ECC - Region P Newsletter

February 2023

Regional News

ECC hosted Legislative Breakfast

The Eastern Carolina Council of Governments had a great turnout for our Legislative Breakfast on January 23rd! There were over 100 officials from around our 9-county region who enjoyed wonderful fellowship, information, and food. Thank you to Sen. Jim Perry, Sen. Norman Sanderson, Sen. Michael Lazzara, and Rep. Chris Humphrey for speaking about the 2023 Legislative Session. We appreciate our Legislators and local officials who came out on a Monday morning to show their support for our region!

ECC hosts Regional Managers Meeting

On January 18th, the Eastern Carolina Council of Governments had a fabulous meeting of City Managers, County Managers, and Economic Developers from our region at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. We learned a great deal about the mission and impact of MCAS Cherry Point and Fleet Readiness Center - East. Thank you to the Commanding Officer, Col. Burks, and his staff for the wonderful presentations, tours, and hospitality! Also thanks to NC’s Southeast President Steve Yost for his presentation and sponsorship of the event. We are thankful for the tremendous partners we have in our region!

Town of Wallace

The Town Council of Wallace has selected Rob Taylor to be the next Town Manager. Congratulations Rob!

Mark your calendars for the North Carolina Resilient Communities Funding Forum taking place Feb. 28, 2023 at the Greenville Convention Center.

Funding is often a barrier to resilience project implementation and this free, one-day forum will focus on addressing this barrier by introducing community leaders, policymakers and other stakeholders to federal, state and nonprofit funding opportunities for resilience-related projects. The event will allow time to engage with potential funders, who will be on hand to give presentations and answer project-specific questions during break-out sessions. A grant writing session is also planned to provide attendees with practical tools and strategies to take their project one step closer to reality.

Continuing education credits, pending approval, will be provided for AICP and certified floodplain managers. Engineers will be provided a certificate of participation to self-file for PDHs.

This event is being cohosted by the Resilient Communities Program, Regions Innovating for Strong Economies and Environment (RISE) and Resilient Coastal Communities Program, and their respective divisions in the NC Office of Recovery and Resiliency and the Division of Coastal Management.

To register for this event, click here

New Bern Project Lifesaver Pilot

Eastern Carolina Council Area Agency on Aging has partnered with the New Bern Police Department and Fire Department to pilot the Project Lifesaver Program in New Bern. The program was launched on January 3, 2023, with two New Bern clients. Additional clients are expected to be added to the program within the next few months. This program is supported through a grant from Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, donations, and the NC Family Caregiver Support Program. “Project Lifesaver is the premier search and rescue program operated internationally by public safety agencies and is strategically designed for “at risk” individuals who are prone to the life-threatening behavior of wandering. The primary mission of Project Lifesaver is to provide timely response to save lives and reduce potential injury for adults and children with the propensity to wander due to a cognitive condition.” This program is available for participants in Carteret County and now New Bern, NC. For further information on Project Lifesaver visit https://projectlifesaver.org/.

During the October 2022 General Session, NCSTHL selected five priorities to present to the NC General Assembly for consideration in the 2023-2024 legislative cycle. The legislative priorities for 2023-2024 include requests for an increase in recurring funding for Adult Protective Services by $8 million, an increase in recurring funding for senior centers by $2.5 million, an increase in recurring state funding by $8 million for the state’s Home & Community Care Block grant, increase in the number of Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman by appropriating $1.5 million to add 11 full-time staff and establish standards for staff-to-patient ratios in nursing homes. To learn more about the NC Senior Tar Heel Legislation visit https://ncseniortarheellegislature.org/

Click the image above for the Down East Rural Planning Organization Newsletter.

Click the image above for the East Carolina Rural Planning Organization Newsletter.

Town of Rose Hill

The Town of Rose Hill hires Angela Smith as the new Town administrator. Congratulations to Angela!

Updated Services for Local Governments

Starting on Wednesday, February 1, the Local Government Commission of the North Carolina Department of the Treasurer will be adding the information of firms wishing to provide audit and non-audit accounting services to local governments throughout the state. If you are interested in the potential services offered, the web page can be accessed here, or by clicking on the state and local government finance division link on www.nctreasurer.com.

Town of Atlantic Beach

Atlantic Beach hires John O’Daniel as its next Town Manager. ECC welcomes John to the region.

Training

Ethics Training for Elected Officials

ECC is once again partnering with Attorney David Baxter of Sumrell Sugg to provide the required ethics training for newly-elected and re-elected local government officials. The training will be held on Wednesday, February 15^th from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at the ECC Offices. A light dinner will be served. If you are interested in signing up for this training, please register here.

UNC School of Government Affordable Housing Seminar at the Riverfront Convention Center in New Bern – Feb.. 28th

The UNC School of Government will have an Affordable Housing Seminar at the Riverfront Convention Center in New Bern on Tuesday, February 28^th from 9:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. This interactive in-person seminar is designed for elected and appointed officials from county, municipal and tribal governments who are setting strategic direction around affordable housing. The seminar will focus on local government support and public-private partnerships for workforce residential housing. Attendees will learn the following:

Strategic approaches to affordable housing
Affordable housing tools and financing mechanisms
How to assess local housing needs
Case studies and exercises
Immediate next steps

This class is a part of the LELA curriculum and is open to all local elected officials, including all county, municipal, school board, and tribal council officials. Those who are earning credits towards the various levels of LELA recognition will receive 6 credits for attending the class.

The class is limited to 36 participants, and the cost of the class is $240. Register for the class at https://www.sog.unc.edu/courses/affordable-housing-seminar-tools-strategies-and-case-studies-local-government-leadership.

Need technical assistance? UNC Environmental Finance Center is here to help!

The UNC Environmental Finance Center offers free one-on-one technical assistance for small water systems. If you have an interest in their support, fill out an interest form here

Grant Opportunities

NCDOT Safe Routes to School (SRTS) - Non-Infrastructure Grant Program -Call for Applications

North Carolina communities will soon be able to promote the importance of walking and bicycling to school, thanks to a federal grant program.

Community organizations have from today until Feb. 6 to apply for Safe Routes to School grant funding, the N.C. Department of Transportation announced.

“Communities can use the funds to develop creative programs that educate community members about safe driving, walking, and biking practices near schools,” said Ryan Brumfield, director of the Integrated Mobility Division, the unit of NCDOT administering the grants. “This an important way to improve child safety and promote the healthy benefits of walking and biking.”

Visit this website to submit the 2023 Safe Routes to School - Non-Infrastructure - Project Application.

Those eligible to apply for grants include local governments, regional transportation authorities and planning organizations, state agencies, school districts and schools, nonprofit organizations, and tribal governments.

Proposals should be designed around a collaborative program that works to reduce the number of bicycle and pedestrian injuries and fatalities and promotes safety through education, encouragement, and evaluation.

Safe Routes to School is a Federal Highway Administration program that encourages a healthy and active lifestyle by facilitating the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution near schools.

Additional information can be found at this NCDOT Connect website.

Recreational Trails Program Grant

The North Carolina Recreational Trails Program is accepting applications to support shovel-ready trail projects that are ready for construction. Applications are due February 17, 2023. To learn more, please go to https://trails.nc.gov/trail-grants/apply-grant.

USDA Announces New Grants for Agriculture Innovation Centers

The US Department of Agriculture Rural Development is accepting applications for grants to establish and operate Agriculture Innovation Centers (AIC). AICs provide technical and business development assistance to agricultural producers seeking to market or produce value-added products.

What does this program do?

The purpose of this program is to establish and operate Agriculture Innovation Centers (Centers) that provide technical and business development assistance to Agricultural Producers seeking to engage in developing and marketing of Value-Added Agricultural Products.

Program Funding: $8 million.

Maximum Grant Amount: $1,000,000 (may be less at the discretion of the Agency).

Application Deadline. Completed applications for grants must be submitted electronically by no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, March 6, 2023, through Grants.gov. Late applications are not eligible for funding under this notice and will not be evaluated. All components of the application must be submitted with the Grants.gov submission. The Agency will not accept additional information through other submission methods, such as email or courier delivery.

Grant Opportunity - NCDOT Carbon Reduction Program

NCDOTs Transportation Planning Division has issued a call for projects in the Carbon Reduction Program. There is approximately $19 million to spend on these projects across rural communities in the state for the first two years of the program. While many of the details are being worked out, we can provide the following summary:

Projects will be locally administered, meaning whichever community receives the funds is responsible for the delivery of the project.
RPO staff is discussing with NCDOT Divisions in the region to understand their willingness to administer these projects. It should be noted that if the Division agrees to administer the project, there is a 10% cost increase for that service. If the Division contracts that service, it is safe to assume a 25% cost increase.
These are federal funds, so once the funding is received and signed by the local entity, that entity is on the hook for the local match.
Communities interested in these funds should be cautious about inaccurate cost estimates. They will only receive the 80% reimbursement for the funds allocated in their application, any spending at any capacity over the initial amount is the responsibility of the locality (at 100%).
Communities should send project ideas to their RPO staff ASAP so we can send it up the chain for pre-approval. Even if you believe your project may not qualify, go ahead and send it to your RPO staff to see if it will be approved. Staff will send the project concept to TPD, who will clear it with FHWA, at which time the RPO staff will notify the applicant if the project is eligible.
Each RPO has 4 submittal slots for communities between 5,000 and 49,999 in population, and 8 submittal slots for communities under 4,999 in population.
Formal applications are due for this program on March 17^th of 2023, HOWEVER, RPO staff asks that you send project ideas to us by the end of the calendar year so we can get them pre-approved.

ARPA Resources

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.

ARP Office Hours with UNC School of Government

Rebecca Badgett and I are holding ARP BASICS Office Hours once a month for those new(er) to ARP. The next ARP BASICS is Wednesday, February 8, from 8:30-10:30am. Here are resources for ARP BASICS. Sometime next week we will add pre-recorded videos to introduce the ARP Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund program and eligible projects. Live time will focus on compliance.

OFFICE HOURS

ARP Office Hours 2023:

Wednesday, February 1, from 8:30-9:30am
Wednesday, February 8 from 8:30-10:30am (ARP Basics – special Office Hours for those New(er) to ARP)
Tuesday, February 14, from 12-1pm
Thursday, February 23, from 8:30-9:30am
Tuesday, February 28, from 8:30-9:30am
Thursday, March 9, from 12-2pm (ARP Basics — special Office Hours for those New(er) to ARP)
Monday, March 13, from 8:30-9:30am
Wednesday, March 22, from 12-1pm
Thursday, March 30, from 8:30-9:30am