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September 9, 2022

Weekly Highlight

National News Program Including NCACC Annual Conference Workshop Session Scheduled to Air Sunday, September 11

During this year’s Annual Conference, “CBS Sunday Morning” was on-site to film a story on Bill Doherty, the co-founder of an organization called Braver Angels, which seeks ways to bring about political depolarization. Doherty hosted a session titled “Managing Difficult Conversations with Constituents,” which sought to help participants show people who disagree with them that they have been heard, find areas of commonality or agreement when those are present, and to share their views in a way that makes it likely they will be heard by the other person.

The episode featuring Doherty and his session at Annual Conference is scheduled to air this Sunday at 9:00 a.m. For more information on the episode, click here.

NCACC Updates

Association Hosts Showing of Award-Winning Documentary at N.C. A&T State University

On Wednesday, local leaders, educators, food producers, and students gathered to watch the documentary "Resilience: Food For All" and to discuss food system resilience efforts. The event, which was hosted jointly by NCACC, N.C. A&T State University College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and Cooperative Extension, also included a panel discussion with an intersection of participants covering many angles of the food insecurity issue.

For more information on the documentary, visit 100strongproductions.com.

Legislative Goals Conference Set for November 16-17 in Wake County, Goal Proposals Due Monday, September 12

Before each legislative biennium, NCACC convenes a Legislative Goals Conference for counties from around the state to come together to participate in voting sessions to finalize legislative goals, which guide NCACC’s advocacy efforts. The conference is the final step in a comprehensive process, which gives each county an opportunity to shape NCACC’s legislative agenda. Event details will be posted on the NCACC website.

The NCACC continues the first stage of its member driven policy-setting process for this biennium with the submission of proposed legislative goals. Don’t forget — all legislative goal proposals must be submitted by September 12. To view the form and submit your county’s proposed goal(s), click here.

Counties Can Illuminate Veterans' Service and Sacrifice Through Operation Green Light

In support of military veterans statewide and across the country, this Veterans Day, the NCACC joins the National Association of Counties and the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers in inviting North Carolina counties to participate in Operation Green Light. This initiative shows support for veterans by lighting county buildings and infrastructure green from November 7 to November 13 as a marker to show that veterans are seen, appreciated and supported.

For more information on this initiative and steps to put this operation into action, click here.

Past President Williams Shares Overview of 100 Counties Prepared and Initiative Training with Leadership Institute

NCACC Past President and Brunswick County Commissioner Frank Williams recently joined the NC Institute of Political Leadership to share an overview of his presidential initiative, 100 Counties Prepared, as well as the resulting training program designed for county commissioners. During the interview, Commissioner Williams shared background on the development of the 100 Counties Prepared initiative as well as highlights and crucial takeaways from the inaugural training course. To view the interview, click here.

Events

Steering Committee Meetings — September 26 - October 6, Virtual

Legislative Goals Conference — November 16-17, Wake County

View the NCACC Event Calendar

National Opioid Settlement Updates

'Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic' Webinar Series Returns in October

NCACC and the NC Department of Health and Human Services are partnering on a webinar series that will provide information and resources on evidence-based, high-impact strategies that local governments may pursue to address the opioid epidemic utilizing funds from the national litigation settlement.
Three webinars are in development for the remainder of 2022. The dates for the sessions are as follows, to be held from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.:

Monday, October 10: Collaborative Strategic Planning
Monday, November 14: Recovery Housing Support
Monday December 12: Criminal Justice Diversion Programs

Links to register for each session, to be held on Zoom, will be available in upcoming editions of the Weekly Update. Click here to access the on-demand "Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic" webinar series.

NC Memorandum of Agreement Resources

The morepowerfulnc.org resource center hub includes up-to-date documents including a recent NC Department of Justice reporting requirements memo, an FAQ about the NC Memorandum of Agreement, and an FAQ about Option A strategies. For 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 the Community Opioid Resources Engine).

NACo’s new Opioid Solutions Center is a comprehensive information hub to help empower local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and other public health practices that can save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorders.

State & Federal Updates

NC DHHS Shares Information on COVID-19 Updated Boosters Available for Individuals 12+

The NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) states, following authorization and recommendations from federal agencies last week, that everyone 12 and older get an updated COVID-19 booster, when eligible, to protect against the latest COVID-19 variants. The updated COVID-19 booster targets both the original coronavirus strain and the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. It offers the most up to date protection against COVID-19. As of mid-August, these subvariants make up nearly 90% of COVID-19 cases in North Carolina.

NC DHHS asks for county leaders to help make sure every North Carolinian has easy access to the information they need to protect themselves and others. To access a communications toolkit from DHHS, click here. To learn more about the COVID-19 booster, visit MySpot.nc.gov or join DHHS during their next Fireside Chat and tele-townhall at 6:00 p.m. on September 20th.

Promote Your County's Investments in Workforce Development as NACo Celebrates Workforce Development Month

In order to highlight the essential work counties have been doing to strengthen their communities’ workforces across the country, NACo will be celebrating Workforce Development Month by highlighting several county success stories each week. Each week will highlight workforce investments in a different industry, including public health, childcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, youth and justice-involved individuals.

To share a successful investment in workforce development your county has made this past year, contact NACo’s Legislative Director Mike Matthews at mmatthews@naco.org. Counties can also utilize this toolkit created by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals to participate in Workforce Development Month.

Sales Tax Update — September 2022

ARPA Resource Roundup

The NCACC has launched an email publication to assist counties in accessing the most up-to-date and relevant information surrounding American Rescue Plan Act funds. To view the most recent edition, click here and to subscribe to this newsletter, click here.

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.

Local Elected Leaders Academy Programs

September 14 – Bridging Divides: Techniques for Productive Governing
Attendees of this program will leave with a new perspective on finding common ground in divisive conversations and the skillset to build productive policy out of this perspective. Rather than framing issues around opposition language, bringing people together for open discussion about differences of opinion is possible, and can be productive when framed around common values specific to a community.

September 21 – I Second That Motion: Focused Session on Procedural Rules for Public Officials
The Local Government Training Program and UNC School of Government are partnering to host a workshop focusing on board procedures. UNC School of Government faculty member Kristina Wilson will address topics of abiding interest to local government officials. This workshop will be split into two sessions with Wilson discussing rules of procedure for local government boards, paying special attention to common procedural problems.

September 30 – 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.

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

County News

Avery County

Avery County Planning and Inspections Director Tommy Burleson retires after 28 years. His retirement went into effect on August 31, 2022. Click here to read the media release.

Durham County

Lowell Siler, former Durham County Attorney and past President of the North Carolina Association of County Attorneys, passed away Tuesday morning, September 6, at his home, surrounded by his family. Click here to read Mr. Siler’s obituary.

Greene and Lenoir Counties

Greene County Commissioner Derek Burress and Lenoir County Commissioner Linda Rouse Sutton completed the 100 Counties Prepared Emergency Preparedness Training for County Commissioners at the N.C. Association of County Commissioners’ (NCACC) 115th Annual Conference in Cabarrus County on August 11. Click here to read the article.

New Hanover County

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners adopted the county’s first Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Strategic Plan. This strategic plan will help guide the county’s priorities and utilize money from the opioid settlement and the mental health and substance use disorder fund. Click here to read the county news release.

Perquimans County

Perquimans County Board of Commissioners Chairman Wallace Nelson was elected second vice president of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners at the association’s annual conference. Click here to read the 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

Featured Classifieds

Planning & Zoning Director — Randolph County
Social Services Director II — Westmoreland County, VA
County Manager — Burke County

All classified ads are available at this link.

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