FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners heard and discussed several presentations during their May agenda session yesterday. Agenda sessions are held once a month and provide an opportunity for the Board of Commissioners to discuss potential agenda topics for Regular Board of Commissioners’ meetings. Items that require a vote by the board will be moved to the board’s Regular Meeting scheduled for May 16 at 6:45 p.m. in Room 118 of the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse.
Meetings are live streamed on CCNC-TV though the County’s website at cumberlandcountync.gov, YouTube Channel and on CCNCTV Spectrum Channel 5. You will find meeting agendas, minutes and links to the videos under the Board of Commissioners tab on the website.
The meeting included three presentations.
- Public Health Director Dr. Jennifer Green gave a presentation on the Opioid Settlement, of which Cumberland County will receive approximately $17 million. Dr. Green said the County will hold meetings in May and June to solicit input from the community and stakeholders regarding the use of the settlement funds and will then come back before the Board of Commissioners for their input and direction. For more information on the upcoming stakeholders and community meetings, go to cumberlandcountync.gov/publichealth.
- Community Development Director Dee Taylor and Fayetteville/Cumberland County Continuum of Care (FCCCoC) Chairperson Debbie Brown provided an overview of the Continuum of Care program. FCCCoC is a non-profit organization responsible for organizing and delivering housing and service to meet the needs of people who are homeless as they move to stable housing and maximum self-sufficiency.
- Fayetteville State University Associate Vice Chancellor Wesley Fountain requested $250,000 for the FSU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub, which was previously presented to the Board in April. The Board voted unanimously to move the request to the consent agenda of their May 16 meeting pending staff determination of whether or not American Rescue Plan Act funds can be used.
The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of placing the following agenda items on the consent agenda for the May 16 Regular Board of Commissioners meeting:
- Opioid Settlement Fund Grant Project Budget Ordinance #B220136
- Contract for Recycling Center Fire Protection Improvements
- Request to Apply for U.S. Department of Transportation Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant
- FY23 Community Transportation Program Bid Tab for Proposed Services
- Intent to Lease Real Property to Service Source Employment Services, Inc. – The Board voted to move forward with “Option 1,” which would extend the current lease minus three buildings for $1 per year.
- Amendments to the Overhills Park Water and Sewer District Rate Structure
- Amendments to the NORCRESS Water and Sewer District Rate Structure
- Request of Law Office of K D White for Refund of Excise Tax
- Request of Single Source Real Estate Services Inc. for Refund of Excise Tax
- ARP Committee Recommendations: ARP Policies and Grant Project Ordinance
- Discussion of Zero Lot Line Subdivisions – Following a presentation on zero lot line subdivisions from Planning Director Rawls Howard, the Board voted unanimously to place the following item on the May 16 consent agenda: establish a three-month moratorium on zero lot line development approval and direct the Planning and Inspections Department to revise the Subdivision Ordinance to remove zero lot line subdivisions as an option.
The following agenda items were approved by the Board, but NOT unanimously, meaning they will be discussed as items of business for the May 16 Regular Board of Commissioners meeting:
The Board also discussed the following agenda items:
- Naming of Public Health Boardroom – Commissioner Keefe requested to rename the Public Health Boardroom after Public Health Director Dr. Jennifer Green due to her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board voted (4-2) to direct County staff to develop a policy for naming County rooms.
- Minimum Bid Policy – The Board directed the Public Information Office to make information about surplus property available to the public more visible via the County’s website, Cumberlandcountync.gov.
The Board received the following reports from staff:
- Assistant County Manager Sally Shutt provided a Competitive Grants Report, which showed county departments have been awarded $7.5 million in grant funds since 2020. Departments have also applied for or are currently planning to apply for an additional $23.5 million in grant funds.
- Department of Social Services Director Heather Skeens updated the board on the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). The Board has tasked Social Services with managing the ERAP State Allocation 1, which totals $17.4 million. Skeens said the department’s goal is to expend all of the funds by September 2022 to become eligible for the second state allocation. She said the department is currently going through nearly 5,000 pending applications to determine eligibility and request additional information as needed. She said DSS has a call center set up where staff can assist applicants with questions regarding the status of their applications. Applicants may email erap@ccdssnc.com or contact the call center at (910) 323-1540 which operates Monday – Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.
- Cumberland County Director of Engineering and Infrastructure Jermaine Walker updated the board on the progress and issues of the Cumberland County Emergency Services Center. He reiterated that the project is currently under budget due to technology costs coming in lower than originally anticipated, but that the anticipated completion of the project has been delayed by several factors including supply chain issues and permitting from the railroad company related to the installation of a secondary fiber line.
- County Finance Officer Vicki Evans presented a pair of budget ordinance revisions related to the Emergency Services Center project and requested that they be placed on the Board’s May 16 agenda for approval. The Board voted to add the budget amendments to the agenda as an item of business.
To watch the meeting and listen to the entire discussion between meeting participants of the Board of Commissioners’ Agenda Session, please visit Youtube.com/watch?v=BqwN2CQJ3aE
For more information about Cumberland County government, visit www.cumberlandcountync.gov and follow on social media by searching CumberlandCountyNC.