Johnston County
Board
of Commissioners report from February 4 sessions |
 |
Real-estate revaluation
update
The County Commissioners' decision to undertake real-estate revaluations more frequently is in keeping with a trend across North Carolina. Current state law requires revaluations for property taxation to be done at least every eight years, and that's what Johnston County has been doing till now. Commissioners learned Monday that 31 of the state's 100 counties now do it every four years while seven do it every five years, six every six years, and two every seven.
Johnston's revised schedule moves our next revaluation up to 2025 and after that we'll see it done every four years. Commissioners noted that more frequent revaluations should be fairer as real-estate development continues to accelerate in Johnston. Doing it more often will avoid the "sticker shock" that hits many property owners who haven't seen a change in valuations in eight years, they noted.
Meanwhile, County Tax Administrator Jocelyn Andrews told commissioners that the volume of appeals from property owners dissatisfied with this year's revaluations has been "much slower than we had anticipated." As a result of revaluation in 2011, 10.67 percent of Johnston's parcels were reviewed under the appeals process, she noted; this year, so far, the rate is just 2.45 percent (just over 2,000 in number).
A reminder: Your actual tax bill for 2019 won't be determined until the County Commissioners and municipal governments adopt their annual budgets, including property-tax rates, this spring.
Audit report shows rising
fund balance
Commissioners received the county's audit results for fiscal year 2017-18 that shows a General Fund balance last June 30 of $73.7 million. That's 25.28 percent of the General Fund, a significant improvement from the 2008 balance of 18 percent, noted Alan Thompson of the auditing firm of Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams & Co. of Whiteville.
"That's good for your bond rating," Mr. Thompson said, referring to the county's move closer to achieving a AAA rating that would reduce interest rates for bond issues in the future.
Mr. Thompson also noted the county's success in collecting property taxes: 99.9 percent this past year. "That's crazy good," he exclaimed.
The county's net indebtedness from past bond issues and other borrowing was $369 million as of last June 30, Mr. Thompson told commissioners.
Here's link to the summary report about the past year's audit>
Juvenile Crime Prevention
funding
District Court Judge Addie Rawls, representing Johnston County's Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, sought and received a resolution from commissioners that asks the state to increase its funding of the council's efforts to assist young people facing legal troubles. She said the additional money is needed since the state has expanded the council's programs to include 16 and 17 year olds in addition to younger juveniles. The commissioners' resolution notes that funding for the program hasn't been increased by the state in nine years.
Planning Board appointments
Commissioners appointed Marcia Kaye Stewart of Smithfield to serve as a new member of the Johnston County Planning Board. They reappointed Allan C. DeLaine of Clayton, Adam Caldwell of Woodall Road near Benson, and Russell L. Creech of Micro. All those terms are for three years. Other members of the Planning Board: Nicole Hackler of River Knoll Drive, Clayton; Will Letchworth of Davis Road, Zebulon; Larry Massengill of Benson; Scott Smith of Benson; Frederick (Rick) Sapir of Selma; and Randy Summerlin of Smithfield.
Economic Development
appointments
Commissioners reappointed five members to two-year terms on the Johnston County Economic Development Advisory Board: Clyde Castleberry, Archer Lodge; Bob Satterfield, Clayton; Randy Jones, Pine Level, Kevin Dougherty, Princeton; and Cheryl L. Oliver, Selma. Other board members: Mike Fleming, Smithfield; Jason Mark Gipe, McGee's Crossroads; Steve Hargis, Smithfield; J. Perry Harris, Smithfield; Kenneth Jones, Wilson's Mills; Vic Medlin, Four Oaks; Dale Moore, Kenly; Gary Wheeler, Selma; and O. Hampton Whittington Jr., Benson.
Board of Health
appointments
Commissioners appointed Gary Carter of Highway 42 East, Kenly and reappointed Dr. Eugene H. Maynard Jr. of Smithfield to three-year terms on the Johnston County Board of Health. Other board members: Justin R. Barbaro, Selma; Alan Jordan Carroll, Smithfield; Michael J. Haines, O.D., Four Oaks; Patrick E. Harris, Smithfield; Kathleen W. Lanc, Smithfield; Eileen Porter Langdon, Benson; Brian R. Leonard, Four Oaks; Natasha Ruffin-Peterkin, Clayton; and Ray Stott, Clayton.
Board of Health
appointments
Commissioners approved an ambulance franchise requested by Vector AeroMedical in order to transport patients to and from Johnston Regional Airport where the company operates a medical-flight service. Commissioners were assured that the company has no intention of competing with current non-emergency medical-transport providers in Johnston County.
Two rezonings OK'd; another
denied
Commissioners approved two rezonings at their Monday evening session, although one was approved by a split vote of the board:
(1) Agricultural-Residential Special Use District for "Cornwallis Landing," a new subdivision with 244 houses planned on 164.8 acres off Cornwallis Road in Cleveland Township. Commissioners Jeff Carver and Larry Wood voted no; Chairman Ted Godwin joined Tony Braswell, Patrick Harris, Butch Lawter, and Chad Stewart in support of the rezoning.
(2) Industrial 2 Special Use District to permit a "solar farm" on 40.6 acres off Williamson Lane in Wilders Township. Truman Farm LLC and Strata Solar LLC plan to install solar panels on land owned by Samuel and Betty Williamson. County rules will require the panels to be at least 150 feet from adjacent properties. The commissioners approved that rezoning by unanimous vote.
Also by unanimous vote, the board denied a request for General Business zoning for a one-acre tract beside Old Drug Store Road in Cleveland Township. The applicant, Nancy Dupree Canady, was not present at Monday's hearing before commissioners. The County Planning Board had recommended denial of the request. The property is currently zoned as a Mobile Home Park District.
By a 4-3 split vote on another land-use matter, commissioners approved a request from Wade Corbett to allow connections to county sewer for 20 houses he plans to build on land beside Norris Road near Swift Creek Middle School in Cleveland Township. Voting yes were commissioners Godwin, Harris, Lawter, and Stewart; voting no were commissioners Braswell, Carver, and Wood.
Aero Contractors complaint
revisited
Charles (Chuck) Fager, speaking Monday evening on behalf of the non-governmental N.C. Commission of Inquiry on Torture, renewed a plea from years past for Johnston's commissioners to repudiate a contractor based at the county's airport for its role in transporting terrorist suspects to "black site prisons run by the CIA" after the infamous September 11, 2001 attacks on several U.S. landmarks. He presented commissioners copies of a report entitled "Torture Flights: North Carolina's role in the CIA rendition and torture program," which claims Aero Contractors, Ltd. transported at least 49 individuals "without any due process." Mr. Fager said these actions have been "corroborated again and again and again" yet neither the state nor the county has taken any action against what he called "rampant violations of federal law and international law." The commissioners had no response to his presentation Monday evening. The so-called "rendition" flights were ended by President Barack Obama in 2009.