October 2022

Regional News

What is a CEDS? – Simply put, a CEDS is a strategy-driven plan for regional economic development. A CEDS is the result of a regionally-owned planning process designed to build capacity and guide the economic prosperity and resiliency of an area or region. It is a key component in establishing and maintaining a robust economic ecosystem by helping to build regional capacity (through hard and soft infrastructure) that contributes to individual, firm, and community success. The CEDS provides a vehicle for individuals, organizations, local governments, institutes of learning, and private industry to engage in a meaningful conversation and debate about what capacity building efforts would best serve economic development in the region." (https://eda.gov/ceds/)

Input form this survey will assist ECC in creating a 5-year economic development strategy to help guide and better serve our region. It should take 20 minutes to complete. All survey questions are required. Please answer the questions based on your unique perspective and experience.

ECC encourages you to complete and share our survey with other staff and community members to ensure full representation. Also, we encourage you to share this survey on your social media accounts.

Take C.E.D.S. survey here.

ECC Welcomes Carlton Gideon as Our New Senior Community Planner for ECC

Carlton Gideon began work as a Senior Community Planner for the Eastern Carolina Council in September. As a lifelong North Carolina resident and a southeastern North Carolina native with an interest in planning, economic development, and local government, he is very excited to serve in my new role. After obtaining his master’s degree in Geography from UNC Charlotte with a concentration in urban and regional analysis, Carlton worked in a compliance role in the private sector and then served as planner at the Mid-East Commission Council of Governments in Washington, NC.

Initially, Carlton will be focusing on providing American Rescue Plan / Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARP/CSLFRF) technical assistance to ECC members. If you have a question about ARPA compliance, policies, or reporting, please contact Carlton at cgideon@eccog.org or at 252-638-3185, ext. 3018.

Carlton is also available to provide additional services in his new role at the Eastern Carolina Council, including:

Zoning compliance permit review
Special use permit review
Subdivision plat review
Zoning text and map amendments
General ordinance amendments
Public notice requirements
Guidance for quasi-judicial procedures
N.C.G.S. 160-D compliance review
Mapping and information gathering
Nuisance and zoning code enforcement
Other planning administrative tasks

ECC will be glad to talk with any of our members about developing a services agreement for any of these services. If your jurisdiction is interested in any of the other services listed above, please contact Executive Director David Bone (executivedirector@eccog.org, 252-638-3185, ext. 3005) or Senior Community Planner Carlton Gideon (cgideon@eccog.org, 252-638-3185, ext. 3018).

Click the picture above for more information about Dementia Live

ECCAAA continues to provide community Dementia Live simulation training throughout the region. ECCAAA recently provided training to Carolina East Medical Center staff, Homeplace of New Bern Memory Care staff, support group members, and at a Pamlico County community event. Dementia Live is a high-impact, dementia simulation experience that immerses participants in what life might be like living with cognitive impairment and sensory changes. ECCAAA staff are available to provide the Dementia Live experience in community settings and long-term care facilities. Our goal is to help create a cutting-edge dementia experience and training. To schedule a Dementia Live simulation in your county or to learn more information on this program, please contact January Brown at 252-638-3185, ext. 3011, or at jbrown@eccog.org.

ECC General Membership Board

At the September 8^th ECC General Membership Board meeting, we received a presentation from Trey Goodson of the NC East Alliance. The NC East Alliance is the lead economic development organization serving eastern North Carolina. The organization works with state, local, and national economic development organizations to help existing industries expand; actively market to and assist in the recruitment of new businesses into the area; build regional economic capacity, and provide confidential site location assistance for companies seeking available buildings and sites for expansion or relocation. We appreciate the work NC East Alliance is doing on workforce and economic development and Trey for his presentation. For more information on the NC East Alliance, visit https://www.nceast.org/.

2022 and 2023 ECC Board Meeting Schedules

One of the amendments to the bylaws approved at the September 8^th General Membership Board meeting involves the meeting schedule for General Membership Board and Executive Committee meetings. The bylaws state the annual General Membership meeting will ordinarily take place in June, and the General Membership Board will ordinarily meet quarterly. The bylaws further state the Executive Committee will ordinarily meet in the months the General Membership Board does not.

An Executive Committee meeting will be held on Thursday, October 13^th. (Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m., and the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.) A planned item for the October 13^th Executive Committee meeting involves updating the General Membership Board and Executive Committee meeting schedule for the rest of the 2022 calendar year, as well as the 2023 calendar year.

The revised 2022 meeting schedule proposed is as follows:

October 13^th – Executive Committee meeting
November 10^th – General Membership Board meeting
December – no meeting

The proposed 2023 meeting schedule will be presented at the October 13^th meeting.

CHECK-OUT THE UPDATED RPO WEBPAGES

ECC staff has been working diligently to update the Down East Rural Transportation Planning Organization (DERPO) and Eastern Carolina Rural Transportation Planning Organization (ECRPO) webpages. They now have more information, pictures, links about major DOT projects, links to various County Transportation Plans, regional plans, bike and pedestrian plans, meeting information, Strategic Transportation Investment (STI) resources, and a lot more!

DERPO
ECRPO

Thanks to staff for their efforts! We now have some of the best RPO webpages in the state!

National Bullying Prevention Month

Join Eastern Carolina Council Area Agency on Aging during October for National Bullying Prevention Month. Research states that 10% to 20% of clients in older adult environments may be victims of bullying or relational aggression. In literature about senior bullying, the most used definition is: “bullying is a social and interpersonal problem that is characterized by intentional repetitive aggressive behavior involving an imbalance of power or strength (Hazelden Foundation, 2008).” Seniors may experience bullying in senior centers, congregate living settings, long-term care facilities, or in public locations. Forms of bullying include cyber (social media or texting), physical (pushing, shoving, or kicking), verbal (gossiping or calling individuals names), and social (hurting someone’s reputation or snide remarks). Senior bullying is elder abuse. As a community, we can all make a difference and stand up against senior bullying.

For local information and resources contact Eastern Carolina Council Area Agency on Aging at 252-638-3185. To Report Elder Abuse against an older adult in your community, please contact your local Department of Social Services

Training

Cybersecurity Awareness Symposium

The NC Department of Information Technology will be providing a free, virtual N.C. Cybersecurity Awareness Symposium Oct. 4-5. Registration is now open to state and local government employees as well as employees of K-12 systems, colleges, universities, and other public entities. Check out the agenda at https://it.nc.gov/symposium.

Essentials for Local Government Managers - October 7, 2022 - 9:00am-4:30pm - Wilmington, NC

Are you new to local government management, transitioning, or considering a potential career move into local government management?

This new one-day program is designed for professionals, not elected officials, and provides you with a broad set of introductory training on managing local governments in North Carolina. The program will allow for interactive peer learning, provide a book and other resources, as well support participants with guidance about further training and mentoring options.

What You'll Learn:

The evolving role of the local government manager
Practices on how to help you and your board get off to a good start
Actions to take to create a great workplace
Understanding local budgeting and finance

This workshop will be held at Hotel Ballast Wilmington, 301 North Water Street, Wilmington NC 28401.

Ethics for Municipal Elected Officials

NCLM General Counsel (GC) Office has created this training for members to meet the state statute requirements, which will enable learners to earn the ethics certificate. This two-hour training was taught by GC staff and moderated by trained NCLM staff.

In this course, municipal officials will:

Understand laws and principles that govern conflicts of interest and ethical standards of conduct at the local government level; and
Build and enhance issue-spotting analysis and reasoning skills.

Click here to register.

Newly Elected Leaders Bundle

The purpose of the North Carolina League of Municipalities Newly elected Leaders Bundle certificate is to acquaint you with the basics of municipal government and provide you with resources and materials that will help you be successful in your role.

Each certificate is designed with the busy municipal leader in mind - they're self-paced, available 24 hours a day, and lessons are broken into manageable chunks of content that can be completed in between tasks during a busy workday.

This all-inclusive product bundle also contains the required course for the state-mandated Ethics training. Classes include:

New Mayors School
The Mayors Role
The Budgeting Process
Newly Elected Official's Academy
Municipal Member Roles and Responsibilities
Working with Municipal Staff
Ethics for Elected Municipal Officials
In this course, municipal officials will:
Understand laws and principles that govern conflicts of interest and ethical standards of conduct at the local government level; and
Build and enhance issue-spotting analysis and reasoning skills.

To read The Most Common Oaths of Office Questions click here.

The Power of Partnerships for Water and Wastewater Systems

Running a small system can be challenging. Along with meeting regulatory obligations and satisfying customer expectations, you may have issues with aging infrastructure, lack of personnel, and limited financial resources. Furthermore, small systems often cost more to operate per capita than large systems because of economy of scale. This can further complicate operations. One strategy to address these challenges is to work with other utilities. In this workshop, we will discuss various approaches to collaboration including:

Informal information sharing
Sharing personnel
Leveraging shared purchasing power
Helping maintain regulatory compliance
How to prepare your utility for knowledge or technology transfer

Additionally, we will discuss how to prepare for partnerships with financial benchmarking and asset management.

To view the Agenda here.

November 15, 2022 | 9:30 am - 4:30 pm

Hybrid Training: In person at Eastern Carolina Council, New Bern, NC

Online via Zoom

Stream ncIMPACT Town Halls from their Episode Feed

ncIMPACT's latest series of town hall events are now available for streaming. Visit the ncIMPACT episode feed to catch up on these special events:

Workforce Shortages - Virtual Town Hall
Improving Mental Healthcare Access - Virtual Town Hall
Innovations Leading to Economic Mobility - filmed on the campus of Elizabeth City State University
Made in ENC: Innovations on Talent and Economic Development - filmed on the campus of East Carolina University

ncIMPACT is grateful to the individuals and organizations who joined them for these important conversations. Special thanks to their dedicated partner PBS North Carolina and generous sponsor UNC Health.

Grant Opportunities

NC Recreational Trails Grant Program

North Carolina’s Recreational Trails Program is now accepting grant applications for the 2023 cycle. The program values trail projects that are legal, safe, managed, provide connectivity, public access, and reasonable parking. Grant candidates should be shovel-ready trail projects that enhance sustainability and provide low-infrastructure economic development opportunities through natural resource tourism. The Trails Program staff are also available to assist applicants with conceptual projects, in order to meet the technical requirements of an RTP Grant before applying. Please visit Trails.NC.Gov for more information.

Final applications are due February 17, 2023.

ARPA Resources

ARP Revenue Replacement Update and New ARP Office Hour Dates

A reminder that as of the end of July 2022, US Treasury has relaxed some of the Uniform Guidance compliance requirements for Revenue Replacement expenditures of ARP/CSLFRF funds. See Final Rule FAQs. If you missed it, here is a blog post that explains those changes and provides a roadmap to making a Revenue Replacement expenditure.

Also, here are updated ARP Office Hours through the end of October.

Friday, October 7, at 8:30am
Friday, October 14, at 12:00pm
Wednesday, October 19, at 8:30am
Monday, October 24, at 12:00pm
Monday, November 1, at 8:30am

The Zoom link for all sessions is

https://zoom.us/j/91906998701?pwd=eWg0anp1MFJzSFVsU0FIYmduU3ZQUT09

Meeting ID: 919 0699 8701

Passcode: 912104

NCLM American Rescue Plan Training in Wallace on October 26th.

The North Carolina League of Municipalities, in partnership with the NC Association of Regional Councils of Government and the NC Pandemic Recovery Office, is hosting American Rescue Plan training in various regions across the state. The event for our region will be on October 26^th in Wallace - Register Here. Information about the other locations and dates is at https://www.arp.nclm.org/events.

This is a one-stop ARP shop. With representatives from state, local and academic organizations all in the same room, the NCLM and UNC School of Government are ready to provide information, share case studies, and answer any ARP questions you have. From compliance to reporting to overall strategy, your concerns will be addressed.

This is an interactive agenda, featuring time to ask questions directly to expert panels and work one-on-one with staff from both NCLM and the UNC School of Government. Do not miss this opportunity!

The event will start at 9:00 a.m. and will last until 4:30 p.m. Registration is required, using the form at the link above. This event is free, and lunch will be provided.

UNC SOG – Coates’ Canons NC Local Government Law – American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: New (Fewer) Compliance Requirements for Revenue Replacement Expenditures - Published: 09/01/22 https://canons.sog.unc.edu/2022/09/american-rescue-plan-act-of-2021-new-fewer-compliance-requirements-for-revenue-replacement-expenditures/

ARP TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED TO ECC MEMBERS

Eastern Carolina Council is now able to provide American Rescue Plan (ARP) technical assistance to its members through grant funding support. Carlton Gideon is now the Senior Community Planner for ECC, and his primary focus at this time is to provide American Rescue Plan / Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARP/CSLFRF) program technical assistance. If you have a question about ARPA compliance, policies, or reporting, please contact Carlton at cgideon@eccog.org or at 252-638-3185, ext. 3018.

ARP REMINDERS

ARP Audit Requirements – There are ARP requirements to consider as we approach audit season. Only a regular financial audit is required for local governments that spend less than $100,000 in state and federal funds within a single fiscal year. Additional audits are determined by the amount of state and federal funds spent in excess of $100,000 within a single fiscal year.

Along with a regular audit:

Spending between $100,000 and less than $500,000 will require a Yellow Book audit.
Spending $500,000 or more in state funds will also require a state single audit.
Spending $750,000 or more in federal funds will also require a federal single audit. (An alternative audit is allowed if certain conditions are met.)

Internal Control Requirements – Please also note that certain compliance requirements should be met for any use of ARP funds. Recipients should have ARP-specific, written internal controls for financial transactions. There are examples available, and I can be of assistance. I highly recommend you consult with your auditor on crafting these internal controls.

Additional Compliance Requirements – Policies need to be adopted pertaining to record retention, eligible use, allowable cost, civil rights, and conflict of interest. As with internal controls, these policies should be specific to ARP. Policy templates are widely available, and I am available to assist, as well.

Reporting Requirements – As you may know, smaller local governments receiving less than $10 million in funds are subject to an annual reporting requirement. The deadline for the next annual Project and Expenditure (P&E) Report is April 30, 2023. (Governments with over 250,000 residents or more than $10 million in funding require quarterly reports.) Please also note Treasury revised the timeframe to claim the standard allowance for the revenue replacement option. This decision was previously required at submission of the 2022 P&E Report. It may now be made on the 2023 P&E Report.

Other Deadlines – There are two other important dates to keep in mind. December 31, 2024 is the deadline for local governments to obligate ARP funds, and December 31, 2026 is the deadline for local governments to spend these funds.