Home > June 15 recap: Commissioners adopt budget, receive cost study

June 15 recap: Commissioners adopt budget, receive cost study

The Johnston County Board of Commissioners on Monday:

  • Adopted a $434.9 million budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1. Commissioners lowered the property tax rate to 51 cents per $100 valuation while still granting the Public Schools’ full funding request. Also, the board gave Johnston Community College all of the operating funds it had sought. The 2026-27 budget adds sheriff’s deputies, paramedics and 911 telecommunicators to the County’s public safety roster, and it gives all employees raises of 3% on July 1. Later in the year, employees could be eligible for another 2% in merit pay. Finally, the spending plan allocates dollars to several nonprofits, including Harbor, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Triangle Land Conservancy.

  • Received the Cost of Community Services Study and Fiscal Impact Model. The cost study confirmed what Commissioners suspected — that most homes demand more in public services than they pay in property taxes. At the same time, tax revenue from Johnston’s commercial and industrial base more than offsets the revenue deficit from single-family homes. Separately, the Fiscal Impact Model will allow staff to determine what demands proposed development will place on public services and the County’s infrastructure. Commissioners could use both the cost study and impact model in deciding whether to approve or deny proposed developments.

  • Heard from Greg Walker, head of the Johnston Soil and Water Conservation District. Walker said that based on prior funding levels, the County might be able to land as much as $12 million in federal funding for farmland preservation. The state, meanwhile, has another $2 million available. Both the state and federal governments favor grant applications that include local dollars, Walker said. He asked Commissioners to continue their commitment of $600,000 annually to help land those grants.

  • OK’d a revised schedule for review and adoption of Johnston County’s next Unified Development Ordinance. That schedule includes posting the latest draft and revisions online for public review starting Aug. 4. A community meeting will follow on Sept. 10. The Planning Board will take up the UDO on Sept. 15. County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Oct. 5 and then consider adopting the UDO on Nov. 2.

  • Gave employees a floating holiday and up to 24 hours of paid bereavement leave. Also, for married couples who work for the County, commissioners repealed a policy that had forced them to share 12 weeks of family leave. Human Resources recommended the changes to aid in the recruitment and retention of employees.

  • OK’d a utility service agreement between the County and the Town of Wilson’s Mills. The agreement spells out where Johnston County will provide water and sewer service inside Wilson’s Mills and to properties that might later be annexed to the town. For noncontiguous, or satellite, annexations, developers must go through a review process, and the County can approve or deny service requests based on capacity, infrastructure needs, growth plans, and the long-term needs of its utility system. Properties served under the agreement will remain retail customers of Johnston County.

  • Approved the Health Department’s plan to spend the next round of opioid settlement funds. The plan continues earlier initiatives, including addiction treatment and recovery. But it adds two more strategies in the coming year — early intervention and employment services.

  • Heard the annual report from the County’s Child Fatality Prevention Team. That report shows 24 child deaths in 2025, including seven from premature birth or prenatal conditions, six in motor vehicle accidents, and six from illnesses such as leukemia, other cancers and diabetes.

  • Endorsed the N.C. Department of Transportation plan to add the following streets to the roster of state-maintained roads: Little River Drive, Yellow Sun Place, Purple Mist Lane, Orange Sunset Lane, Silver Springs Way, Golden View Place and Dark Night Lane in Little River Plantation subdivision in O’Neals Township; and Ashpole Trail, Union City Court and Princess Anne Court in Ashley Heights subdivision, Cleveland Township.

  • Accepted a $25,000 Duke Energy Storm Preparedness Grant. The County will use the money to purchase 250 Preparedness Kits, which will go to vulnerable Johnstonians. Each kit will contain a weather radio, a fan for relief from heat, a cooler for storing medications, a fire- and water-resistant folder to protect important documents, and a thumb drive to hold backups of important documents and photos.

  • Approved a funding agreement with the Town of Kenly. In 2023, Commissioners awarded Kenly $500,000 for a water main project. Among other things, the agreement says the County will reimburse Kenly for project-related expenses; the town will not receive the money upfront.

  • Adopted a resolution formally denying an application to rezone 2.6 acres on Elevation Road for business use. Earlier this month, Commissioners voted not to allow a landowner to store RVs in buildings on the land. The resolution formalizes that decision.

  • Appointed Will Letchworth and Jeff Holt to represent Johnston County on the U.S. 70 Corridor Commission. Letchworth is a former member and chairman of the Johnston County Planning Board. Holt is mayor of Pine Level. The commission advocates for improvements to the highway, which is becoming Interstate 42 from Johnston County to Morehead City.

  • Made three budget revisions. One adds $922.86 in miscellaneous revenue to the Jail budget. Two others add a total of $38,439.34 in revenue to the Sheriff’s Office budget. That money is a mix of insurance proceeds, Controlled Substance Tax receipts, and miscellaneous revenue.



Page last updated on:  June 18, 2026