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December 22, 2022

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year from the NCACC!

As the holiday season is upon us and the year draws to a close, the NCACC thanks county leaders and our partners and supporters for their work in making 2022 a successful year for North Carolina’s counties and our association. To view a year-in-review video from the Association, click here.

We wish you a restful holiday and look forward to working with you in the new year!

The Weekly Update will resume Friday, January 6

NCACC Updates

Nominations Open for NC Seat on NACo Board of Directors, Submissions Due January 18

One of the seats that North Carolina holds on the National Association of Counties (NACo) Board of Directors has become vacant, due to a current seat holder losing their county election. The NCACC Constitution provides that this vacancy is to be filled by the NCACC Board of Directors no later than 60 days from the date the vacancy occurred. At the upcoming board meeting in Wake County on January 27-28, the NCACC board will vote to fill this vacancy.

Candidates should submit their letter of nomination describing why they are well-suited to serve in this position by close of business on Wednesday, January 18 via email to christy.berk@ncacc.org. All letters will be made available to NCACC Board members in advance of the January board meeting. NCACC President Tracey Johnson will place into nomination all letters received by the deadline, and a vote will be conducted by the NCACC Board of Directors during the meeting. The winner shall be the person receiving the most votes of those board members present and voting.

If you are interested in serving in this position and would like to learn more about NACo, please visit www.naco.org.

NCACC Budget and Tax Survey Underway Through January 18

The NCACC annually surveys county budget offices to collect data on operating budgets, school funding, and property taxes. The Association shares the results with counties and uses the data in advocacy, lobbying, and education work. The budget survey is now available at www.ncacc.org/budgettaxsurvey and will remain open until Wednesday, January 18, and all county budget officers are encouraged to participate.

Save the Date, January 25: ARPA Grants Management Webinar Co-Hosted by NCLM and NCACC

On Wednesday, January 25 from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m., the NC League of Municipalities and North Carolina Association of County Commissioners will co-host a webinar for local governments to learn best practices for grants management, including strategies for record keeping, finance, accounting, and budget planning related to the American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) grant program. Click here to register.

Leading Your County Governing Board: An Orientation for County Board Chairs — Wake County, January 26

The NCACC annually holds this event which provides an overview on the legal responsibilities and duties for chairs and vice chairs, how to run a meeting, and tips for building and maintaining effective relationships. Click here for more information.

Events

Grant Management Workshop: How to Stay in Compliance and Keep Grant Money — January 9 in Wake County

County Attorneys 2023 Winter Conference — January 26-27, Virtual

NC City & County Management Association Winter Seminar — February 1-3 in Forsyth County

NACo Legislative Conference — February 11-15 in Washington, DC

View the NCACC Event Calendar

National Opioid Settlement Updates

Join NCACC for Opioid Technical Assistance Office Hours

Starting in 2023, NCACC will offer office hours for county managers as well as commissioners and county staff for technical assistance with funds resulting from national opioid settlements. These virtual meetings will be an opportunity for peer learning and provide a space to ask questions and work through possible solutions to challenges in administering resources from settlements as well as implementing approved strategies.

The first of these monthly sessions will be held Tuesday, January 10 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. To register for the office hours, click here. For technical assistance on planning, implementing, or evaluating strategies to address the opioid overdose epidemic, contact opioidsettlement@ncacc.org.

January 23 'Opioid Strategies' Webinar Focuses on Employment-Related Services

The NCACC and NC Department of Health and Human Services are co-hosting a series of webinars on evidence-based, high-impact strategies that local governments may pursue to address the opioid overdose epidemic utilizing funds from the national litigation settlement.

Registration is available for the first 2023 session, scheduled for January 23 (3:00 – 4:30 p.m.) with a focus on employment-related services.

The most recent webinar was held December 12 on criminal justice diversion programs. A recording of the session will be made available soon, and added to the library of on-demand webinars from the “Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic” series available at ncopioidsettlement.org.

CVS, Walgreens Reach Agreements on Role in Opioid Crisis

NC Attorney General Josh Stein announced December 12 that agreements have been finalized with CVS and Walgreens to bring the national amount from investigations and litigation against the pharmaceutical industry for its role in the opioid crisis to more than $50 billion. North Carolina’s share of those funds is more than $1 billion. Under the latest agreements, CVS will pay $5 billion and Walgreens will pay $5.7 billion. Click here to read the NC Department of Justice media release.

Sample Spending Authorization Language for County Resolutions or Ordinances

Before spending any funds from the national opioid settlement, counties must first authorize the expenditures. The NCACC has developed sample language for counties to use when drafting a local spending authorization resolution or ordinance. The language included will ensure counties meet the requirements contained in the NC MOA. Access the sample language here.

State & Federal Updates

Sales Tax Update — December 2022

ARPA Resource Roundup — December 20, 2022

Local Elected Leaders Academy Programs

Essentials of County Government Continues in January

The School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill and the NCACC are again partnering to offer newly elected commissioners a crash course on the essentials of county government. This program, designed to help county commissioners successfully transition from campaigning to governing, will introduce the basic functions of county government and the role of the governing board.

Registration is open for two offerings in 2023 – one in-person and one online:

January 12-13 in Wake County
- 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday
January 18-20, Online
- 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday

The course kicked off December 15-16 in Buncombe County.

January 19 – Strategic Planning: Linking Strategies to Results
Effective leaders not only deal with the challenges at hand each day, but they also anticipate future challenges – a growing population that needs another school; an aging population that needs a senior center; another farm being subdivided that needs water and sewer line extensions – and seek to shape the future intentionally. In this class you will learn the principles and processes involved in strategic planning. You will learn how to use your budget as a planning tool to execute your vision over a multi-year period, and you will explore the leadership behaviors that are important elements of success.

January 27 – Top 10 Primer on Land Use, Planning, and Zoning for Local Elected Officials
This short interactive class you will share the 10 most important things to know about your role as an elected official in land use planning and zoning. Questions we will consider include: What’s the point of zoning? Whose rules apply where? What’s going to happen to the farmland? Can we get better development? How do we slow this down? And more!

NOTE: When registering for LELA programming, use the code NCACC-SOG-LELA to receive the 20 percent county commissioner discount.

County News

Caldwell County

The Caldwell County Board of Commissioners approved using a portion of the North Carolina Opioid Settlement to expand Caldwell County’s R.E.S.T.A.R.T. Program and advance the staff’s vital role in curbing the opioid epidemic. Click here to read the news release.

Onslow County

Ernest “Ernie” Wright, the first African American elected to the Onslow County Board of Commissioners, passed away on December 16, 2022, at the age of 69. Click here to read the county media release.

NCACC is seeking information on new county programs and announcements to share. Please email communications@ncacc.org with your county’s news and to be included in the NCACC Weekly Update.

Classifieds & Additional Items

Featured Classifieds

Economic Development Director — Carteret County
Assistant County Manager — Catawba County
Senior Health Programs Manager and Evaluator - NCACC
Manager of Health Programs - NCACC

All classified ads are available at this link.

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