Home > Here's a recap of June 1 Board of Commissioners meetings

Here's a recap of June 1 Board of Commissioners meetings

The Johnston County Board of Commissioners on June 1:

  • Heard the results of a study that lays out where Johnston County will need to build fire stations as its population grows. The study shows the County will soon need stations on Browns Pond Road, Selma; N.C. 42 East, Clayton; Amelia Church Road, Clayton; Covered Bridge Road, Clayton; Lee Road, Clayton; Lassiter Road, Four Oaks; White Memorial Church Road, Angier; Little Creek Church Road, Clayton; Dogwood Drive, Selma; South Bright Leaf Boulevard, Smithfield; N.C. 50 South, Benson; and at Wolfpack Lane and East Peedin Road, Smithfield.

  • Held a public hearing on County Manager Rick Hester’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026-27. During the hearing, commissioners listened to funding requests from the public schools and several nonprofits, including Harbor and the Johnston County Partnership for Children. Under Hester’s $421.9 spending plan, the County’s property tax rate would remain at 52 cents per $100 valuation, and the fire service tax would stay at 11.5 cents. At the same time, the budget would give the public schools $113 million for operations and another $3.5 million for capital needs. Johnston Community College would receive just over $10 million for operations and $1.2 million for capital. Although department heads requested 30-plus new hires for the year ahead, the proposed spending plan includes just four, all in Public Utilities, where revenue comes from water and sewer sales, not tax dollars. Commissioners may adopt a budget as soon as June 15.

  • Denied a request to rezone 2.586 acres at 6232 Raleigh Road in Elevation Township for business use. Commissioners agreed with neighbors, who said the planned use — indoor RV storage — would be a poor fit along a road made up of homes and farms.

  • Heard two options for moving ahead with design and construction of a new home for the Johnston County Department of Social Services. One option is the traditional one, where the County would design the building, seek bids, and then award the construction contract. Another option is “construction manager at-risk.” Under that option, the County would hire an architect and builder at the same time, which would likely speed the project along. On a related matter, Commissioners heard from the County’s financial adviser, who said Johnston is well positioned to take on the debt needed to pay for new buildings. Those include a new home for Social Services, more space on the courthouse grounds for the court systems, and new EMS stations.

  • Made the following appointments: Kristi Nelson and Mary Heilig to the Child Fatality Prevention Team; Serreda Jenkins, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council; Joshua B. Holloman, Paul Whiteburst, and William Gerald Fowler, Local Emergency Planning Committee; Donna Hinnant, Nursing Home/Adult Care Home Community Advisory Board; Angelique Legette, Social Services Board; James Thomas Vinson Jr. and Myron Smith, Voluntary Agricultural District Advisory Board; and S. Vann Sauls, James A. Rettie, Billy Hodge, and Jeffrey Lambert, Firefighters Relief Fund Board of Trustees. On the Firefighters Relief Fund Board, Sauls will represent the 50-210 Fire Department, Rettie and Hodge will represent O’Neals, and Lambert will represent West Johnston.

  • Gave Celebrate Cleveland permission to close a portion of Cleveland Road from 9:45 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 4, for the community’s Independence Day parade.

  • OK’d three budget revisions. Commissioners moved $92,000 from savings to cover state-mandated compensation for law enforcement officers who retire early. Also, Commissioners added $39,759.68 in Sheriff’s Office revenue and $1,283.42 in miscellaneous jail revenue. The Sheriff’s Office money came from the federal government and from asset sales.

  • Proclaimed July 6-11 as Summer Learning Week in Johnston County. Over the summer, students can lose what they learned during the school year, and students who lose ground in one summer are more likely to lose ground in subsequent years, the proclamation notes. Parents can help prevent learning loss by reading with their children and encouraging them to read on their own during school breaks.

  • Proclaimed June 15 as Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Johnston. The County is home to more than 35,000 people age 60 or older, the proclamation notes. Identifying, reporting and eliminating abuse, neglect and exploitation of older persons is each community’s responsibility, the proclamation adds. Commissioners called on all Johnston residents to watch for signs of elder abuse and report it.

  • Extended the County’s contract with Denise Hogan, who transcribes minutes of County Commissioner meetings. Under the terms of a contract that began July 1, 2024, the County pays Hogan $90 per recorded meeting hour but no more than $10,000 per year. The contract extension is through June 30, 2027.

  • Took no action after a closed session on a personnel matter. 



Page last updated on:  June 3, 2026