FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The following is a summary of the May 11, 2023, 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 receives the following Presentations:
2023 County Health Rankings Update – Cumberland County Health Director Dr. Jennifer Green provided an overview of the 2023 County Health Rankings, which is a program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The rankings are released annually and provide data, evidence, guidance and examples to build awareness of the multiple factors that influence health and health equity. The 2023 rankings used data from 2019-2021. The County’s ranking for Health Outcomes decreased from 52 to 68, but the ranking for Health Factors improved from 70 to 64 in the latest rankings. Dr. Green said the rankings themselves are less significant than the trends in the County’s data from year to year, which shows if progress is being made in the various factors. She noted a number of efforts the County is taking to improve including in the areas of opioid and drug addiction, universal screening of patients for the Social Determinants of Health, transportation, mental health, care coordination and addressing sexually transmitted diseases.
- Justice Services Update – Cumberland County Justice Services Director Courtney McCollum provided an overview of the department. McCollum started in the role in January 2023. Since she arrived, she said she has conducted an assessment of current systems and databases; worked to cross train staff; examined policies, procedures and forms; moved forward with grant submissions; and addressed branding and marketing of programs. As the department moves forward, she said she wants to develop a more efficient Pretrial Services and Specialty Court database system, make sure staff are credentialed in their functional areas, expand the Pre-Trial services model and the overall Justice Services portfolio.
The Board voted unanimously to move the following items forward to the May 15, 2023 regular meeting to be approved as part of the Consent Agenda:
- Crown Event Center Committee Recommendation Regarding Proposed Building Program and Project Budget – The Board of Commissioners Crown Event Center Committee met on May 3 to receive a presentation from the Project Delivery Team (PDT) regarding the proposed building program for the new Crown Event Center and updated cost estimate for the project. Staff presented the Committee with a “Stakeholder Requested Program” of 131,445 square feet with an estimated cost of $131,703,300, as well as a refined “PDT Recommended Program” of 122,955 square feet with an estimated cost of $127,725,900. Both were larger than the original 89,000-square-foot program that was developed from the 2021 CSL Market & Financial Feasibility Study. The Crown Event Center Committee recommended the PDT Recommended Program, however wanted to share all options with the full Board of Commissioners. Commissioners voted unanimously to move the Stakeholder Requested Program of 131,445 square feet forward to the May 15, 2023 regular meeting Consent Agenda, along with a Capital Project Budget Ordinance Amendment that incorporates the cost estimate of $131,703,300 for that program.
- Chapin Hall FY 22-23 Contract Amendment – Interim Social Services Director Brenda Jackson requested a contract amendment with Chapin Hall Center for Children to increase the amount from $95,410 to $161,200 due to additional Duke Endowment grant funds and unused travel due to COVID-19 restrictions. The increased funding will allow for the continued implementation of A Model Approach for Change in Child Welfare (AMAC-CW) initiative. AMAC-CW is a multidimensional and integrative service delivery model to improve outcomes for aging out of foster care and older teens transitioning to adulthood in Cumberland County (CCDSS) custody.
Commissioners received the following monthly reports in their agenda packet:
- Financial Report
- ARPA Quarterly Project and Expenditure Report as of March 31, 2023
- Health Insurance Update
- Southern Health Partners, Inc. Quarterly Statistical Report on Inmate Health Care
- Project Updates
Meetings are live streamed on CCNC-TV though the County’s website at cumberlandcountync.gov, YouTube Channel and on CCNCTV Spectrum Channel 5. All associated documents to this meeting can be found on the Cumberland County website to include meeting agendas, minutes and links to the videos under the Board of Commissioners tab.
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