May 2023

Regional Impacts

ECC Executive Committee Meeting to Be Held May 11^th

An ECC Executive Committee meeting will be held on Thursday, May 11^th. A Budget and Audit Committee meeting will be held at a time TBD. Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m., and the Executive Committee meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

In order to have a good head count for our quorum/dinner, please confirm attendance at: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=gppuxoyab&oeidk=a07ejrm7ttq28c3ada0.

The meeting will be available via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88373423050?pwd=anc1TjF5bFVzcmJZSEJMMUVhNWd2QT09.

Quarterly ECC City-County Managers Meeting Held April 21^st

The Eastern Carolina Council hosted a quarterly city-county managers meeting on April 21^st at the NC Global TransPark. We had presentations from GTP Executive Director Preston Hunter and Senior Vice President Mark Pope, and we took a tour of the GTP and Lenoir Community College’s Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing Center. The tour included visits to Draken, which assists the military with fighter pilot training, and FlyExclusive, which is one of the country’s largest private jet charter companies. We also received presentations about Potential Uses of Artificial Intelligence in Government and Cybersecurity Best Practices from Interim State Chief Risk Officer Keith Briggs and Interim Deputy State Chief Risk Officer Eric Zach of the NC Department of Information Technology! Thank you to the NC Global TransPark for hosting us, and thank you to the presenters and participants!

ECC Can Assist Communities with Review / Updates to Stormwater Ordinances

The State of North Carolina received funds from the North Carolina General Assembly in Session Law 2021-180c to support local governments effectively manage disaster recovery funding and build capacity to effectively recover from disasters. The North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management entered into a subaward agreement with NC Association of Regional Councils of Government (NCRCOG) regarding these funds, and the Eastern Carolina Council (ECC) is receiving some of these funds. As part of this Disaster Recovery effort, ECC can assist members review their ordinances for best practices and assist them with updating their stormwater ordinance. If you are interested in ECC reviewing your community’s stormwater ordinance, please email ECC Executive Director David Bone at executivedirector@eccog.org.

Communities Not Compliant with NC’s 160D Requirements Encouraged to Contact ECC

Chapter 160D of the North Carolina General Statutes consolidated city- and county-enabling statutes for development regulations (formerly in Chapters 153A and 160A) into a single, unified chapter. Chapter 160D placed these statutes into a more logical, coherent organization. While the new law did not make major policy changes or shifts in the scope of authority granted to local governments, it did provide clarifying amendments and consensus reforms. All city and county zoning, subdivision, and other development regulations, including unified-development ordinances, should be updated to conform to the new law. The original deadline for compliance was July 1, 2021. The General Assembly extended the deadline for towns with a population under 1,500. Those towns have until July 1, 2023, to become 160D compliant. ECC staff have completed / are in the process of completing 160D compliance ordinance reviews for several communities.

In addition to an ordinance compliance review, the 160D legislation also requires a current Comprehensive and/or Land Use Plan. ECC is currently working with the Town of Pink Hill on its Comprehensive Plan.

For more information on 160D requirements, visit https://www.sog.unc.edu/resources/microsites/planning-and-development-regulation/ch-160d-2019.

Communities that are not 160D compliant are strongly encouraged to contact ECC Executive Director David Bone at 252-638-3185, ext. 3005 or at executivedirector@eccog.org.

Pamlico County Senior Center of Merit Certification

Congratulations to the Pamlico County Senior Center. The senior center has been recertified as a Senior Center of Merit by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Aging and Adult Services. Pamlico Senior Center provides a range of services to older adults in the community including Home Delivered Meals, Congregate Meals, Caregiver Support Groups, various activities, information, and resources. Please join Eastern Carolina Council Area Agency on Aging in congratulating the Pamlico County Senior Center and its staff for receiving their Senior Center of Merit certification. For information regarding NC Senior Centers, visit https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/aging-and-adult-services/senior-centers.

Older Americans Month 2023 Regional Events

“Every May, the Administration for Community Living leads the nation’s observance of Older Americans Month (OAM). The 2023 theme is Aging Unbound, which offers an opportunity to explore diverse aging experiences and discuss how communities can combat stereotypes. Join us in promoting flexible thinking about aging – and how we all benefit when older adults remain engaged, independent, and included (Older Americans Month 2023 | ACL Administration for Community Living).” Events are planned throughout our region for the month of May to celebrate Older Americans, entertain, and provide information and resources to educate older adults and caregivers about resources in their community. Contact your local senior center for information about events in your community.

The North Carolina Senior Games has embodied a mission that promotes health and wellness for individuals 50 years old and older across our state. The North Carolina Senior games approach is to keep the body, mind, and spirit fit while enjoying the company of friends, family, spectators, and volunteers. Participants compete in sports and Silver Arts competitions at the local, state, and national levels. Please join Eastern Carolina Council Area Agency on Aging in congratulating all the 2023 North Carolina Senior Games participants and winners.

There are four designated Senior Games throughout our region. They are Neuse River Senior Games (Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, and Pamlico County), Carteret County, Onslow County, and Wayne County Senior Games. For information about the North Carolina Senior Games, visit https://www.ncseniorgames.org/

UNC SOG Accepting Applications for its Public Executive Leadership Academy (PELA)

The UNC School of Government is accepting applications for its Public Executive Leadership Academy (PELA). The academy is designed for senior managers and department directors in local government. A minimum of 7 years’ experience in local government management with at least 5 years supervisory experience as a municipal or county manager, assistant manager, or department director is required. Scholarships are available through NCCCMA and LGFCU. The sessions involve two weeks of intensive leadership development during the weeks of July 10-14 and August 7-11. The application deadline is May 19^th. For more information, visit https://cplg.sog.unc.edu/courses/browse-by-audience/public-executive-leadership-academy-pela/how-to-apply/.

Webinars/Courses

UNC SOG To Offer Free Webinar on May 12^th about Social Media for Elected Officials

The UNC School of Government will offer a primer on Social Media for Elected Officials through a free webinar on May 12^th from 10:00 to 11:15 a.m.

The rules and practicalities of social media use for local elected officials are different from those for ordinary citizens. In this 75-minute class, you'll learn about some bright lines of good and bad practices and improve your awareness of some of the murky areas around free speech and the First Amendment.

ECC Webinar – EDA Funding Opportunities – May 24^th

ECC is hosting a webinar about EDA Funding Opportunities on Wednesday, May 24^th at 10:00 a.m. The U.S. Economic Development Administration offers a variety of funding opportunities to support construction and non-construction projects that spur job creation, leverage private capital investments, and strengthen the community’s ability to compete in a global marketplace. This 1-hour ECC webinar session will provide an overview of grants available to the ECC region, including supplemental funding for disaster recovery, communities impacted by job loss or supply chain disruption, and more. To register for the webinar, visit https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/cu/B6kSvth.

Finance Courses Available

The "Local Government Finance in North Carolina – A Practical Approach," course is a great opportunity to learn about the basics of local government finance and the requirements of the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act.

Both Randolph Community College and Central Piedmont Community College are offering the course, with both colleges offering the course with virtual options and for just $125.

See details on course dates and how to register here - Information for Finance Officers, and see details of the course here. The Balance Sheet | NC Treasurer

Grant Opportunities

ECC Grant Resources Newsletter Distributed

The April edition of ECC’s Grant Resources and Opportunities newsletter was distributed on April 17^th. The April and prior editions are available online at https://eccog.org/planning-resources/.

US Department of Agriculture: Rural Development and US Department of Commerce: Economic Development Administration

The Federal government website https://www.rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/508F_RD_EDA_JointPlanningResourceGuide.pdf was launched as a Joint Planning Resource Guide by the US Department of Agriculture: Rural Development and the US Department of Commerce: Economic Development Administration in 2022. It is divided into 4 key focus areas for grants and loans: 1) Planning and Technical Assistance; 2) Infrastructure and Broadband Expansion; 3) Entrepreneurship and Business Assistance; and 4) Workforce Development and Livability. The 30-page list has 41 opportunities for grants and loans from the 2 federal agencies.

Housing Preservation Grant - Notice of Solicitation of Applications

The Fiscal Year 2023 Section 533 Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) Notice of Funding Availability was published in the Federal Register on April 19, 2023.

The HPG program provides grants to qualified organizations to repair or rehabilitate homes, rental properties, or co-ops occupied by low- and very-low-income residents in rural areas. Eligible applicants are organizations which include most State or local governmental entities, federally recognized Indian tribes, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations.

In addition to regular program funding, $2,500,000 was made available under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 to help people repair homes they own or rent that were damaged by a Presidentially declared disaster in calendar year 2022.

Properties proposed for repair must have sustained damage in a Presidentially declared disaster in calendar year 2022. A list maintained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is available at this link: FEMA Website. In the dropdown boxes on that webpage, select the year 2022, and then choose “Major Disaster Declaration” or “Fire Management Assistance Declaration” as the declaration type.
A maximum award of $50,000

Pre-applications may be submitted to the Rural Development State Offices. The closing deadline for receipt of all paper or electronic pre-applications is June 5, 2023.

For general information, applicants may contact Mandy Couture at 515-418-2188 or via email at mandy.couture@usda.gov

T-Mobile Hometown Grant Application Q2 2023 (April 3 - June 30, 2023)

Ends on Sat, Jul 01, 2023, 1:00 AM

T-Mobile Hometown Grants is a $25 million, five-year initiative to support the people and organizations who help small towns across America thrive and grow. Hometown Grants are given every quarter to up to 25 small towns. Apply for funding to support a community project of your choice, like revitalizing or repurposing a historic structure, creating a downtown asset or destination, or improving a space where friends and neighbors gather. Projects that add to a sense of place or could lead to further investment are of particular interest. We look forward to learning more about your town and your project. Apply Now.

ARPA Resources

AUDITS and ARPA

Are you concerned about audits as a result of ARPA fund expenditures? What kind of audit will certain expenditure levels trigger? How should you prepare for your audit?

You can find answers to these questions in a new handout created by the Triangle-J Council of Governments. It is applicable to towns and counties statewide.

Find the audit help guide at this link: https://www.tjcog.org/sites/default/files/uploads/arpa_audit_considerations_v2.pdf

There is also a blog post from the UNC School of Government that explains what can trigger various levels of audit: https://canons.sog.unc.edu/2022/01/procuring-single-audit-services-under-the-uniform-guidance-2-c-f-r-part-200/

ARP Technical Assistance Provided to ECC Members

Eastern Carolina Council is now able to provide American Rescue Plan (ARP) technical assistance to its members, at no cost to our 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.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM TREASURY

The best source of information on how to submit reports is the User Guide, which contains detailed submission instructions and includes answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) for reporting.

Treasury has also posted a series of recorded webinars to assist recipients in understanding and complying with relevant reporting requirements and assist recipients in accessing Treasury’s Portal: