Recap of February 16, 2026 Board of Commissioners Meeting
At its meeting on Feb. 16, the Johnston County Board of Commissioners:
- Received the audit of the County’s 2024-25 fiscal year. Commissioners hire an accounting firm each year to issue an opinion on the County’s bookkeeping practices. Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams & Co. audited the 2024-25 books. “We issued an ‘unmodified report,’ which is the best report you can get,” said the firm’s Alan Thompson. The County is financially healthy, and its accounting practices are sound, he added.
- Viewed a recording of the 2026 State of the County Address by Board Chairman Patrick Harris. Looking back at the past year, he touted farmland preservation, the soon-to-be-completed Unified Development Ordinance, completion of the Four Oaks Advanced Manufacturing Training Facility, and the landing of a new industry, Vulcan Elements, a maker of rare-earth magnets critical to the nation’s defense industry.
- Agreed to contribute up to $30,000 to Johnston County’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The celebration includes the dedication of a mural on March 14. That day will also feature storytelling, music and dance. In the spring, the celebration will offer bus tours to historic buildings in Johnston. The celebration’s big event is June 27 on the campus of Johnston Community College in Smithfield. The day will feature a living history encampment, displays of art and history, a puppet show, food, craft vendors and information booths. That same weekend in June will offer three performances of the Broadway musical “1776.”
- Rezoned 3.9 acres in the 200 block of Langdon Road in Elevation Township. The developer wants to offer outdoor storage and lease an existing building, perhaps to a building or painting company.
- Tabled a request to rezone 77.4 acres in the 2300 block of Richardson Bridge Road in Bentonville Township. The request, if approved, would allow the expansion of an existing sand-mining operation. But the applicant wasn’t on hand to answer any questions Commissioners might have had, so they put off the hearing.
- Asked the N.C. Department of Transportation to add the following streets to its maintenance roster: Two Bellas Court and Painters Place in Brighton Glen subdivision in Pleasant Grove Township; Earnest Way and River Banks Drive in Godfrey Farm subdivision, Beulah Township; and Sunrise Ridge Drive, Twilight Trail and Eclipse Court in Summer Ridge Plantation subdivision, Pleasant Grove Township.
- Made the following appointments: Gary Wheeler and Chad Holloman to the Micro Planning Board and Board of Adjustment; Lanie Norris to the Benson Board of Adjustment; Trent Lassiter to the Micro Firefighters Relief Fund Board of Trustees; Tamara W. Barbour to the Johnston County Board of Health; Demetrius Johnston to the Veterans Services Advisory Board; and Brooke Holmes, Gary Lovering, Jay Sasser, Jared Crenshaw and Chad Holloman to the Johnston County Planning Board.
- Proclaimed February as Family Support Awareness Month. The resolution notes that many new parents feel unprepared to begin the responsibility of raising a child. And it calls on the community to support early childhood organizations like the Johnston County Partnership for Children, which offers resources for children, parents and caregivers.
- Took no action after a closed session on a legal matter.
- Granted the sheriff’s request to declare a vehicle surplus. The 2025 Dodge Durango was declared a total loss after striking a deer.
- OK’d two budget revisions. The Health Department has received an additional $7,989 for the Women, Infants and Children program. The Sheriff’s Office has received $82,327.56 in insurance proceeds, federal dollars and miscellaneous revenue.
Page last updated on: March 13, 2026