City commission to consider 35% raise for juvenile court judge, noise study

Johnson City commissioners will consider approving a 35% raise for the city's juvenile court judge and a proposal for a noise and vibration study at their meeting Thursday. Juvenile Court judge pay hike The first item on the commission's consent agenda for Thursday is resolution that, if passed, would establish a $160,000 annual salary for the Johnson City juvenile court judge for the next term — a 35% increase from the position's current salary. Currently, the position's annual pay is $118,415, more than $41,000 less than the proposed annual salary, according to city pay data obtained by the Johnson City Press in a public records request. The proposed compensation also includes yearly, 3% cost-of-living raises, according to the commission agenda. Johnson City spokeswoman Sarah Nobles said in a email to the Johnson City Press that the reason for the large pay hike was to better align the position with other comparable positions in the area. "Judge Sharon Green has served as Juvenile Court judge for the past 24 years. Per the terms of her employment, she has received standard COLA adjustments of 3 percent to bring her annual salary to $118,415.19. The Commission requested that City leadership assess the compensation for Juvenile Court judge using data from comparable positions in our area. Increasing the salary to $160,000 brings this position, which requires an attorney's license, in line with current market conditions and makes it more competitive." The position is up for election this year and will appear on the Aug. 6 primary and Nov. 3 general election ballots. Green, the current juvenile court judge, has held the office since 2002. While Green has not yet picked up a petition for this year's primary, local attorneys Dustin Jones and Stephanie Sherwood have. Prospective candidates have until March 10, 2026 to submit their petitions. Noise and vibration study The Johnson City commission will also consider approving a contract for a noise and vibration study, aimed at collecting data on how industrial developments — primarily data centers — impact the community. The noise and vibration study will cost the city $96,880 in budgeted expenses if approved by the commission. The study will be conducted by JPM Acoustics on 10 specific sites throughout the city and would be complete by late spring, according to the agenda. With the rise of artificial intelligence, companies across the globe are investing data centers. According to a Goldman Sachs report, U.S. spending on the construction of data centers has tripled over the last three years. Data centers operate around the clock and generate constant noise that can reach levels of over 90 decibels, which is comparable to a power tool or lawn mower running all day. In June 2025, the Johnson City commission placed a one-year pause on all industrial development and asked staff to collect data on noise and vibration so the city can decide how best to mitigate any of the potential impacts. City Manager Cathy Ball said the pause, also known as a moratorium, and study came from discussions of a data center coming to South Johnson City. She said although Johnson City has a noise ordinance in place for more isolated incidents, it doesn't address consistent noises like those from industrial developments that could still impact residents' quality of life. "We realized that we had no way to be able to answer to the public in terms of whether or not the noises coming from that would affect their quality of life," Ball said. "So they'll be looking at any area that we have that has that industrial-2 zoning associated with it." According to the agenda, the company conducting the study will present proposed changes to the language of the city's noise ordinance based on the study's findings. Other agenda items Commissioners will also consider several bids and purchases from Johnson City Schools and the city's public works and water/sewer services departments, after which they will hear a presentation of the city's 2025 employee survey. The commission meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday in the commission chambers inside the Johnson City municipal and safety building, 601 E. Main St.