FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The following is a summary of the March 5, 2025, Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting, which was held at 9 a.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.
Commissioner Marshall Faircloth gave the invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Board honored Dr. Jennifer Green, Director of Public Health, who recently received the American Medical Association (AMA) Award for Outstanding Government Service. Dr. Green expressed gratitude for the Board’s support and the opportunity to represent Cumberland County as Health Director. She also recognized her Public Health team for their ongoing dedication to the community.
Vice Chairwoman Veronica Jones thanked Dr. Green for her service, while Commissioner Glenn Adams, who attended the award ceremony in Washington, D.C., highlighted the significance of the award, noting that Dr. Green was chosen unanimously for the AMA recognition. He also shared that the attendees of the event applauded Dr. Green’s achievement. Commissioner Henry Tyson congratulated Dr. Green and thanked the Public Health team for their commitment to the community.
About the AMA Award: Established in 1989, the AMA Awards for Outstanding Government Service honor public servants at the national, state, and local levels who have made significant contributions to the promotion of medicine and public health. Dr. Green was recognized for her exceptional leadership as Director of the Cumberland County Department of Public Health (CCDPH). Appointed in 2019, she navigated the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, coordinating strategic responses with federal and state authorities to support the County's pandemic efforts.
For more information on Dr. Green’s award, click here.
1. The Board unanimously approved the AGENDA.
2. The Board unanimously approved the following CONSENT AGENDA items unless otherwise noted:
A. Approval of January 6, 2025, and February 3, 2025 Regular Meeting Minutes
B. Approval of Sole Source Purchase of Enhancements for EnerGov Software for Planning Department
C. Joint Fort Liberty & Cumberland County Food Policy Council Name Change
D. Approval of Cumberland County Detention Center Jail Health Plan
E. Approval of Budget Ordinance Amendments for the March 5, 2025, Board of Commissioners' Agenda
3. The following ITEMS OF BUSINESS were discussed including:
A. Approval of a Proclamation Recognizing Women's History Month in Cumberland County: Vice Chairwoman Veronica Jones read a proclamation recognizing March 2025 as Women's History Month in Cumberland County. The Board unanimously approved the proclamation.
B. Approval of a Proclamation Recognizing March 2025 as American Red Cross Month in Cumberland County: Commissioner Pavan Patel read a proclamation recognizing March 2025 as American Red Cross Month. Phillip Harris, Executive Director of the Sandhills Chapter, accepted the proclamation on behalf of the organization and thanked the Board and the community for their support and volunteerism. Learn more about the local chapter of the Red Cross here. The Board unanimously approved the proclamation.
C. Consideration of 2025 (FY2026) Federal Legislative Agenda: Sally Shutt, Assistant County Manager, presented the federal legislative agenda. Chairman Kirk deViere, Commissioner Pavan Patel, and Assistant County Managers Faith Phillips and Sally Shutt attended the 2025 National Association of Counties (NaCo) conference in Washington, D.C., where they met with North Carolina Representatives to discuss these priorities.
Top funding priorities include:
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Quality, Smart Development & Infrastructure: Water and sewer infrastructure to extend safe, regulated public water to contaminated areas and modernize aging sewer infrastructure.
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High-Performing Education System: Protection of federal education funding that supports at-risk youth and students with disabilities, as well as school systems serving military or other federally connected students.
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Health& Wellness: Comprehensive mental health and substance use treatment services for youth that provide individual counseling/case management, crisis intervention, family support, and school-based programs delivered by licensed professionals.
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Safe Community: Technology upgrades for the Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Incident Command Unit for Emergency Services.
Policy Priorities include:
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Quality, Smart Development & Infrastructure: Advocate for routing the proposed I-685 through Cumberland County with a connection point of 1-295.
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Health& Wellness: Strengthen the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program by establishing permanent virtual service options and supporting USDA modernization efforts such as online shopping, Advocate for federal funding to support County Veterans Services Offices, Support the Older Americans Act and Elder Justice Act initiatives.
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Responsive, Transparent Government: Support funding to assist local governments with complying with Department of Justice mandate for ADA-accessible communications by April 2026 deadline.
The Board unanimously voted to approve the legislative agenda.
D. Consideration of Bid Award for Elevator Modernization Project at 109 Bradford Avenue: Jermaine Walker, Director of Engineering and Infrastructure, requested the award of a bid to modernize the elevators at the County facility, located at 109 Bradford Ave., to HM Kern as the lowest responsive, responsible bidder with a bid of $517,000. The project initially sought to modernize both of the building’ elevators, however it was determined that the electrical requirements would exceed the capacity of the current switchgear. The recommendation as made to modernize one elevator and delay the second to be completed following replacement of the building’s switchgear in the future. The Board unanimously approved the bid award.
E. Consideration of Bid Award for Crown Coliseum Restroom Renovation Project: Jermaine Walker requested the award of a bid to renovate restrooms at the Crown Coliseum to L&L Drywall, a local MWBE vendor, as the lowest responsive, responsible bidder with a bid of $835,363. The project includes upgrading 13 restrooms throughout all levels of the Crown Coliseum and installing touchless fixtures in 31 restrooms. The Board unanimously approved the bid award.
The Board went into CLOSED SESSION to discuss an Attorney Client Matter Pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11(a)(3).
After coming out of closed session, the Board voted unanimously to suspend all work on the Crown Event Center project for no more than 30 days for the purpose of reviewing and investigating the project’s scope, schedule, and budget.
The Board adjourned the meeting at 10:42 a.m.
Board of Commissioners regular meetings and agenda sessions 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.