Commissioners To Review Subdivision Rules, Mass Gathering Permit Changes

JOHNSTON COUNTY – The Johnston County Board of Commissioners will meet twice Monday, Aug. 17, with development regulations, proposed changes to the county’s mass gathering ordinance and several public hearings among the items up for discussion.

Commissioners will hold a 10 a.m. work session focused largely on provisions in the county’s proposed Unified Development Ordinance.

During the session, commissioners hope to reach consensus on several issues before a final draft of the ordinance is presented to the public.

Among the topics expected to be discussed are required buffers between farms and neighboring non-farm properties, how subdivision density should be calculated, minimum lot sizes in rural subdivisions and the process used to approve subdivisions.

The work session is not a regular meeting and no public comment period will be held. The public may attend in person or watch the meeting online.

Commissioners will reconvene for their regular meeting at 6 p.m.

One of the major items on the evening agenda is continued discussion of proposed changes to the county ordinance regulating mass gatherings.

Under current rules, a permit is required for gatherings of 4,000 or more people. A proposed amendment would lower that threshold to 2,500 people.

Deputy County Attorney Marie Coats is scheduled to address questions commissioners raised during an Aug. 3 public hearing on the proposed changes.

Commissioners have said the proposed revisions are not intended to limit residents’ right to peacefully assemble, but instead are aimed at making sure county officials know about large events in advance so adequate public safety staffing can be arranged when necessary.

The board will also consider a request from the N.C. Department of Transportation to add several subdivision streets to the state-maintained road system. The streets are Walnut Hall Court, Batten Hill Lane, Turkey Creek Cove, Battery Circle and Winky Way in the Walnut Hill subdivision in Wilders Township.

County staff will ask commissioners to schedule a public hearing on the proposed dissolution of the Whitley Heights Sanitary District.

The district was created in 1988 and has paid off its remaining loans associated with water and sewer infrastructure. Operation of the utilities has since been turned over to Johnston County Public Utilities.

The proposed hearing would help determine whether there remains a need for an elected board to govern the district or for the district to continue collecting a separate tax.

Commissioners will also hold a public hearing on the county’s proposed participation in North Carolina’s Capital Property Assessed Commercial Expenditure Program, commonly known as C-PACE.

The program allows commercial property owners to obtain long-term private financing for certain property improvements, including energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, solar panels, renewable energy systems and water-conservation projects.

First Baptist Church of Smithfield is asking the county to help pay for repaving a parking lot on South Third Street that the church makes available for public use.

County employees sometimes use the lot, as do members of the public conducting business at the Johnston County Courthouse.

Commissioners will also consider a proclamation designating September as Smart Start Month in Johnston County.

The proclamation recognizes the 30-year-old program’s work in early childhood development through child care and education, health services and family support.