FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The following is a summary of the May 6, 2024, Cumberland County Board of Commissioners American Rescue Plan (ARP) Committee Meeting, which was held Monday, May 6, 2024, following the Board of Commissioners’ Regular Meeting. The meeting was held in Room 564 of the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse. To view the agenda and supporting materials for this meeting, go to https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/commissioners-group/commissioners/american-rescue-plan/community-meetings.
ARP Committee Chairman Commissioner Jimmy Keefe presented a proposal to use a portion of the County’s American Rescue Plan Act funds to implement the AED Sustainment and Exchange Program. The program would use a portion of the remaining $476,023.96 from the original $500,000 in ARP funding the Board of Commissioners allocated for AED replacement pads, batteries and other disposals for the County’s local fire departments to purchase 130 new AEDs with cabinets for the fire departments. The new AEDs would be the same as those used by Cape Fear Valley Health System (CFVHS) and would allow the fire departments to participate in CFVHS’s direct exchange program, which allows them to exchange AED disposals at no cost if the same equipment is used by the first responders as CFVHS EMS personnel.
In return for funding the purchase of the new AEDs, the County would receive the 130 existing high-end AEDs from the fire departments, which could be used to replace and add to the 64 AEDs currently in County facilities, which Commissioner Keefe said are entry-level AEDs with limited capabilities. All reclaimed AEDs will be serviced, inspected and certified before installation in County buildings with all batteries tested and expired pads replaced.
The ARP Committee voted unanimously to approve the plan, which will be presented to the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners for final approval.
The Committee also considered a request to allocate $300,000 in ARP funding to support an Opioid Education Initiative targeted at students within Cumberland County. The funding would be used to develop and implement a comprehensive opioid education curricula across schools in the county, train educators and staff on the effective delivery of opioid-related educational content and organize community outreach programs to extend education beyond the classroom and engage families and community members.
Committee members voted unanimously to fund the initiative as a pilot program and directed staff to seek to use the County’s Opioid Settlement funding to support the program beyond the one-time ARP funding. This item will be presented to the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners for final approval.
Additionally, Cumberland County Chief of Staff Tye Vaught provided the Committee with an update on the ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) Interim Final Rule (IFR) as of March 29, 2024, stating that no Final Rule will be released and the Interim Final Rule will continue providing authority along with FAQ documents. He also informed Committee members that the ARPA Quarterly Project and Expenditure Report as of March 31, 2024 had been submitted as required.
The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners ARP Committee is comprised of Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, who chairs the Committee, Chairwoman Dr. Toni Stewart and Vice Chairman Glenn Adams.
For more information on the ARP Committee and Cumberland County’s ARP allocation and programs, go to cumberlandcountync.gov/americanrescueplan.