Company officials said they'd prefer not to do nighttime trucking but have no choice in order to compete for N.C. Department of Transportation contracts requiring night work on the rebuilding and widening of nearby I-95 that's expected to continue for a number of years. Several residents close to the quarry voiced opposition to the change approved Monday, suggesting that Martin Marietta is violating restrictions on noise and stored materials set forth in earlier county permits. Commissioners Braswell and Wood voted against the new permit allowing truck movements in and out of the quarry 24/7.
LANDFILL TO GET NEW ENTRANCE, MORE SCALES
The board awarded a $1,595,915 contract to S.T. Wooten Corporation of Wilson for installation of two new scales, two new attendant buildings, and a new roadway entrance to the Johnston County Landfill. An added 5% for construction contingencies brings the project's total budget to $1,675,710. Financing for the project will come from reserves built up for capital improvements from landfill fees supplemented by county appropriations.
FINANCING FOR CLEVELAND FIRE TRUCK OK'd
The board approved a loan to be financed by the McLemore Fire District for a $593,574 Pierce pumper to replace a Cleveland Fire Department engine recently totaled in a wreck. Civic Federal Credit Union was low bidder for the loan at an interest rate of 2.6% over 10 years. Fire Chief Chris Ellington said delivery of the new truck is 330 days away.
LOAN ACCEPTED FOR LENGTHY WATER-LINE PROJECT
The board accepted a $5,586,000 loan at 1.82% interest for 20 years from the N.C. Division of Environmental Quality for replacing more than six miles of water main alongside NC 210 from McGee's Crossroads to the Harnett County line. Much of the main will be enlarged from pipes of 12 inches in diameter to pipes of 20 inches. Public Utilities Director Chandra Farmer said the existing pipeline "has experienced multiple failures since its original installation in 1999."
TAX OFFICE TO RESUME DELINQUENT COLLECTIONS
With the board's blessing, the County Tax Office will resume collection of delinquent property taxes after suspending those efforts two months ago because of the coronavirus pandemic's impact on household and business finances. Tax Administrator Jocelyn Andrews said her staff will continue to negotiate with delinquent taxpayers in hardship cases. She noted that 99.13% of property taxes due for the past year have been collected, leaving about $1.2 million outstanding.
OFF-SITE SHREDDING OF DOCUMENTS AUTHORIZED
The board approved a change in the county's Electronic Imaging Policy to allow for off-site shredding of discarded paper documents by third-party vendors. County Attorney Jennifer Slusser recommended the change to speed up the work of properly disposing of materials that have been digitized and safely archived according to state regulations. That work is freeing up badly needed storage space for county records, she noted.
APPOINTMENTS TO ADVISORY BOARDS & COMMISSIONS
The board approved the following to serve on various boards and commissions:
• Smithfield Planning Board --- Ashley Spain of British Court reappointed as a representative of the town's ETJ (extra-territorial jurisdiction).
• Public Library Board of Trustees --- Debbie Armstrong Cobb of Herring Road, Princeton reappointed; Thomas E. Glithero of Bluestone Drive, Smithfield newly appointed.
• Johnston Community College Board of Trustees --- Josh Thompson of Clayton reappointed.
• County Board of Health --- Dr. Justin Barbaro, a dentist, reappointed.
• County Board of Social Services --- Jennifer Whitley of Pollard Road, Smithfield reappointed.
• Juvenile Crime Prevention Council --- Maurice Atkinson of Princeton, Thomas E. Glithero, and Gary Wayne Carter of NC 42 East, Kenly reappointed.
• Child Fatality Prevention Team --- Christina Peterson of Clayton reappointed.
• Nursing Home/Adult Care Home Community Advisory Board --- Chad R. Thompson of Packing Plant Road, Smithfield reappointed.
• Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee --- April Barbour-Matthews of Black Creek Road, Four Oaks and Donald Banks Wallace of Jacqueline Drive, Willow Spring reappointed.
• Eastern Regional Housing Board --- Sandra Norris of Peedin Avenue, Selma reappointed.
• Voluntary Agricultural District Advisory Board --- Myron Smith of Watson Road, Benson and James Thomas Vinson Sr. of Jack Road, Clayton reappointed.
• Bentonville Community Building Board of Trustees --- James Q. Beasley of Devil's Racetrack Road reappointed.
• McLemore Fire District Commission --- Don R. Wells newly appointed.
• Micro Fire District Commission --- Johnny Dixon reappointed.
• Meadow Firefighters Relief Fund Board of Trustees --- Ryan L. Parker newly appointed.
More details about Monday's agenda items on the county's website>
Live-streaming of Monday's meetings archived on the county's Facebook page>