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February 10, 2023

Weekly Highlight

New Video Series Highlighting County Functions to Premiere Next Week

The Association is excited to premiere a new video series next week to show the ins and outs of county functions and illustrate the responsibilities, processes, and hard-working people that make county governments operate in North Carolina. Each episode will highlight a different county function and give legislators, new county leaders, and North Carolinians from all corners of the state a look at where their lives and county government meet. The series, titled “County Lines,” draws its name from the longtime periodical distributed by the NCACC that was published in various formats for about 50 years, ending its circulation in its previous form in 2020.

For more information on this video series and to view the debut episode next week, visit www.ncacc.org/countylines.

Legislative Brief

Notable Activity

Action at the General Assembly picked up this week with more legislative committees meeting and dozens of bill filings. A much-anticipated bill expanding Medicaid was filed in the House. House Bill 76 Access to Healthcare Options broadens the category of individuals eligible for Medicaid and requires the Department of Health and Human Services and county departments of social services to accept applications for new eligible residents “as soon as practicable but no later than December 1, 2023."
The legislation does not include certificate of need reform, which is likely to be a sticking point with Senate leadership. Upon approval of Medicaid expansion by the legislature, the state would receive a $1.5 billion signing bonus from the federal government.
To support counties with the administrative burden and additional workload costs of expansion, the bill directs the following funds to counties:
- $4 million to county departments of social services to support the counties in preparing for expansion (Section 1.5.(a)) and;
- $20 million in FY 2023-24; $29.6 million in FY 2024-25; and $31.2 million in FY 2025-26. In subsequent years, the annual amount will be increased using the Consumer Price Index. (Section 1.6(b)).

The bill is scheduled to be heard in the House Finance committee next Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.

Both the House and Senate held floor sessions to approve bills, including two contentious pieces of legislation, Senate Bill 49 Parents’ Bill of Rights and House Bill 40 Prevent Rioting and Civil Disorder, both of which saw substantial action during the 2021-22 legislative biennium. The Senate approved the Senate Bill 49 along party lines. The legislation enumerates various rights of parents to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of their children, and prohibits instruction on gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality in grades kindergarten through fourth grade and requires parental notification of any change to a student's preferred pronouns or name change. The House approved House Bill 40 Prevent Rioting and Civil Disorder this week. The bill increases penalties associated with rioting offenses, including those related to assault, injury, or death of emergency personnel during a riot or state of emergency. The bill now heads to the Senate for further consideration. Similar legislation was approved by the House and Senate during the last legislative biennium before receiving a veto by Governor Cooper.

Additionally, lawmakers informally commenced the budget process this week with appropriations subcommittees meeting to receive presentations on the budget process as well a review of recent budget appropriations relevant to the appropriations subcommittees policy areas. The state’s joint revenue forecast is due next week, and the budget season is set to begin in earnest next month when it is expected Governor Cooper will release his proposed budget.

See below for more information on filed bills and legislation seeing action this week of interest to counties.

View Other Bills of Note

NCACC Updates

NCACC Partnering with Wake County, NC State Cooperative Extension, NC State College of Agriculture & Life Sciences to Show Documentary on Food Insecurity

"Resilience: Food For All” is a two-time award-winning documentary that spotlights food insecurity in North Carolina and its effects on residents located across the state, from urban tech hubs to remote areas, and from the mountains to the coast. Produced by the NCACC’s 100 Strong Productions, this film is the first in a series of documentaries to be filmed by the Association’s production team.

The documentary screening event is a partnership between NCACC, Wake County, NC State Cooperative Extension, and NC State College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, and will take place on March 23 at Hunt Library on NC State University’s campus.

To register for this free event, click here. For details on the documentary, click here.

Seeking Topic Area Expertise from Commissioners for Response Team

NCACC maintains Quick Response Teams (QRTs) to seek advice and input on legislation impacting counties. QRT members are county subject matter experts who are willing to answer questions and provide insights on short notice; whether to inform NCACC staff on legislative issues or serve as a source of information or sounding board. To sign up as a member of a QRT, visit www.ncacc.org/qrt.

Nomination Period Continues for NCACC 2nd VP Candidacy

The window for nominations for NCACC Second Vice President continues through the Association’s Annual Conference, which will be held August 24-26 in Wake County. The election for this position will be held on Saturday, August 26 during the NCACC business session at the conference.

Events

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

NCACC Steering Committee Meetings — February 28 – March 13, Virtual

NCACC District Meetings — March, Statewide

County Advocacy Dinner — May 23, Wake County

Save the Date: 115th NCACC Annual Conference— August 24-26, Wake County

View the NCACC Event Calendar

National Opioid Settlement Updates

February 27 'Opioid Strategies' Webinar Focuses on Reentry Programs

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 February 27 (3 – 4:30 p.m.) session, which will focus on reentry programs.

The library of on-demand webinars from the “Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic” series is available at ncopioidsettlement.org.

Next Opioid Technical Assistance Office Hours Will be Held in March

The NCACC launched a monthly series of office hours in January for county commissioners, managers and staff for technical assistance with funds resulting from national opioid settlements. These virtual meetings are an opportunity for peer learning and a space to ask questions and work through possible solutions to challenges in administering resources from settlements and implementing approved strategies.

Due to multiple conflicts, the session planned for February 14 has been cancelled. The next virtual session will be held March 14 at 10 a.m. You can register for the series here. For technical assistance on planning, implementing, or evaluating strategies to address the opioid overdose epidemic, contact opioidsettlement@ncacc.org.

2021-2022 NC Safer Syringe Initiative Annual Report Now Available

The 2021-2022 North Carolina Safer Syringe Initiative (NCSSI) Annual Report is now available. This report highlights the lifesaving work syringe services programs (SSPs) continue to do across the state to expand overdose prevention and syringe access, and how programs have responded to challenges such as growing numbers of adulterants (e.g., Fentanyl and Xylazine) in the drug supply, increases in fatal and non-fatal overdoses, gaps in funding, and supply shortages. SSPs have been at the frontlines of addressing the intersecting epidemics of overdose and infectious disease by scaling up their naloxone distribution, expanding the reach and scope of their programs, and meeting participants where they are to help address their health needs.

The full 3-page report can be found on the NCDHHS NCSSI page. The report can also be found here. NCDHHS also released an infographic highlighting the success SSPs have experienced since syringe exchange was legalized in 2016. You can find this infographic here.

State & Federal Updates

Local Infrastructure Hub Hosts Clean Water and Wastewater Webinar on February 14

The Local Infrastructure Hub will host a webinar called “Advancing Clean Water and Wastewater Infrastructure” which will discuss the more than $50 billion (included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or BIL) to improve our nation’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. February 14 at 2 p.m. EST. Register, here.

The National Park Service published Before and After Disasters: Guidance for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Leaders on Working with FEMA, NPS, and Other Federal Agencies which serves as a guide and provides tools for state, tribal, and local governments working with the federal government before and after a disaster.

Sales Tax Update — February 2023

ARPA Resource Roundup — February 7, 2023

Local Elected Leaders Academy Programs

February 24 – Working Together: Counties, School Boards, and Local Funding for Public Schools
This one-day course provides an overview of the governance and funding structures of public schools in North Carolina. It focuses particularly on the relationship between counties and local school administrative units.

February 28 – Affordable Housing Seminar: Tools, Strategies, and Case Studies for Local Government Leadership
This interactive in-person seminar is designed for elected and appointed officials from county, municipal and tribal governments who are setting strategic direction around affordable housing. The seminar will focus on local government support and public-private partnerships for workforce residential housing.

March 23 – When Differences of Opinion Escalate: Conflict Resolution Skills for Local Elected Officials
If you want to influence others to listen to your perspective, if you want to reduce being misunderstood and misunderstanding others, if you want to manage the inevitable tensions that arise for elected officials with one another, citizens and staff, and if you want to maximize your effectiveness as an elected official to carry out your vision for running for office in the first place, there are tools to add to your toolbox.

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

County News

Cleveland County

The Cleveland County Board of Commissioners announced the appointment of interim County Manager Todd Carpenter. Click here to read the county news release.

Franklin County

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners announced the appointment of Ryan Preble as the new Franklin County Assistant County Manager position. Click here to read the county news release.

Orange County

Phyllis Portie-Ascott was chosen by the Orange County Board of Commissioners to fill the vacancy on the board created by Renee Price’s election to the N.C. House of Representatives. Click here to read the county news 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

UNC School of Government Launches New Podcast, 'Elected Ed'

Elected Ed covers important public policy issues encountered by local elected officials in their day-to-day roles leading and governing all across North Carolina. In the inaugural podcast, Margaret Henderson, an expert in human trafficking, talks about her recently published bulletin on one specific form of human trafficking, familial sex trafficking, which, according to the podcast, exists in North Carolina. Click here to access the podcast.

Visit the NCACC Job Board for County Career Opportunities

Visit www.NCACC.org/jobs to view the NCACC online jobs board to view current openings or post a job opportunity. North Carolina counties can post positions for a discounted rate and may upgrade their position to a premium job posting to have their listing included here in the Weekly Update.

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