Johnston County
Board
of Commissioners report from Jan. 4 sessions |
 |
All
commissioners present:
Chairman Chad Stewart, Tony Braswell, Ted Godwin,
Patrick Harris, Butch Lawter, Fred Smith, and Larry Wood
THEATER OWNER ASKS FOR
PROPERTY-TAX RELIEF SINCE
STATE "HAS TAKEN AWAY OUR ABILITY TO EARN
MONEY"
John
Shallcross, owner of Smithfield Cinemas,
asked the board for relief from county
property taxes for 2020 that he cannot pay
on time because of Governor Roy Cooper's
coronavirus orders shutting down his and
similar businesses for 245 days this past
year.
Speaking during the board's morning session,
Mr. Shallcross said "we have lost a lot of
money" and "we were holding out, thinking we
would get some federal funds." He continued,
"We were told they are on the way. We've
applied for all the state grants. Still
haven't received anything."
"Due to the government shutting us down, in
my mind I feel like it's eminent domain; the
Governor has taken away our ability to earn
money," Mr. Shallcross stated. "Through no
fault of our own we're unable to pay these
taxes."
This past Tuesday (Jan. 5 ) was the deadline
for paying 2020 property taxes to avoid an
immediate 2% interest charge to be followed
by an additional 3/4's of 1% on the first
day of each month thereafter until taxes are
paid in full.
"Our hands are tied," County Tax
Administrator Jocelyn Andrews told the board
as she did last month when Commissioner
Braswell raised the tax-relief question.
North Carolina statues don't give counties
any flexibility regarding late payment of
taxes, she noted.
Mr. Shallcross said he has talked with
Johnston's state representatives about
relief for situations. "Everybody
understands, but nobody is doing anything,"
he concluded.
RETIRING 9-1-1
DIRECTOR
JASON BARBOUR SALUTED
At the
start of its evening session, the board
thanked Jason Barbour for his 20 years of
service as director of the county's
Emergency 9-1-1 Communications Department.
He's retiring at the end of this month,
having served as a county employee since
1988. He'll be succeeded by Assistant
Director Brett Renfrow.
"I've been very blessed," Mr. Barbour told
commissioners as he thanked them for their
support over the years.
Commissioner Patrick Harris, who served many
years as the Town of Smithfield's director
of emergency services, called Mr. Barbour
and his staff "a great team of
professionals."
Commissioners approved the following appointments:
• Livestock Arena Management Board --- Leslie Averill of Little Divine Road, Selma appointed; Sammy Lee of Long Branch Road, Smithfield reappointed.
• Benson Planning Board --- Sherry Lockamy and Joshua Hefner appointed as representatives who reside outside the town's corporate limits.
• Wilson's Mills Planning Board --- Anthony Jay Mouser appointed as an out-of-town representative.
ONLY TWO OF FIVE REZONING CASES RESOLVED
The board was scheduled to act on five rezoning requests at Monday's evening session, but one was postponed just prior to the meeting and two others were tabled till February because neither petitioner was present.
"We're penalizing ourselves when they don't show," Commissioner Braswell said, referring to the county's expense of notifying adjoining property owners about the rescheduled public hearings. He wondered aloud if petitioners should be charged an additional fee for these situations.
The board did approve two rezonings for General Business with special-use permits that drew no public opposition: one for 12 acres at 485 Clayton Road in Pleasant Grove Township, the other for 2 acres at 8035 NC Highway 222 in O'Neals Township.
The board also amended its Land Development Code to remove a requirement for preliminary evaluations of proposed minor subdivisions for on-site wastewater disposal systems. The county's Planning Board as well as its Board of Health endorsed the change to relieve the Health Department's Environmental Health workload, which Planning Director Braston Newton said is "quite high" because of fast-paced residential development in rural Johnston.