At Monday’s meeting the Johnston County Board of Commissioners opened the checkbook for a "digital" air-traffic control tower at Johnston Regional Airport and pushed ahead with a new Department of Social Services building. They also locked in dates for key public hearings, tweaked the budget, and took time to honor World War II veteran Sherrill Stevens with the county’s first Cypress Legacy Award.
Commissioners Pledge $4.5 Million For A Digital Tower
The board agreed to commit $2.75 million in fiscal 2026-27 and $1.75 million in 2027-28 to help build a digital air-traffic control tower at Johnston Regional, roughly $4.5 million over two years, according to JoCo Report. County and airport leaders framed the money as local match and construction support they say is needed to chase federal grants and actually get the project built.
Airport officials say the push reflects just how busy Johnston Regional, also known as JNX, has become. The county notes the airport now hosts more than 170 based aircraft and has grown into one of the busiest general-aviation hubs in North Carolina. In remarks published by Johnston County Government, officials said a remote digital tower using high-definition cameras and sensors could help controllers handle heavier traffic and improve safety.
New DSS Design, Audits And Budget Housekeeping
Commissioners reviewed schematic options for a new Department of Social Services facility and gave the green light to move into full design work. Staff outlined a construction-manager-at-risk approach as one way to keep tighter control on costs and scheduling as the project moves along.
The meeting packet and local coverage also walked through a stack of budget amendments and finance items, including authorization to solicit an audit contract and several transfers to support capital projects. JoCo Report reported that the county received a proposal to hire Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams & Co. to audit the 2025-26 financials, alongside multiple line-item adjustments that were up for consideration.
Hearings And The UDO Timeline
The board set a public hearing on proposed amendments to the county’s mass-gatherings ordinance for 6 p.m. on Aug. 3 in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room at the Johnston County Courthouse Annex, according to the county’s public notices. The agenda and notice invite public comment and spell out the official time and place.
Planning staff also told commissioners the latest draft of the Unified Development Ordinance will be posted no later than Aug. 4, and the county plans a drop-in community meeting on Sept. 9 at the Johnston County Agricultural Center to gather public input. Those details appear in the county’s meeting recap on Facebook, in a Johnston County Government Facebook post.
Transit Growth And Public-Safety Items
Transit leaders reported that JCATS ridership has climbed roughly 26% since 2023, and staff flagged plans to extend the QuickRide on-demand service toward Clayton and the Flowers Plantation area, according to local reporting. The Smithfield Weekly Sun noted both the system’s gains and QuickRide’s rising usage.
Commissioners also worked through public-safety requests. The meeting recap lists allocations from fire-district taxes to reimburse municipal departments, along with approvals for several volunteer departments to purchase tanker trucks. Agenda materials put the per-unit price for those trucks in the mid-$600,000s. All of it landed in the evening’s broader slate of spending decisions, according to the county’s recap.
Cypress Legacy Award
The board presented the inaugural Cypress Legacy Award to Sherrill Stevens, a World War II veteran, longtime pastor and former Army Reserve chaplain. The county has published a profile of Stevens and his decades of service, and the recognition was highlighted in the meeting’s presentations as well as in the county’s public materials and recap.
What’s next: the mass-gatherings hearing is set for Aug. 3, the board scheduled a separate public hearing on C-PACE for Aug. 17, and planning staff will post the UDO draft and host the Sept. 9 drop-in at the Agricultural Center. Meeting materials, agendas and recordings remain available through the county’s online meeting pages and in the embedded recap above.
