Johnston County Commissioners Adopt New Fiscal Year Budget

SMITHFIELD – The Johnston County Board of Commissioners adopted a $376,345,949 million budget at Monday’s regularly scheduled Board meeting. Commissioners approved a reduction to the property tax rate from 69 cents per $100 of property value to 67 cents per $100 of property value. 

“We, as a Board, remain focused on our established priorities and committed to our role as financial stewards of County funds,” said Board Chairman, Butch Lawter. “This budget is the result of extensive planning and in-depth deliberations, anchored by the hard work of Commissioners and County staff. The combination of a healthy fund balance and a robust credit rating puts our County in a strong financial position to accomplish many of our long range goals moving forward.”

Commissioner Lawter also emphasized the importance of highlighting the Board’s established priorities in the budget. “Public safety, education funding, infrastructure, land use, County employee retention and recruitment, and financial stewardship remain a focus of this Board and we believe all of these priorities have been addressed in this budget,” stated the Board Chairman. “We appreciate our continued partnership with Johnston County Public Schools and Johnston Community College and value their input in helping us develop this budget.”

Commissioners appropriated a total of $104,000,000 to Johnston County Public Schools for current expenses, while also approving $3,500,000 million for capital outlay. Johnston Community College will receive $6,912,390 for current expenses and $1.2 million for capital outlay. 

Commissioners also approved a Countywide fire tax rate of 14 cents based on recommendations from the fire service advisory workgroup.

Funds are included in the budget for a County employee pay adjustment in July of 3% with the potential of a performance pay adjustment of 2% in October. 

Funding highlight’s from this year’s budget include:

  • Allocation of $275,000 to the JCATS Quick Ride Program
  • Harbor, Inc. will receive $325,000 
  • The Board appropriated $24,000 to the Smithfield Rescue Mission
  • Approval of the Research Training Zone (RTZ) tax rate at eight cents per $100 valuation
  • $285,000 workforce development debt payment will be deleted from the general fund
  • Allocation of $150,000 to the Clayton Civitan Club for athletic field lighting and repairs
  • Appropriation of $173,392 to the North Carolina Forest Service
  • Approval of the Moccasin Creek Service District tax rate at three cents per $100 valuation and also allocating $250,000 match for the state grant on the Moccasin Creek project 

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11 COMMENTS

  2. Folks don’t you just love the way Johnston County has followed our liberal progressive counties like Mecklenburg (Charlotte), Durham and Wake counties and moved up our homes and property revaluation from what the NC state goverment saids have to be done every eight years to what is now done every four years? This is the progressive way of growing big government by capsuring those jacked up home and property values four consecutive earlier. Then our so-called conservative commissioners will come out like a rooster with thier chest and tail feathers spread out bosting on how they have not only kept property taxes low but cut them by 2%!!! When in reality they would had to cut the rate by 5% or more to have kept it neutral or you from writing a much bigger check to the Johnston County Tax Collections. Mean while having progressive people in the right places has paid off big for our Johnston public school system. Special thanks to sister Jocelyn Andrews and to Ma’ Lyn Andrews for moving Johnston county into the future and not back into the past. All of us progressives that feel out numbered here in Johnston county should be celebrating this, we are not talking about $8,000,000.00 that was missing from the JCPS budget like a few years ago and was replaced we are talking about the support of $100,000,000.00 of millions of dollars now.

  3. All of you JoCo voters who re-elected these clowns (by a 82% margin) get what you deserve. As long as you continue to be sheep, blindly voting for a party (instead of a person) things won’t change. #VoteOutIncumbents

    • Could be worse. It could be the liberals spending and taxing into oblivion. Perhaps the JoCo people voted for the lesser of two evils.

      • @Jen: I don’t see a difference. The GOP has controlled the county for generations…taxes have risen 19% in the last 20 years, and spending has nearly DOUBLED in that same time. Smells a lot like “tax and spend” to me. If you’re only voting AGAINST the libs, you’re doing it wrong.

        • You don’t see it because you don’t want to. Rainy day fund is at an all-time high, tax revenue has increased with the economy but taxes have not increase. I never said they were great at their job but they sure beat the crime, poverty and corruption that liberals guarantee.

          • @Jen: “taxes have not increased”????? You must be one of our County Commissioners. County-based fees have risen (on average) 62% over the past 20 years. A tax by any other name is still a tax

  4. Johnston county citizens our so-called conservative commissioners has officailly turned your beloved county over to the progressive tax and spend Andrews family of the Smithfield proper!!! If you should have a problem that needs a commissioners attention please call the tax office or the school board.
    The restructioning of the county is complete now.

    Good Day

  5. There’s no liberal government in joco. Yall are getting the R party you vote for – do not blame any democrats

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