Investing in Infrastructure

North Carolina is different from many other states in that Counties are not involved in road construction or maintenance.

Brunswick County Commissioners are investing heavily in water and sewer, which are the primary infrastructure for which County government is responsible.

Learn more below.

Water & Sewer

9nvesting Heavily in Water & Sewer: Brunswick County currently has more than $1.2 billion in water and sewer projects either under construction or on the capital improvement plan.

No Tax Dollars Involved: Brunswick County's water fund and wastewater (sewer) funds are enterprise funds. This means that they are operated like a business using funds generated from developer-paid capital recovery fees and customers' rate payments.

Award-Winning Infrastructure: Brunswick County's water and sewer systems have earned numerous industry awards over the years. A list of these awards is included in the accordion at the bottom of this page.

Fighting for Brunswick County Ratepayers: In 2017, Brunswick County joined other utilities in the region to sue DuPont and Chemours. The County is seeking monetary damages from Chemours to hold it responsible for the millions of dollars it is spending to install a new treatment system necessary to remove PFAS contaminants. The lawsuit remains active and ongoing. Any proceeds received will be used for the benefit of all customer classes. How any proceeds from litigation would be used has not been analyzed nor determined at this time. Click here to read more.

Developers Paying for Infrastructure: Developers have deeded more than $219 million in water and sewer infrastructure to Brunswick County, with over $119 million since January 2013. (see below)

Roads & Transportation

No County Roads: North Carolina is different than many other states in that, under State law, Counties are not involved in road construction or maintenance. Click here for more information on roads in Brunswick County.

Advocating for Brunswick County Transportation Priorities: While Brunswick County is not directly involved in road construction or maintenance, Commissioners represent the County on three regional transportation planning boards. Commissioner Williams serves on the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO) board and currently serves as Chair of the Cape Fear Rural Planning Organization Transportation Advisory Committee (RTAC). Commissioner Mike Forte serves as an alternate for the WMPO and as a member of RTAC, and Commissioners Randy Thompson and Pat Sykes represent Brunswick County on the Grand Strand Area Transportation Study (GSATS).

Successfully Prioritizing Projects: One of the primary roles of the three transportation planning committees is submitting projects for consideration in NCDOT's Strategic Prioritization Process. During his tenure on the WMPO and RTAC, Commissioner Williams has successfully advocated for a number of key projects, including the Highway 211 widening project, which is the largest single transportation contract ever awarded in Brunswick County and the Highway 133 widening project.