Clayton holds second public hearing on $67.2 million FY26 budget; staff proposes utility rate increases as Sam’s Branch plant comes online

Clayton town staff presented the manager's recommended fiscal year 2026 budget at a second public hearing, outlining a $67.2 million general fund and proposed utility rate increases to offset rising wholesale costs and new debt service from the Sam's Branch water reclamation facility.

The budget presentation, delivered to Mayor Jody McLeod and the Clayton Town Council by Todd Milton and Town Manager Rich Coppola, included a proposal to set the town tax rate at $0.49 per $100 of assessed value, which Coppola described as "49¢ which is just 4¢ over our revenue neutral rate." Milton told the council that Johnston County has raised wholesale water and sewer bulk rates by 10% and that the town's recommended combined water and sewer rate increase "is just above that 10%." He also said the town is recommending a 2% electric rate increase while wholesale electric costs are projected to rise about 3.5%.

The presentation tied utility rate pressures to costs the town buys and resells and to new financing for the Sam's Branch facility. In a public-facing informational segment…