Recap of Board of Commissioners Meetings on April 6
The Johnston County Board of Commissioners on April 6:
- Heard a recap of the recent town hall on Johnston County’s proposed Unified Development Ordinance. At the town hall, residents said they wanted to protect hobby farming while allowing flexibility in buffer widths between new development and existing land uses. They also said they preferred gross acreage over net acreage when calculating how many homes could go on a tract. Finally, residents told Commissioners they wanted enforcement measures, including civil penalties for UDO violations and recorded maintenance agreements for developer-installed buffers. County planning staff is revising the UDO to incorporate those preferences.
- Learned about current and upcoming road projects from the N.C. Department of Transportation. The work includes new Interstate 95 interchanges in Smithfield and at U.S. 701 in Four Oaks. Also on the drawing board are improvements to Covered Bridge Road, Buffalo Road, N.C. 42 East, U.S. 70 from U.S. 301 to I-95 in Selma, N.C. 36 from Clayton to N.C. 50, and U.S. 301 from Booker Dairy Road in Smithfield to Ricks Road in Selma.
- Agreed to borrow up to $134.5 million to build a new Clayton High School on the existing campus. The plans call for a three-story classroom wing and then a main building with an auditorium, main and auxiliary gyms, administrative offices, a cafeteria and media center. Students will attend classes in the existing building during new construction, which should wrap up in November 2027.
- Heard from Kim Rineer, engineering manager in Public Utilities, who asked commissioners for permission to begin planning a second County water treatment plant, this one on the lower Neuse River near Richardson Bridge Road. “I really feel like we can’t wait any longer to start this process,” she said. By the early 2030s, water demand in Johnston will exceed capacity unless a new plant is ready to come online, Rineer said. With a price tag of roughly $600 million, customers would see their rates go up, she said, estimating that the average monthly bill would climb from $46 this year to $63 by 2031.
- Agreed to seek state funding for several water and sewer projects. Among them are a 1 million-gallon water tank in the Cleveland community and a 24-inch water main along U.S. 70 from St. Ann Catholic Church to the County water tank near Bethesda Baptist Church. The deadline to apply for the next round of state grants and loans is April 30.
- Heard from the leaders of Johnston Regional Airport. They told commissioners that the growing airport was increasingly self-sufficient, calling on the County only when it needs matching dollars for state and federal infrastructure grants. They noted that a new home for N.C. Highway Patrol aircraft is on schedule for a fall 2027 completion. After that, the busy airport will build a control tower, which will come online in 2028 or 2030, depending on the type of tower.
- Heard from James Coleman, chairman of the County’s Nursing Home/Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee. He delivered the committee’s annual report on long-term care facilities in Johnston. “Certainly, there are improvements to be made,” Coleman said. “But for the most part, our senior citizens are being cared for by dedicated, committed, compassionate fellow citizens.” Issues common to care facilities in Johnston include staffing levels, turnover in leadership, complaints about food, inadequate funding and lack of activities for residents, Coleman’s report noted.
- Agreed to seek a state grant for a pilot study at the County landfill. So-called “forever chemicals” that leach from the landfill flow to Johnston’s nearby sewage treatment plant. Future regulations are likely to require removal of those chemicals, and the study could determine how best to accomplish that. A preliminary study by Invicta Water, a private company, indicates that significant removal of forever chemicals is possible.
- Issued proclamations for this year’s Spring Litter Sweep, April 11-25; the Hidden Heroes Community, a project to recognize and support military and veteran caregivers; National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 12-18; Public Health Week, April 6-12; Child Abuse Prevention Month, April; Older Americans Month, May; and Line Worker Appreciation Day, April 18.
- Gave the West Johnston Fire Department permission to borrow $500,000 to purchase a 2025 Peterbilt tanker. The seven-year loan from First Citizens Bank carries an interest rate of 4.37%.
- Made the following board appointments and reappointments: Ken Starling, Edwin L. Aldridge Jr., Tim Stevens and John H. Bullock Jr., Airport Authority; Jordan Troxel, Board of Health; Dale Moore, Donnie Lassiter, Carolyn Dobbin and Adam Caldwell, Economic Development Advisory Board; Alexia Walker, Johnston-Lee-Harnett Communication Action Board; Annette Massey Adams, James Q. Beasley and Phillip Andy Lee, Bentonville Community Building Board of Trustees; Jennie Harless, David L. Grady and Diamonte Sanders, Board of Equalization and Review; Michael E. Atkinson, James Michael Farmer, Jimmy Batten, Michael E. Holmes, Travis Byrd and Marshall Brian Medlin, Firefighters Relief Fund Board of Trustees; Chase Ferrell, Tim Britton, Kenneth Creech Jr., Robert “Bob” Harding and Jeff Caldwell, Local Emergency Planning Commission; and Tim Callihan, Pleasant Grove Community Building Board of Trustees.
- Added $85,941 to the Health Department’s budget and $5,200.30 to the Sheriff’s Office budget. All of the additional Health Department revenue comes from the state. The money will support maternal child health, child fatality prevention, maternity care, and food and lodging programs. The added Sheriff’s Office money is insurance proceeds.
- Declared surplus a 2013 Nissan Frontier XCab with 110,017 miles. The County will sell the pickup at auction. Commissioners also declared surplus equipment once used to remove water from waste at the sewage-treatment plant. The County uses a new system now.
- Took no action after a closed session.
Page last updated on: April 13, 2026