September 23, 2022

Steering Committee Meetings:
Virtual, Sept. 26 - Oct. 6

'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 provides information and resources on evidence-based, high-impact strategies that local governments may pursue to address the opioid overdose 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. via Zoom: 

• Monday, October 10: Collaborative Strategic Planning (register here) 
• Monday, November 14: Recovery Housing Support (register here) 
• Monday December 12: Criminal Justice Diversion Programs (register here) 

Click here to access the on-demand “Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic” webinar series. 

MAT in Jails Webinar Series Now Available On-Demand

National Opioids Settlement Trust Splits 'Summer 2022' Payment: Makes First of Two Disbursements for 2022-23 Fiscal Year

Local governments should have received a second installment of their allocated national opioid settlement funds on September 15. This is the first of two payments for the current fiscal year; the third overall payment should be disbursed prior to the end of the 2022 calendar year. This is an update from a previously announced schedule; please note that the “Summer 2022” payment is being divided into two payments. 

The total sum of the two “Summer 2022” payments will be slightly higher than the initial projection. The Community Opioid Resources Engine (CORE-NC) is in the process of updating the payment schedule to reflect the slightly higher amounts. 

The National Opioids Settlement Trust either wired or mailed the payment to local governments based on the instructions previously provided by local governments to the settlement administrator, BrownGreer. 

Reminders from the Division of Water Infrastructure

The deadline for submitting funding applications for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater projects for the Fall 2022 funding round is Sept. 30, 2022 (no later than 5:00 p.m.).  

All applications must be completely submitted and received by the Division no later than 5:00 p.m. on Sept. 30. Please submit your application via DWI’s online application submittal portal as early as possible (don’t wait for the last hour!) to ensure that your online application can be completely uploaded and submitted to the Division no later than 5:00 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2022. 

Application information, forms and the application submittal portal link are available here. Additionally, the Division of Water Infrastructure has updated the Local Assistance for Stormwater Infrastructure Investments Q & A document, available at this link. 

Sales Tax Update — September 2022

ARPA Resource Roundup

Hold the Dates for Essentials of County Government

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 will soon be available for three offerings – two in-person and one online: 

• December 15-16, 2022, in Buncombe County (8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday) 
• January 12-13, 2023, in Durham County (8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday) 
• January 18-20, 2023, online (8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Wednesday through Friday) 

Click here for more information on the course, and to sign up to receive a notification when registration becomes available. 

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. 

October 19 – Top 10 Primer: What Local Elected Officials Need to Know about Public Health and Social Services 

This free online program will provide an overview of the legal framework for social services and public health agencies in North Carolina, and highlight the various organizational models available to provide the required services across our state. 

Featured Classifieds

• County Manager — Wilson County 
• Animal Services Director — Onslow County  
• Education and Training Manager — NCACC Strategic Member Services  

Sign Up to Provide Feedback on Food System Development Tool

Community Food Strategies is currently developing a "Public Policies, Program, Practices, and Investments for Food System Resiliency in NC" tool to support community members, planners, economic developers, municipal managers and elected officials in developing and implementing public policies and programs to improve community food system resiliency. 
 
As Community Food Strategies enters the final design phase of its development process, the organization is hosting a series of focus groups with other community food system organizations and public officials to identify challenges and opportunities in communities around food policy/program development. Community Food Strategies wants to collect feedback on how to make an accessible tool that will actually help facilitate food system improvements. 

Please register for a focus group session via Google form by 3 p.m. on Monday, September 26. Focus groups will be held from 1 – 2:30 p.m. on October 26 and November 2. If you have questions, contact Jared Cates at (919) 542-2402 or jared@carolinafarmstewards.org. 

North Carolina's Joint Cybersecurity Task Force — Protecting the Whole of State

Governor Roy Cooper issued Executive Order 254, which formally recognizes the N.C. Joint Cybersecurity Task Force as a resource for North Carolina’s critical infrastructure and key resources.

Learn more about the task force at the North Carolina Cybersecurity Awareness Symposium held on October 4, and how it fits into North Carolina’s Whole-of-State Approach to cybersecurity, and how it can partner with your organization to mitigate and respond to cyberthreats. Click here to register.