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August 12, 2022

Weekly Highlight

115th Annual Conference in Cabarrus County

The Association’s 115th Annual Conference kicked off on Thursday with sessions including the 100 Counties Prepared: Emergency Preparedness for County Commissioners training and an overview of the County Map Book, highlighting demographic, economic, health, & educational data from all 100 counties.

Friday’s agenda began with keynote remarks made by critically acclaimed NY Times best-selling author Beth Macy, who wrote “Factory Man,” “True Vine,” and “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America.” Macy discussed the opioid epidemic and innovative solutions that counties can begin implementing in their communities.

The conference continues Saturday with a keynote address on transformational leadership from Dr. Peter Cressy and a business session that includes an election for NCACC 2nd Vice President. The agenda culminates with the President’s Banquet and the swearing in of the Association’s new president, Washington County Commissioner Tracey Johnson.

For more details on NCACC's Annual Conference, click here.

Events

Summer Attorneys Conference
August 25-27 in New Hanover County

NC Cybersecurity Awareness Symposium
October 4-5, Virtually

View the NCACC Event Calendar

National Opioid Settlement Updates

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.

Three-Part Webinar Series 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, covering Risk Aversion: Facility-Based MAT;
Aug. 24, covering Medical Basics: Working with Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs); and
Aug. 31, covering Operational Basics: Facility Implementation.

Click here for more information, and click here to register.

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.

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.

State & Federal Updates

Sales Tax Update — August 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

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.

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

County News

Mecklenburg County

Mecklenburg County Public Health’s Food Security Program installs a refrigerator at a local business as part of the refrigerator pilot program through the County’s Healthy Corner Store initiative. Click here to read the county news release.

Pitt County

The Pitt County’s Board of Commissioners appointed Russell Hill to a two-year term as tax administrator. Mr. Hill succeeds Sam Croom, who was recently made deputy county manager/chief financial officer on July 24th. Click here to read the county’s 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.