Johnston County
Board
of Commissioners report from Oct. 7 sessions |
 |
Commissioners present:
Chairman Ted Godwin, Tony Braswell, Jeff Carver,
Patrick Harris,
Butch Lawter, Chad Stewart, Larry Wood
Absent: None
In place of decals, rural residents
may pay a yearly garbage
& trash fee
The commissioners, by a vote of 5-2 at their Monday morning session, ordered a public hearing at their November 4 evening session on a proposal to scrap the vehicle-decal system for admission to the county's roadside "convenience centers" that collect household garbage and trash.
The proposal favored by the five would add an annual fee, perhaps $60, to the property-tax bills of homeowners who reside outside of Johnston's municipalities. The fee would replace the $100 annual charge those residents have been paying for decals affixed on vehicle windshields that permit admission to the collection stations.
Commissioner Braswell made the motion to hold the public hearing on the proposal. Voting with him in favor were Commissioners Godwin, Harris, Lawter, and Stewart. Voting no were Commissioners Carver and Wood.
Board Chairman Godwin said the current use of decals is "a broken system" that ought to be ended. "We're the only county around here that does this," he said.
Rick Proctor, the county's director of solid-waste services, offered the board several options for replacing the decals. One would do away with fees altogether and pay for operating the convenience centers out of the county's General Fund at an annual cost of $3.9 million. Another option would put a $48 annual fee on out-of-town residences and a $20 recycling fee on all of Johnston's homeowners.
Commissioner Godwin and most other board members indicated they favor the single-fee option of $54 to $80 per out-of-town household. Commissioner Braswell suggested $60 as a possible starting point for discussion at next month's hearing.
Commissioner Carver, who voted against the motion for the hearing, objected to a fee being added to property-tax bills that presently provide funding for the county's solid-waste services. "I'm double-taxed" with the proposal, he said.
Residents of Johnston's towns would not be affected by the proposed fee because the municipalities either provide their own garbage-collection service or arrange for contract haulers to provide it.
As the proposal now stands, out-of-town residents who pay contract haulers to pick up their household waste would still have to pay the county fee appearing on future tax bills.
Collection of recyclables at the convenience centers would continue free of charge for everyone regardless of place of residence.
In fiscal 2018-19, Mr. Proctor reported, the county sold 13,238 decals and the convenience centers received 14,461 tons of household waste and 5,537 tons of recyclable materials.
SOCIAL SERVICES TO GET FIVE MORE EMPLOYEES
Commissioners authorized the county's Department of Social Services to add five members to its staff to handle a spike in applications for Medicaid. Scott Sabatino, the county's director of social services, told the board Medicaid cases processed per month has grown from just over 200 in May 2016 to more than 800 today. "Our staff is overworked," he said. "I don't want to keep asking these people to come in on Saturdays," he added --- a practice that's costly in terms of overtime pay. County Manager Rick Hester said the additional staff can likely be funded within the current county budget, particularly if overtime expense is reduced.
A PLEA FOR HIGHER PAY FOR SOCIAL WORKERS
Prior to the board's approval of additional employees at Social Services, Teena Baker, a supervisor in that department, made a plea for higher salaries and working conditions. "Since I've been here (she started in 2008) we've fallen behind," she said, and that has led to "loss of productivity" as employees find better-paying positions in other counties. She also complained about cramped quarters at Social Services --- a situation that compromises confidentiality when social workers counsel clients. "We are struggling in many ways," she said.
COUNTY FINANCE STAFF GETS NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Chad McLamb, the county's director of finance, reported to the board that his staff, once again, has been awarded the "Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting" by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. This is the ninth year in a row Johnston's department has received the award, Mr. McLamb noted.
PROCLAMATIONS FOR SPECIAL WEEKS & MONTHS
Commissioners approved proclamations for several observances:
• 4-H Week --- October 6-12.
• Johnston County Employee Appreciation Week --- October 21-15.
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month --- October.
• Alzheimer's Disease Awareness and Caregivers Month --- November.
APPOINTMENTS TO VARIOUS BOARDS
Commissioners approved the following appointments:
• Child Fatality Prevention Team --- Thomas E. Glithero reappointed; Adam Stanley newly appointed.
• Johnston County Heritage Commission --- Pearl Blackmon, Carolyn G. Ennis, Charles W. Creech, Ashley Webster, Monica Davis, and Vicky Temple-Rains reappointed; Lettie Inez Best newly appointed.
• Moccasin Creek Service District Board --- Richard D. Braswell reappointed.
• Newton Grove Fire Protection District Commission --- Taylor Raynor newly appointed.
• Nursing Home/Adult Care Home Community Advisory Board --- Patricia Meigs reappointed.
• Local Emergency Planning Commission --- Marie J. Rogers reappointed; Robert Harding and Tim Shipman newly appointed.
• Johnston County Tourism Authority --- Mark McDonnell newly appointed.
• Alcoholic Beverage Control Board --- Ralph L. Stewart Jr. newly appointed.
• Firefighter's Relief Fund Board of Trustees (fire department represented in parenthesis) --- Clyde Castleberry (Archer Lodge) reappointed; Wayne Langston (Bentonville) reappointed; Douglas R. Whitley (Beulah) reappointed; Aaron Allen Wood (Blackman's Crossroads) reappointed; Mike Rose (Boon Hill) newly appointed; Carol Woodard (Corinth-Holders) reappointed; Jerry T. Allen (Elevation) reappointed; Vann Sauls (50-210); David Rudolph Wells Sr. (McLemore) reappointed; Johnny J. Dixon (Micro) reappointed; Jimmy Colin Batten (Shoeheel) reappointed; Lynwood Keith Parker (Strickland's Crossroads) reappointed; William Gerald Fowler (Thanksgiving) reappointed; Ben Youngblood (Wilson's Mills) reappointed; Clarence Junior Allen (Wynn) reappointed; Dennis Elton Evans (Brogden) reappointed.
SIX REZONING REQUESTS APPROVED
Commissioners approved all six rezoning requests following public hearings at Monday's evening session:
• General Business Special Use District modified to allow for an automotive service station on 0.78 acres at 7277 NC Highway 42 in Cleveland Township.
• Agricultural/Residential Special Use District to allow for a mixed-use Planned Unit Development on 74.46 acres at 4150 NC Highway 42 in Cleveland Township.
• Industrial 2 Special Use District to allow for a sand-mining operation on 44.68 acres at 7499 US Highway 701 in Bentonville Township.
• General Business Special Use District to allow for an administrative office, equipment storage, and parking for company vehicles on 1.74 acres at 14882 NC Highway 50 in Cleveland Township.
• Industrial 2 Special Use District to allow for a mining and quarry operation on 70.6 acres at 1923 Richardson Bridge Road in Bentonville Township.
• Agricultural/Residential Special Use District to allow for a residential subdivision with sewer on 112 acres in the 400 block of Norris Road in Clayton Township. Commissioner Carver case the sole vote against approval. The County Planning Board had recommended denial of the rezoning request.
"STRATEGIC GROWTH PLANNING" RECOMMENDATIONS
Planning Director Braston Newton presented three proposed amendments to the county's land-use ordinance for the board to consider as it delves into "smart growth planning":
• Expand the county's Municipal Transition Districts around Johnston's towns to "encourage development within urbanized or urbanizing areas" ahead of undeveloped rural areas.
• Establish minimum residential lot sizes and dimensions that aren't presently required.
• Eliminate future Planned Unit Developments (commonly known as "PUDs") and multi-family housing projects from Interstate Highway Interchange districts and allow them in the expanded Municipal Service Districts.
Commissioners instructed staff to schedule a meeting with "stakeholders" to get their feedback before the board makes any decisions on Mr. Newton's proposals.