Earlier this year, as part of the Association’s youth outreach efforts, NCACC invited high school students to submit a creative presentation for the opportunity to win a scholarship award. The focus of the project was to demonstrate how county government brings value to the community, and to provide insight on how adults can make it easier for high school students to talk about difficulties or mental health issues they may be facing. Ethan Cahoon (Lenoir County), Kathie Dietrich (Hertford County), and KaylaVera McBride (Alamance County) were selected as finalists. KaylaVera McBride was chosen as the winner and her presentation is available here.

During the 2017 NCACC Annual Conference, the Association launched a project to coincide with the conference theme, “Amplify Your County Story.” The initiative aims to encourage county leaders to share personal stories they hear in their communities. The conference featured a County Story Stage to begin collecting impactful stories from around the state, which will be posted on the Association’s website and included in NCACC publications. If you didn’t get a chance to share your county’s story please contact Lacy.Pate@ncacc.org.

In September, David Baker will join the Association as Director of Tax and Revenue Outreach. In his new role, Baker will represent the Association and serve as the professional liaison for member counties in the areas of property tax and revenue management. He will provide outreach and consultation services to counties on tax and revenue issues, and assistance to counties on property tax issues such as reappraisals, appeals and tax collection. Additionally, he will offer technical assistance on a daily basis to local government tax officials concerning the appraising, assessing and collecting of property tax and other revenue issues.

Mr. Baker will also oversee the NCACC Collaborative Property Tax System (NCPTS), which is an electronic revenue collection system used by counties to manage property tax records and billing.  He will also serve as a liaison for member counties who use the NCPTS system and will work closely with the NCPTS Steering Committee, which governs the system and manages software vendor relations.

Mr. Baker brings to the position decades of tax and revenue experience. He served in various roles at the North Carolina Department of Revenue, where he focused on local government, property tax and valuation issues. Most recently, he served as Director of the Local Government Division, an office he helped establish to improve the Department’s services to local governments.  

This August, William Halliburton joined NCACC’s Risk Management Team, where he will focus on assisting sheriffs and associated staff with risk issues related to law enforcement and detention operations. He has over 27 years of law enforcement experience and will serve as a valuable resource helping risk pool members develop new ways to partner on risk reduction.

As Police Chief, Mr. Halliburton spearheaded professional development, mentoring, management training initiatives and community partnerships that led to a 45% reduction in violent crime. He also served as an international law enforcement advisor and police trainer to promote democratic policing and build security capacity in Iraq, Kosovo, and Haiti. He earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a Bachelor of Science degree from Methodist University and was trained by the FBI National Academy. In addition, he has received instructor certifications in SWAT, Officer Survival, Rapid Deployment, Chemical Munitions and Taser operation.  

NCACC is partnering with the NC School Boards Association and the UNC School of Government’s ncIMPACT team to discuss Pre-Kindergarten and early education investments in North Carolina.  You are invited to join top experts, along with local and state partners from across the state for a unique information sharing session, which will be held on September 25, 2017 at the Carolina Club, 150 Stadium Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.  This program, titled Thinking Big for Small People: Why Are NC County Leaders So Enthusiastic about Pre-K for Four Year Olds?, is specifically designed for local policymakers curious about pre-K, actively considering pre-K expansion options, and crafting strategies to reach more children.  The program will also discuss funding in the 2017-18 North Carolina state budget to enroll approximately 1,725 additional children in North Carolina Pre-K programs in the next school year, with about twice as many to be added 2018-19.

For more information, visit bit.ly/PREKinNC. For questions, contact Toogie Hampton, program manager, at thampton@sog.unc.edu or 919-843-6518.

The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency is making a total of $15 million available to assist single-family homeowners, who need to make critical and urgent repairs to their homes as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Matthew or Tropical Storms Julia or Hermine. The purpose of the program, known as the Essential Single-Family Rehabilitation Loan Pool–Disaster Recovery, or “ESFRLP-DR,” is to enable homeowners to address essential health and safety issues so they can live safely in their homes. ESFRLP-DR may provide up to $40,000 per home in the form of an unsecured, forgivable loan. Homes must be owner-occupied and household income must be below 100% of the area median income. To qualify for this loan, damage assessments must show that there is at least $5,000 in outstanding damages to the home as a result of Hurricane Matthew or Tropical Storms Julia or Hermine. Homeowners may apply for ESFRLP-DR funds through local community partners, which administer the program and oversee home repair projects. To locate ESFRLP-DR partners in your community, click here; then enter your information and select “disaster recovery” program. You can also view Disaster Recovery Loan Pool Members here.

Wake County Sheriff's Office and Grant Writing USA teamed up to offer a two-day grants management workshop in Raleigh, September 21-22, 2017. The class will focus on the administration of government grants and compliance rules and regulations. North Carolina Association of County Commissioners members and their staff are eligible to receive a special tuition rate of $565. Please use code "NCASSN" to receive this $30 discount off full price at registration. Tuition includes Grant Management USA's 400-page grant management workbook and reference guide. Seating is limited and online reservations are necessary.  Multi-enrollment discounts and discounts for Grant Writing USA returning alumni are available. Tuition payment is not required at the time of enrollment. Online registration and more information is available here.
 
For information, you may also contact Sergeant Ronnie Carroll of the Wake County Sherriff’s Office at 919-890-7880 or Ronald.Carroll@wakegov.com; or Janet Darling of Grant Writing USA at 888.290.6237, or janet@grantswritingusa.com.