The Johnston County (NC) regionalization assessment continues with a more intensive evaluation of financials and governance. The outcome is determining the most viable options for maintaining high service levels with the available human and financial resources over the next 30 years. Nine public utilities, two private utilities, and two incorporated areas are participating in the regionalization assessment.
Johnston County, which also operates a water & sewer utility, is performing the regionalization assessment with financial resources from its general fund. An outside resource, JD Solomon, Inc, leads the process. Global consulting firm Black & Veatch is performing the technical assessments.
Water and wastewater utility regionalization can take many forms ranging from shared administrative service and emergency interconnections on one end of the spectrum to full mergers and consolidations on the other end. The existing utilities share some regionalization aspects. After completing this assessment, the participating entities will decide if more formal forms of regionalization make sense.
Johnston County is located in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina. Johnston County has a population of over 225,000 and continues to be one of the state's fastest-growing counties. Black & Veatch is a 100-year-old engineering firm based in Kansas City with offices in Raleigh and Charlotte. JD Solomon Inc has offices in North and South Carolina that provide program development, asset management, and facilitation services in eight states.
