Onslow County officials and trustees of Coastal Carolina Community College formalized a multi‑year funding arrangement during the Board of Commissioners’ Dec. 1 meeting, a move county leaders said is intended to provide steady, predictable support for the college’s operating and capital maintenance needs.

County Manager David Smitherman told commissioners that the agreement was developed so the community college “have the confidence necessary to plan for their future knowing that resources will be coming to take care of their campus.” President David Headley and members of the college board of trustees joined county leaders at the dais to sign the document.

Smitherman said county financial staff worked with college staff to create a formula similar to the county’s funding relationship with the Onslow County School System. He described the agreement as a continuation of historic county support and said it should give the college assurance for capital planning and maintenance.

College and county officials said the arrangement is intended to enable the college to make longer‑term decisions about facilities and programming. Smitherman credited Kevin Patterson and county staff for helping develop the agreement with trustees.

The board took no separate vote on the signing; the presentation concluded and the meeting moved to the public‑comment period.