FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The following is a summary of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners meeting, which was held Sept. 5, 2023, at 9 a.m. in Room 118 of the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse.
Commissioners recognized former and outgoing members of the County’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Committee who have transitioned off of the Committee over the past three years. The Committee was established in 2020 to advise and guide County government to ensure integration of diversity, equity and inclusion with the County’s mission, operations, strategies and business objectives. The Committee, which was comprised of a diverse group of 22 County employees, held its first meeting on Sept. 11, 2020. Since that time, the Committee recommended and the Board of Commissioners adopted a strategic plan focused on advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the areas of policy, training, staff recruitment and retention, internal operations and community outreach/engagement.
Over the past three years, a number of employees have transitioned off of the Committee for various reasons and a rotation was established where a portion of Committee members were asked to voluntarily rotate off to allow new employees to serve on the Committee beginning in September 2023. Former and outgoing DEI Advisory Committee members recognized included Al Florez, Alissa Brashear, Sara Reyes, Mia Kaleiwahea-Perry, Ivonne Mendez, Garry Crumpler, Hardin Brown Jr., Telise Chavis, Tye Vaught, Megan McLaurin, Ricky Hair, Alvin Chestnut, Nora Armstrong, and past DEIAC co-convener and DSS Director Brenda Jackson.
The Board also recognized Rayshonia Manuel, Business Manager with Cumberland County Community Development, who earned her NC Local Government Finance Officer certification.
Cumberland County Emergency Services Director Gene Booth and Emergency Management Program Coordinator Garry Crumpler gave a presentation on the Cumberland County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), which provides a framework for organizations to respond uniformly to emergencies. The last complete update of the existing plan happened in 2017. However, Emergency Management collaborates with stakeholders annually to update the plan as needed. Since the last update, the Board of Commissioners has updated the county ordinance regarding declaring a State of Emergency, the Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG101) was updated), and the County has experienced several natural disasters, extreme heat and cold events, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2023 EOP seeks to incorporate all those changes to improve the plan, which was submitted to North Carolina Emergency Management for review and approval. Emergency Services requested approval of the plan by the Board. Commissioners asked that the plan be brought back for consideration at a future meeting and provided input on sheltering and communications plans during emergencies.
The Board unanimously approved the following items as part of the CONSENT AGENDA, except where otherwise noted. Commissioners removed Items C and I from the Consent Agenda for additional discussion, then approved those items unanimously.
- Approval to waive the Flu Vaccine Administration Fee
- Approval of Induction of 2023 Agricultural Hall of Fame Nominee
- Approval of Request to Calla Public Hearing on Sept. 18, 2023 for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program – Commissioners approved this item unanimously and directed staff to make sure the public hearing is properly noticed.
- Approval of Proclamation Recognizing September as Preparedness Month in Cumberland County
- Approval of Proclamation Designating Sept. 17-23, 2023 as Constitution Week
- Approval of Proclamation Recognizing the 70th Anniversary of the Fayetteville Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
- Approval of Sale of Surplus Real Property Located at 1604 Staley Dr., Fayetteville
- Approval of Sale of Surplus Real Property Located At 736 Topeka St., Fayetteville
- Approval of Budget Ordinance Amendments for the Sept. 5, 2023 Board of Commissioners' Agenda
Items of Business:
- Employee Childcare Center Update – Assistant County Manager for Community Support Heather Skeens and Cumberland County Public Library Director Faith Phillips provided the Board with an update on the County’s Employee Childcare Center. The County is seeking to renovate the Dorothy Spainhour Facility at 223 Hull Road, Fayetteville, and contract with a licensed childcare provider to operate the facility to provide childcare for County employees to assist with retention and recruitment of employees. Funding has been allocated for this project and County staff issued an informal RFP in July for a provider to operate the facility. The County received seven proposals and after reviewing the top three proposals, staff selected Track Out Kidz dba Little Maker Academy to operate the facility. Skeens noted that County funding will be used to renovate the facility and the operator will be responsible for funding operations. She said the goal is to hold a soft open for the facility in January 2024 with a complete opening no later than July 1, 2024. The County is not planning to subsidize the cost of employee childcare, but the provider will accept subsidies for qualifying employees.
The Board of Commissioners went into Closed Session to discuss Real Property Acquisition Pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11(a)(5).
Cumberland County Board of Commissioners meetings are streamed live on CCNCTV (Spectrum Channel 5), the County’s website cumberlandcountync.gov and the County’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/CumberlandCountyNC.