FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The following is a summary of the Nov. 18, 2024, Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting, which was held at 6.45 p.m. in Room 118 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.
Vice Chairwoman Dr. Toni Stewart led the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance.
The Board recognized barbers and stylists who participated in the County’s Healthy Conversations Program. Healthy Conversations is a community-focused program designed to promote health awareness and education on topics including heart health, prostate cancer, and colorectal cancer in partnership with locally trained barbers and stylists who advocate for health and wellness among their clientele. The Cumberland County Department of Public Health launched the program in January 2024 with 10 barbershops and salons, with participating barbers and stylists who received training to effectively have healthy conversations with their clients. Since implementation, barbers and stylists have held more than 1,200 conversations. Clients reported taking preventive health measures such as taking their blood pressure, increasing physical activity, improving healthy eating habits, and reducing their stress level as a result of the healthy conversations. The Health Department is currently recruiting for a second cohort of barbers and stylists to begin in January 2025. Interested barbers can visit the County website to learn more.
Barbers and stylists from the following shops participated in the first cohort:
- Cumberland Awesome Barbershop
- M & Q Hair Restoration Clinic
- McNeills Barbershop and Salon
- Natural Hair and Braiding Academy
Dr. Jennifer Green, Public Health Director was recognized for receiving the 2024 Health Care Heroes Award for Innovation in Health Care. Chairman Glenn Adams nominated Dr. Green and presented her with the award on Thursday, Nov. 7 during the 2024 Health Care Heroes awards ceremony, hosted by the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal. The awards recognize medical professionals for their work to keep their communities happy and healthy. Dr. Green received the award for her coordination of the County’s health response during the COVID-19 pandemic, opening a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic at Fort Liberty, implementing the Healthy Conversations program and launching two pilot initiatives related to Connected Care and Maternal Health, and coordinating the Cumberland Fayetteville Opioid Response Team (C-FORT) and the Recovery Resource Center. For information about these initiatives, visit cumberlandcountync.gov/health.
Lisa Childers, Cumberland County Cooperative Extension Director, was recognized for receiving the Partnership for Children's 30 Acts of Kindness award. Childers received the award on Nov. 14, 2024, at the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County’s 2nd Annual 30 Acts of Kindness Awards Ceremony. She was nominated for her instrumental role in providing learning opportunities for young children and, with the Partnership for Children, creating Little Land Down on the Farm, where children could play, and families could learn about community resources during events such as the Cumberland County Fair. Learn more about the Cumberland County Cooperative Extension on cumberland.ces.ncsu.edu.
The Board recognized Faith Phillips, Assistant County Manager and Library Director, for receiving the Partnership for Children's 30 Acts of Kindness award. Phillips received the award on Nov. 14, 2024, at the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County’s 2nd Annual 30 Acts of Kindness Awards Ceremony. She was nominated for the significant growth and program development, enhanced community outreach and expanded library services experienced by the Cumberland County Public Library System under her direction. She also recently worked with a project team to open a high-quality childcare center for county employees, providing a safe and caring environment for their children. Learn more about the Library and Cumberland County Employee Childcare Center on the County website, cumberlandcountync.gov.
The Cumberland County Budget and Performance Department was recognized for receiving the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for FY25. The award represents a significant achievement and reflects the commitment of the Board of Commissioners and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. To receive the budget award, an entity must satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. Commissioners recognized County Manager Clarence Grier, who is the County’s statutory Budget Officer, along with Budget & Performance Director Deborah Shaw, and Budget & Performance staff Denise Urban, Ashley Brewington and Gathany Smith. Learn more about GFOA by visiting www.gfoa.org.
Monday’s meeting marked the final Regular Meeting for Vice Chairwoman Dr. Toni Stewart, and Commissioners Michael Boose and Jimmy Keefe. Each of the three commissioners made remarks reflecting on their time on the Board.
A PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD was held.
The Board unanimously approved the following items as part of the CONSENT AGENDA, unless otherwise noted below:
A. Approval of Proclamation Recognizing Global Social Workers Resource Day in Cumberland County
B. Approval of a Proclamation Recognizing a Day of Compassion and Awareness for Families Affected by Fentanyl Overdose
C. Approval to Pay Prior Year Invoices
D. Approval of Declaration of Surplus County Property and Authorization to Accept Insurance Settlement and Budget Ordinance Amendment #B250168
E. Approval of Declaration of Surplus County Property and Authorization to Accept Insurance Settlement and Budget Ordinance Amendment #B250181
F. Approval of Gray's Creek Water and Sewer District Water Main Extension Capital Project Phase I Budget Ordinance Amendment #B250380
G. Approval of Revisions to the Personnel Ordinance and the 457 Plan
H. Approval of Budget Ordinance Amendments for the November 18, 2024 Board of Commissioners' Agenda
I. Approval of Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Agenda Session Items
- Extension of Time with the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee
- Request to Contract for Continued Security Services
- Bid Award for Assembly Court Convenience Center & Recycling Facility – Phase 1 Construction
- Bid Award of Construction Contract for Wells Package 1 – Grays’s Creek Phase I
- Bid Award for Sheriff's Indoor Training Range Upgrade Project
- Recommendations for the Use of Opioid Settlement Funds and Local Spending Authorization Resolution and Associated Budget Ordinance Amendment #B251250
- Community Development Modular Construction Replacement Policy
- Purchase of a Fork Truck for the Solid Waste Department
- Purchase of Land for Industrial Sites
- Appropriation of Funds to Cumberland County Hospital System, Inc., to Establish a New Health Program as Authorized by G.S. 153A-149(c)(15)
- Land Purchase in the Bushy Lake State Natural Area for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail Project and Associated Budget Ordinance Amendment #B250273
- Consideration of Financial Support for Hillside Cemetery
The following PUBLIC HEARINGS were held:
Rezoning Cases
A. CASE # ZON-24-0036: Rezoning from A1 Agricultural District to R40 Residential District or to a more restrictive zoning district for one parcel comprising of 14.50 +/- acres; located at 908 Mary McCall Road, submitted by Anthony and Peggy White (Owner). The Board voted unanimously to approve the rezoning request.
The following ITEMS OF BUSINESS were discussed:
A. Contract Amendment with LS3P for Homeless Support Center Design: The Board approved a contract with LS3P to provide Professional Services for Programming, Design Services and Construction Administration for the Cumberland County Homeless Support Center on May 20, 2024. The contract was for the initial phase of the project (Phase 1A) and included a fee of $132,500 with an Architectural Allowance of $65,000 based on anticipated staff time over a 14-week period. Since that time, the project has evolved to include the exploration and evaluation of the use of an existing building for a portion of the program, as well as additional virtual and in-person meetings with County staff, elected officials and community members, with the duration extending beyond the assumed 14 weeks. To provide the services outlined in Phase 1A of the existing agreement, LS3P has requested extending the timeline for Phase 1A until Feb. 17, 2025, along with an additional fee of $95,000 for staff time and the additional work required to provide the contracted services. This increases the total cost for Phase IA services from $132,500 to $227,500. At the conclusion of Phase 1A, an additional contract amendment will be presented which incorporates architectural services for the remainder of the Homeless Support Center project. The Board voted unanimously to approve the request.
B. Consideration of Adoption of 2025 Board of Commissioners' Regular Meeting Dates and Agenda Session Meeting Dates: Each year the Board of Commissioners adopts its regular meeting dates for the upcoming calendar year with regular meetings traditionally held on the first and third Mondays of each month, with the exception of July. Exceptions to these dates for calendar year 2025 include the following:
- The first meeting in March will be moved to Wednesday, March 5, 2025, because the preceding Monday, March 3, 2025 is the NACo Conference.
- The first meeting in August will be moved to the following Monday, Aug. 11, 2025 because the preceding Monday, Aug. 4, 2025 is the NCACC Annual Conference.
- The second meeting in August will be moved to the following Monday, Aug. 25, 2025 to allow time in between regular meetings.
- The first meeting in September will be moved to Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, because the preceding Monday, Sept. 1, will be observed as Labor Day.
The Board voted 4 - 3 to approve the meeting dates.
C. Consideration of December 12, 2024 Agenda Session Schedule Change: Due to the County Manager being unavailable to attend the agenda session scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, a request was presented to change the date of the agenda session to Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. The Board voted 6 - 1 to approve the request.
D. Aquatic Center Committee: The Board has previously discussed a joint project to construct an aquatic center in Cumberland County and during a City\County Liaison Committee meeting, there was a vote for the County to lead this effort and form a committee of key stakeholders to discuss the planning, development, and operation of an aquatic center. Chairman Adams stated the Committee would be comprised of representatives from Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Fayetteville, the Cumberland County Mayors Coalition, DistiNCtly Fayetteville, Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation and Cumberland County. The Board voted to unanimously approve establishing the Aquatic Center Committee and have Chairman Adams coordinate the effort.
The following APPOINTMENTS were made:
A. Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau Board of Directors (1) Vacancy: The Board unanimously appointed Rashawn Moore.
B. Library Board of Trustees (3) Vacancies: The Board unanimously appointed Daniel Montoya, David Breece, and Rebecca Padigo.
C. Tourism Development Board (2) Vacancies: The Board unanimously appointed Jimmy Keefe (At Large) and Randolph Williams (Hotel/Motel over 100 Rooms).
The Board recessed the Board of Commissioners meeting and convened as the Gray’s Creek Water and Sewer District Governing Board to approve the following items as part of the CONSENT AGENDA:
A. Award of Construction Contract for Wells Package 1 – Grays’s Creek Phase I
The Board adjourned the Gray’s Creek Water and Sewer District Governing Board meeting and reconvened the Board of Commissioners meeting.
The Board went into CLOSED SESSION to discuss Real Property Acquisition pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11(a)(5) and a Personnel Matter pursuant to 143-318.11 (a)(3).
The Board came out of Closed Session and unanimously approved increasing the County Manager’s annual salary to $325,000 with an additional $10,000 performance bonus in 2024.
The Board adjourned the meeting at 9:12 p.m.
Meetings are live streamed on CCNC-TV though the County’s website at cumberlandcountync.gov, YouTube Channel and on CCNCTV Spectrum Channel 5. All documents associated with 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.
You can also follow Cumberland County on social media by searching CumberlandCountyNC.