Commissioners present:
Chairman Ted Godwin, Tony Braswell, Jeff Carver, Patrick Harris,
Butch Lawter, Chad Stewart, and Larry Wood

Consultant employed to help county
seek expansion of Broadband Internet

The board approved County Manager Rick Hester's recommendation to employ ECC Technologies of Raleigh as an independent consultant to help the county identify means of expanding Broadband Internet service throughout under-served rural areas of Johnston.

ECC is a telecommunications engineering firm that has assisted 30 other North Carolina counties with Internet projects, company representative Jeff Brooks told commissioners.

"We're not a service provider" and therefore can make unbiased recommendations for expanding service here, Mr. Brooks emphasized. "This stuff is expensive," and ECC can "figure out what's affordable" for Johnston County, he said.

Mr. Hester said the company will be paid up to $32,700 to prepare a report with recommendations on how to proceed. Mr. Brooks said he expected that work to take 90-120 days to complete.

"The needs are plenty; expectations are high," Commissioner Butch Lawter declared. "We need to get to work."

COMMISSIONER CARVER SALUTED FOR 18 YEARS IN OFFICE

Board Chairman Ted Godwin presented a resolution honoring Commissioner Jeff Carver (left) ahead of his retirement from the board next month.

Mr. Carver was appointed to the board in January 2003 and subsequently won re-election four times to full four-year terms. He chose not to seek re-election this year.
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He will be succeeded at the board's first Monday meeting in December by former Commissioner Fred Smith, who won election Tuesday to the seat representing the North Johnston district that includes Riverwood, Archer Lodge, and Corinth-Holders. Coincidentally, it was Commissioner Smith whom Mr. Carver replaced 18 years ago after Mr. Smith won election to a seat in the North Carolina Senate.

INCREASED COUNTY FUNDING IN 2021-22 FOR J-CATS

The board approved a county pledge of $185,228 as a required match for federal funding of the Johnston County Area Transit Service, known as J-CATS, in fiscal year 2021-22. Neal Davis --- director of Community & Senior Services of Johnston County, which administers J-CATS --- said the pledge is higher than usual because of uncertainties about state matching funds next fiscal year. If the state's budget for fiscal 2021-22 includes an amount for such programs as allocated in the past, Johnston County's required match could be about $116,000, Mr. Davis said. Commissioner Carver advised the board to bank on the higher local match to continue beyond next fiscal year. "Once it goes away, it's not coming back," he said of the state's contribution. Despite that warning, the board gave unanimous approval to the increased pledge requested by Director Davis.


NO RESPONSE FROM CSX ON DRAINAGE COMPLAINT

David Johnson --- owner of a Smithfield business building damaged by flash flooding following the heavy rainstorm overnight August 31 --- appeared before the board once again to ask if the county had gotten a response to its letter of complaint to CSX about the railroad's undersized drainage culvert that's being blamed for several flooding episodes along US 301 South in recent years. Informed that the county's complaint hasn't been acknowledged, Commissioner Chad Stewart said it's "kind of offensive we didn't get a response." Board Chairman Godwin said he would follow up with another attempt to make contact with the railroad company.


TWO APPOINTEES ADDED TO AIRPORT AUTHORITY

Voting on seven applicants by means of hand-written ballots, commissioners appointed Bentley Powell and Tim Stevens, both Smithfield residents, as new members of the Johnston County Airport Authority. The N.C. General Assembly earlier this year authorized expansion of the authority from five to seven members. To stagger the new terms, Mr. Powell will serve until 2024 while Mr. Stevens will serve till 2022. Other members of the current authority are John Bullock, Bruce Johnson, Dwight Lowery, Freddie Stancil, and Ken Starling. Other applicants for the new positions were James Crane, Paul Forehand, Mark Huddleston, Kyle Stevenson, and Sharon Williams. Prior to the board's voting on the appointments, Ric Swaningson of Adventist World Aviation --- a "multi-denominational ministry" based at Johnston Regional Airport that provides "angel flights" for individuals in need of medical services --- urged commissioners to choose new members interested in recruiting "micro-businesses" as well as larger corporations to set up shop at Johnston's airport. "I'm concerned that Johnston County is squeezing out" smaller clients, Mr. Swaningson said.


FIRE DEPARTMENT, PINE LEVEL APPOINTMENTS

The board named the following citizens to serve on fire-district commissions:
• Corinth-Holder --- Christopher C. Perry reappointed.
• Nahunta --- Franklin Dwight Boswell reappointed.
• Wynn --- Jack McLamb newly appointed.

Reappointed as fire-department representatives on the Firefighters Relief Fund Board of Trustees were Charles E. Wood of Blackman's Crossroads, Andy Mack Penny of 50-210, Stephen Wayne Holloman of Pi-Le, Danny L. Harden Jr. of Wilson's Mills, and Travis Craig Boyd of Wynn.

Commissioners appointed Tonia Hill of East Gordon Road to serve as an extraterritorial representative on the Pine Level Planning Board.