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Former County Manager Michael Felts Joins Staff of NCACC Risk Management Pools
Michael Felts joined the staff of the Risk Management Pools this week, starting August 1 in his new position as Risk Management Program Specialist. In this role, Felts will be working closely with Pool members in addressing coverage questions, Risk Management Program topics, the renewal process and general member relations. Prior to his position with the Pools, Felts served as the Granville County Manager for 9 years and was a member of the Risk Management Pool Board of Trustees.
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Window to Submit Legislative Goal Proposals Closes September 12
The NCACC continues the first stage of its member driven policy-setting process for this biennium with the submission of proposed legislative goals. All county officials are invited and encouraged to participate in the legislative goals process. To view the form and submit your county’s proposed goal(s), click here. All goal proposals must be submitted by September 12. Stay tuned for Steering Committee meeting dates, which will be held virtually in late September and early October.
To review the legislative handbook for this biennium, click here. For questions on the legislative goals process, email legislativegoals@ncacc.org.
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National Opioid Settlement Updates
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NCACC Welcomes Director of Strategic Health and Opioid Initiatives
Nidhi Sachdeva joined the NCACC Strategic Member Services team on August 1 as Director of Strategic Health and Opioid Initiatives. In her new role, she will lead the Association’s efforts related to providing support to counties for collaborative strategic planning for their opioid settlement funds and will offer technical assistance, facilitate peer learning and collaboration, and assist with other efforts related to the opioid settlement.
Sachdeva has spent her 13-year career working in overdose prevention and harm reduction, with work in Orange County Public Health and NC Department of Health & Human Services, where she served as the primary author of North Carolina’s first Opioid Action Plan. Since 2018, she has led the Opioid Collaboratory within the Duke University School of Medicine.
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Three-Part Series Webinar Focuses on MAT in Jails: Legal, Medical, Security, and Community Considerations
In response to the recent U.S. Department of Justice guidance document, “ADA and the Opioid Crisis: Combating Discrimination Against People in Treatment and Recovery,” the NC Department of Health and Human Services, Mountain Area Health Education Center, and Buncombe County Sheriff's Office are hosting a webinar series to address questions about providing Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in jails.
During this three-part series, participants will hear from U.S. DOJ Attorneys based in NC, as well as medical and facility experts as they describe the legal, medical and operational basics of providing MAT in NC facilities.
This webinar series is intended for jail administrators, facility medical administrators, county leadership officials, county attorneys, local health directors, and other professionals who are interested in learning more about providing care for individuals with opioid use disorder who are incarcerated in North Carolina.
Sessions will be held from 10 – 11:30 a.m. on:
- Aug. 17 — Risk Aversion: Facility-Based MAT
- Aug. 24 — Medical Basics: Working with Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs)
- Aug. 31 — Operational Basics: Facility Implementation
Click here for more information, and click here to register.
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NC DOJ Releases MOA Reporting Requirements Memo
The NC Department of Justice has released a new memo that reviews the reporting requirements under the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on opioid settlement funds, clarifies the deadlines for the various reports, and provides instruction on how to submit the required information to the Community Opioid Resources Engine for North Carolina (CORE-NC).
Click here to access a resource center hub that includes up-to-date documents including the reporting requirements memo, an FAQ about the NC MOA, and an FAQ about Option A strategies.
If you’ve read the memorandum and related materials and have additional questions about reporting requirements, email opioidsettlement@ncdoj.gov (for legal questions about what the MOA requires) or opioidsettlement@unc.edu (for logistical questions about submitting the information to CORE-NC).
Click here to access the on-demand "Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic" webinar series.
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Matching Funds Available for Naloxone and Syringe Services Programs
Vital Strategies is providing funding and technical assistance to North Carolina overdose prevention initiatives over the next five years, and seeks to collaborate with counties where community-based naloxone distribution and/or syringe service programs (Option A strategies 7 and 9) already exist or where program establishment may reduce fatal overdoses.
Vital Strategies will provide matching funds ranging from $10,000 to $70,000 for counties interested in investing opioid settlement dollars into these evidence-based programs for up to three years. Email Kat Humphries (khumphries@vitalstrategies.org) for more information.
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House Agriculture Committee Calls For Public Input on 2023 Farm Bill
On July 11, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee announced that it will accept public feedback on the 2023 Farm Bill. As Congress begins work on the Farm Bill reauthorization, the committee has asked producers, stakeholders and consumers to share their experiences with current Farm Bill programs and ideas for how they can be improved. To learn more, click here.
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U.S. Treasury Issues New Guidance, Providing Several UG Exemptions for ARPA Revenue Replacement Expenditures
July 27, the U.S. Department of Treasury updated its FAQs for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Program (SLFRF). The new guidance provides exemptions from several uniform guidance provisions for projects categorized under Expenditure Category Group 6 - “Revenue Replacement.” These exemptions are reflected in the Final Rule FAQs #13.14 and #13.15.
As outlined in the new guidance, Treasury states there are no sub-awards under the revenue replacement category and exempts several significant federal uniform guidance administrative requirements (see pages 54-55 of the Final Rule FAQs). For revenue replacement expenditures, the requirements for cost principles have been scaled back and recipients no longer need to adhere to the following uniform guidance policies:
- Sub-award policy
- Procurement, suspension, and debarment policy
- Program income policy
- Property management policy
NCACC welcomes this development, which has the potential to provide administrative relief for counties – especially those that plan to use revenue replacement funds as a match for broadband projects. NCACC is continuing to advocate at the national level for additional clarification from U.S. Treasury on uniform guidance exemptions beyond the revenue replacement category.
Please share the latest development with your auditors and ensure they have the most current guidance provided by U.S. Treasury. Be advised that the SLFRF program is subject to additional changes throughout the life of the grant. To get the latest ARPA-related developments, click here to sign up for NCACC’s ARPA Resource Roundup newsletter.
If you have any questions about this or any other ARPA related topic, email Lacy.Pate@ncacc.org.
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CountyQuarterly Summer
2022 Edition — In This Issue
Cabarrus County's Commitment to Collaboration
Breaking Bread Breaks Down Barriers to Progress
Click here to read the article.
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Local Elected Leaders Academy Programs
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August 18 – Top 10 Primer on Tools for a Successful Strategic Plan
Change is inevitable across the state and your choice as elected officials is whether to get ahead of it and shape the shift or let it happen as it will. Strategic planning can capture your big ideas for change and transform them into strategic approaches and specific actions. This quick-moving interactive free virtual workshop is ideal for elected officials and managers considering embarking on a strategic planning process.
August 23 – Top 10 Primer on School Funding Process for Local Elected Officials
In this workshop, participants will learn about the local funding process for public schools. Topics include local revenue sources, county and school budgeting processes, appropriations for operating and capital expenses, minimum funding levels, transfers to charter schools, and the dispute resolution process. We will also examine the relationship between county boards of commissioners and local school boards, identifying the roles and responsibilities of each in this shared governance model.
August 24 – Tools for Persuasive Speaking
In this workshop, you will learn tips and tools to help you convince others to follow where you lead. You will learn how to match your message to your audience and craft persuasive arguments that support your views. The class includes small group practice sessions with communications coaches to help you evaluate and refine your presentation skills.
August 26 – 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.
Apply by October 15 - Leading the Way to Board Excellence
Leading the Way to Board Excellence is designed to help you better understand yourself as a leader and to provide you with the skills and tools to work effectively with others towards a common goal. This unique four-part course is open to local elected officials, including county commissioners, municipal elected officials, school board members and members of American Indian tribal councils.
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NOTE: When registering for LELA programming, use the code NCACC-SOG-LELA to receive the 20 percent county commissioner discount.
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Burke County
Burke County Commissioner Johnnie Carswell, who also serves as NCACC’s First Vice President, shared his family’s personal connection to opioid use disorder and the nationwide epidemic in a presentation to the National Association of Counties during its annual conference last month. To read the article, click here.
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Columbus County
U.S. Department of Commerce announces $2.1 million in American Rescue Plan funds for water system improvements intended to support business growth and retention in Columbus County. To read the press release, click here.
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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.
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Classifieds & Additional Items
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Featured Classifieds
All classified ads are available at this link.
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