Commissioners push for earlier school and community college budget coordination, asset-management funding

Johnston County commissioners instructed staff to build an FY27 budget process that brings the school system and Johnston Community College into ongoing operational and capital conversations so requests are not last‑minute surprises. "There's a desire to move forward with the Clayton High School," a speaker said, and commissioners asked for a process that allows the county and schools to plan together across the year.

Multiple commissioners argued that preventative maintenance and an asset‑management approach reduce future capital pressure. One commissioner framed the point this way: spending on maintenance now can extend the life of facilities and possibly avoid larger replacement costs later. The board encouraged a financial model and regular (quarterly or similar) meetings so the county can anticipate school requests and incorporate them into multi‑year financial planning.

On higher education, commissioners approved adding preliminary design and master‑planning work for Johnston Community College’s health sciences campus to the short‑term list, while noting that full funding would be a long‑term commitment. Staff reported recent meetings with local higher‑education leaders to begin scoping.

Deliverables: staff should develop a coordinated calendar and a model to integrate school and community college capital and operating requests into the FY27 budget process and to present preliminary design options for the JCC health sciences facilities for consideration in long‑range planning.