FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The following is a summary of the May 9, 2024, Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Agenda Session, which was held at 1 p.m. in Room 564 of the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse. To view the agenda and supporting materials for this meeting, go to www.cumberlandcountync.gov/bocmeetingmaterials.
The Board voted unanimously to move the following items to the May 20, 2024 Regular Meeting for consideration as part of the Consent Agenda:
- Resolution Authorizing the Expenditure of Opioid Settlement Funds and Associated Budget Ordinance Amendment B#241140: Cumberland County is set to receive $30,822,230 in Opioid Settlement Funds over 18 years. Staff issued an RFP on Feb. 1, 2024 with the intent to award up to $500,000 in total funding for early intervention programs for two years. Six responsive proposals were reviewed and scored by a multi-disciplinary committee. The Committee recommended providing $97,149 to Camp Rockfish and Retreat to implement “Camp Heal,” a summer day camp for children/teens with problematic substance use or mental health issues along with family Saturday events aimed at parent engagement and education; and $350,000 to Mid-Carolina Regional Council for a program to support kinship caregivers of youth impacted by opioid use. The total funding recommendation is $447,149.
- Fiscal Year 2024 Contract for Professional Auditing Services: Staff requests approval of the FY 2024 Audit Contract and Engagement Letter with Cherry Bekaert LLP in the amount of $132,750 consisting of $125,000 for the County’s audit and $7,750 for the Tourism Development Authority (TDA) audit. Staff are also contracting separately with Cherry Bekaert to assist with report writing for the FY 2024 audit.
- Intent to Lease Real Property at 2210 Rich Walker Road for a Solid Waste Container Site: The County’s current lease to operate the Solid Waste container site located at 2210 Rich Walker Road in Fayetteville expired on Dec. 31, 2023. The current lease term is for five years at a total cost of $5,000. The property owner has agreed to renew the lease for an additional five years at a total cost of $6,000 with the option to renegotiate a new lease at the end of this period. The proposed effective date of the new lease is retroactively Jan. 1, 2024, with an expiration date of Dec. 31, 2028.
- Resolution to Accept ARP Funding Offer for Asset Management & Financial Plan for NORCRESS: The Northern Cumberland County Regional Sewer System has been approved for American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding assistance in the amount of $400,000 from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Infrastructure to perform for an Asset Management & Financial Plan. County Management recommends the Board approve the resolution for the acceptance of the ARP funding from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.
- Resolution in Support of Cumberland County's FY2025 State Legislative Funding Requests: The County is asking for $30 million in funding from the N.C. General Assembly through the County’s State legislative delegation to assist in the construction of public water lines in the Gray’s Creek Water and Sewer District; $2 million for the purchase of a mobile incident command center for Emergency Services; and $250,000 for a comprehensive landfill gas management, utilization, and optimization study. County Management recommends that the Board approve the attached resolution and forward the signed resolution formally supporting the requests to the Cumberland County N.C. General Assembly delegation.
- Bid Award for Emergency Services Chiller Replacement: The renovation of 500 Executive Place to become the new Cumberland County Emergency Services Center started on March 8, 2021. During the design phase, it was decided the preexisting 200-ton chiller was to remain as the primary heat exchanger to provide the necessary comfort cooling and dehumidification to maintain continuous operations. The new Emergency Services Center went live on Dec. 14, 2022, and since then several critical electrical and pneumatic components have had to be replaced on the current Air Stack chiller. The criticality of this facility necessitates that the chilled water system be operable 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Cumberland County Engineering & Infrastructure recommends award of a bid to replace the chiller to Dail Mechanical Incorporated, which was determined to be the lowest responsive responsible bidder at $419,000. Staff also requests the Board approve funding the project out of the Emergency Operations Center Capital Project Fund, which has sufficient capacity remaining to cover the cost of the chiller replacement and design.
- LS3P Contract for Design of Homeless Support Center: On July 10, 2023, Cumberland County advertised a Request for Qualifications for Professional Services for Programming, Design Services and Construction Administration for the Cumberland County Homeless Support Center. On Sept. 18, 2023, the Board of Commissioners approved the selection of LS3P as the preferred choice to provide Professional Services for Programming, Design Services and Construction Administration for the Cumberland County Homeless Support Center. The Board of Commissioners also granted staff permission to enter contract negotiations for pre-construction services. The proposed base contract covers the architect's responsibilities through all phases of design, material submittals and construction. It also highlights the Phase 1 programming activities from kickoff through conceptual design.
- Rate Increase for the Kelly Hills/Slocumb Road Sanitary Sewer System: After reviewing the current operational costs for the Kelly Hills/Slocumb Road Sanitary Sewer Collection System, it has been determined that the present rate structure for sewer service is not meeting the operational and maintenance costs incurred by the system, nor generating sufficient revenue for future capital costs. The presented rate structure includes a proposed increase for FY2025 over FY2024 rates for the Operational and Maintenance Fee from $6.95 to $7.99 and for the Flat Rate Usage Charge from $50.36 to $57.91. It also includes a proposed increase for these rates of 5% per year for the next three years. All other rates and fees are proposed to remain the same. This schedule will provide predictability to the current customers as they will know exactly how much the rates will increase yearly as opposed to an undetermined amount year-over-year. Upon approval, the proposed rate structure must be mailed to all the system's customers no later than June 1, 2024, and go into effect on July 1, 2024.
- Rate Increase for the Southpoint Water System, Gray’s Creek Water and Sewer District: After reviewing the current operational costs for the Southpoint Water Distribution System, located in the Gray’s Creek Water and Sewer District, it has been determined that the present rate structure for water service is not meeting the operational and maintenance costs incurred by the system, nor generating sufficient revenue for future capital costs. The presented rate structure includes a proposed increase for FY2025 over FY2024 rates for the Operational and Maintenance Fee from $2.89 to $3.32 and for the Water Usage Charge for 0 - 2,000 gallons from $13.31 minimum to $15.31 minimum. It also includes a proposed rate increase of 5% per year for the next three years. All other rates and fees are proposed to remain the same. This schedule will provide predictability to the current customers as they will know exactly how much the rates will increase yearly as opposed to an undetermined amount year-over-year. This proposed rate structure must be mailed to all the system's customers no later than June 1, 2024, and go into effect on July 1, 2024
- ARP Committee Funding Recommendations: The Board of Commissioners American Rescue Plan Committee met on Monday, May 6, 2024 to consider funding recommendations.
Commissioners received the following monthly reports in their agenda packet:
- Financial Report
- ARPA Quarterly Project and Expenditure Report as of March 31, 2024
- Health Insurance Update
- Project Updates
The Board went into CLOSED SESSION Contracts pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11(a)(5).
The Board returned from closed session and adjourned the meeting at 1:38 p.m.
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