Tax Administrator Receives 10% Raise After Johnston County Reclassification
SMITHFIELD, N.C. – Johnston County has added a second deputy county manager position by expanding the role of the county’s tax administrator, a move approved earlier this year that increased her annual salary by more than $16,000.
County officials confirmed that Tax Administrator Jocelyn Andrews was reclassified in February 2026 to serve as Tax Administrator/Deputy County Manager.
Prior to the change, Andrews earned an annual salary of $165,564 as tax administrator. Following the reclassification, her salary increased to $182,120 annually — a raise of $16,556, or approximately 10 percent.
The county now has two deputy county managers serving under County Manager Rick Hester.
According to salary information provided by Johnston County, Hester earns an annual salary of $303,534, which includes a $6,000 yearly travel allowance.
Deputy County Manager Chad McLamb earns $214,756 annually and receives a $420 annual cell phone reimbursement.
Officials said none of the three administrators have employment agreements with Johnston County.
The additional deputy county manager role was approved by the county in February 2026. Andrews continues to serve full-time as tax administrator while also taking on deputy county manager responsibilities.
The county has not publicly detailed what additional duties Andrews will oversee in the expanded role.
Combined, the county’s three top administrators are paid $700,410 annually, including allowances and reimbursements.
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Ever wonder where our tax dollars are actually going? It’s pretty clear: the ‘good old boy’ network is just looking out for its own, handing out raises to anyone who falls in line with the powers that be.
Folks let take a honest look at our county manager adding a deputy county manager along with an assistant county manager too? Folks is our county manager ego such that he believes no one person can replace him if he should retire with his now inflated salary or is this a political move in which he is making sure assistance county manager Chad Mclamb will not be the next county manager and deputy county manager Jocelyn Andrews will be the next county manager in which the four year revaluation money grab of property taxes will indefinitely stay? The four year property revaluation tax money grab is her devoted creation is it not? All of these inflated salaries are ether for a golden parachute retirements or it a pay off for a go along to get along and stay where you are assistant county manager? Johnston County Tax Payers can you see the incredible value of the four year revaluation of your properties now in a rising market? It seems a plan may have been developed so no one can never be in any position to oppose this and to keep Jocelyn Andrews in the best position to make sure a eight year property revaluation will never again be the norm here in Johnston County? The only other reason I can see in all this shuffling of inflated position’s is that Rick Hester doesn’t have confidence that Chad Mclamb can succeed him successfully but Chad Mclambs salary saids otherwise does it not? Joyceln Andrews may be the very first county position in the State of North Carolina that truly has a Tax and Spend authoritative power that no other county has? WOW SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG HERE?
Sir, please take off your tin foil hat……
$303,000?!!!! For a Deputy County Manager???? The President of the United States gets $400,000 annually. How much real work does a Johnston County Deputy Manager do and what duties are they performing to justify that $$$?
These salaries are nuts
Oh come on folks she is getting ready to retire and this move is to give her a fat retirement check based on her salary now and to justify paying the next liberal tax and spend tax administrator by saying we are paying them no more or no less than our old tax administrator!!! If you JOCO home owners found this a surprise and hard to swallow just be thankful they are giving you some practice, they are already others waiting in line to hear their increases made public. JOCO TAX PAYERS keep you a strong adult beverage beside you because the school board has been very unlikely quite haven’t they? All of these property taxes that have been captured four years earlier by earlier evaluations and value increases is busting the walls of the BANK. The JOCO BLACK INK in our COUNTY BANK will explode if we don’t act so SPEND THE MONEY NOW and on our SCHOOLS!!!
Wow, sounds like we are a bit top heavy. She announced her role at the last meeting which sounded horrible. She is in charge of foreclosing on people’s homes.
This is not right! To be almost half of the presidential salary of a COUNTY is theft!
TERRIBLE!!!
Y’all Are KILLING Johnston County! JST
These county salaries are ridiculous!!!!where is the oversight here!!!!they have taxed the crap out of us for their salary increases .fire rick hester and start cleaning house and get rid of these loser county commissioners!!!
I agree with you
Thieves should not be paid to steal from citizens through extortion
Most of you complaining about the salaries probably have never had the responsibility or burdens these positions carry. You could be in their shoes doing their job if you had the desire, intellect, work ethic or ability. At least they are working for their $$$. Better than the ones living off my tax dollars not contributing anything. A family with rental assistance. Medicaid, disability , wic, food stamps, and every other handout imaginable probably sucks more tax dollars than any of these public servants
You are ignorant. I’m a newly single
Mother of 3, making $19.89 an hour in the medical field….no assistance because I didn’t qualify. The salary she is making is not equal to the work she does.
You’re doing it all wrong because you have a conscious and want to do what’s right. Do what the rest of the country is doing fake a disability like your back or depression. That’s how they do it. Quit your job . Then you will have free everything…Then you wanna move a boyfriend in and who deals in drugs and makes cash so it’s not counted.
You’re trying to do the right thing which is very admirable, but the cards are gonna be stacked against you. I feel for you and I hope you at least qualify for your children to be covered by Medicaid. If not, just do what the illegals do go to the emergency room for everything they can’t deny you.
It’s folks like her that allowed those to drain the people. I’m all for helping someone who CAN’T do for themselves due to TRUE physical challenges, but Laziness Should NOT ENABLED by those that Are SUPPOSED to be Leaders. JST
How do I know they’re actually working for their money they just hired an assistant meaning they’re cutting their workload. You’re an idiot and obviously related to our good friends with one of the wealthy elite at the county offices. I will gladly take on their duties and responsibilities for half of what they’re making now. I challenge anyone of the people mention in the article to invite someone to walk through their day for one solid week. Most of the time they’re spent in meetings with very little decisions being made whatsoever. They’re typical of people At a high level of any organization. They generally just spend their days in meetings.
Free money is easy to spend how do I get some
She never in the office.
JoCo has not had a tax sale in probably 6 years!!
And she gets a promotion!!!
Another reason to put three names on the ballot for general election in November.
Take about half of that and give it to our teachers who have to work 2 jobs to support their kids alone.
The teacher knew it was a part time job when they took it get week of at Easter 2 weeks at Christmas and 2 months in the summer do the math they make over 30 a hour to bad it’s part time
So help me to understand, they added another position so the tax administrator got a raise? Why?
this is hard for me to understand we have all these new homes being built and tons of people moving in
this area and while you pay out all this money to these officials and our roads in johnston county are falling apart
This is not new. Politicians like felon trump have been stealing your tax money for decades. These thieves are no different but you idiots will re-elect them because you hate anyone that’s not white
And you fools keep electing and re-electing the same people, from the same groups, over and over again. #blameYourself #reapWhatYouVote #voteOutIncumbents
Dang! Must have the same bookkeeper as the Town of Benson! ….. JoCo is a dang joke!
😂good one and correct
Fire the County manager, vote out the County Commissioners, and let the ones building the nice new homes pay their FAIR share. Just wondering what a water tap costs today in JOCO?
You should see what some of those deputies make specifically lieutenant and above. Its insane. These are individuals who sit in an office all day not running a patrol shift. But hey we all gotta vote. Get someone in there that is for community. Stop building all these developments that become crime centers. I have lived in or near Johnston county for about 20 years. We need real conservatives not these fake ones who are ruled by the dollar. The used to be good ones are being paid off by developers and big pharma. Get em out!