Robert Hiett
Executive Director
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Creating Regional Solutions Since 1971 |
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U.S. Treasury Publishes Updated FAQs
On July 14, U.S. Treasury published newly updated FAQs regarding the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSLRF) program of the American Rescue Plan. This FAQ update includes clarification on a number of points that have been raised by stakeholders, according to a Treasury spokesperson. These include:
-Identifying constituent entities of government for the purpose of calculating revenue loss
-Treatment of utility revenue for the purpose of calculating revenue loss
-Use of funds to support energy or electrification infrastructure that would be used to power new water treatment plans and wastewater systems
-Use of funds for stormwater management projects, such as a culvert replacement
-Use of funds for road repairs directly related to eligible water or sewer projects
-Use of funds to build or upgrade broadband connections to schools and libraries
-Applicability of the Davis-Bacon Act to eligible infrastructure projects
-Pooling of funds for regional projects
-Funding projects with both ARP funds and other sources of funding
-Use of funds to make loans or other extensions of credit
-Use of funds for outreach to increase uptake of federal assistance like the Child Tax Credit or federal programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP
-[Update to FAQ 10.3] Interest earned on CSFRF/CLFRF funds
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Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant
Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants will be available in North Carolina in 2021 for local park and recreation projects. Municipalities, counties, and federally recognized Native American tribes are eligible to apply for the matching grants. LWCF grants can be used to acquire new park properties and renovate or replace outdoor recreation facilities.
Local governments can request a maximum of $500,000 with each application and must match the grant dollar for dollar. About $3.5 million will be available for local government projects.
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Equity and Accessibility Transportation Planning Grant Program
The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center has announced a new funding opportunity, Equity, and Accessibility: Transportation Planning Grant Program. Planning grants provide an opportunity for communities to consider current and future needs, engage older adults and people with disabilities in planning, and develop a written plan of action.
Selected grantees will focus on one of two areas: Transportation Equity & Inclusion for Older Adults and People with Disabilities or COVID-19 Recovery Addressing the Unique Transportation Needs and Preferences of Older Adults and People with Disabilities.
NADTC will award up to 10 planning grants of up to $20,000 each. Awarded planning grantees will be given the opportunity to implement one or more priorities identified in their plans, to be funded at $50,000 each in FY 2022.
The grant application portal opens July 23 and an informational webinar will be held July 27 at 3pm. Applications are due August 27. Click here for more information about the grant program and how to apply.
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2021 CDBG Neighborhood Revitalization Program NOFA
To CDBG Grantees and Interested Parties:
The Rural Economic Development Division is happy to announce the opening of the 2021 Community Development Block Grant Neighborhood Revitalization Program. Attached for your reference is the Notice of Funding Availability and the program guidelines and application.
Approximately $10 million is available for the 2021 CDBG-NR program. Eligible activities include housing rehabilitation, infrastructure support for housing development, and public facilities. Special consideration will be given to projects impacted by the Pre-2015 US Treasury recapture.
Please be aware that NC Commerce now requires that all visitors to the building have a scheduled appointment. Also, staff must come to the lobby to greet all guests. For this reason, applications and other program documents must be sent by US Postal Service or an overnight service.
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Open Grants Program Revised as a Result of Strategic Plan
The Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors approved changes to the Open Grants Program at its June 2021 meeting, allowing projects to be funded up to $500,000 with certain additional characteristics.
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New Multiagency Fact Sheet: Recent Funding Opportunities to Expand Access to Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) for Individuals with Disabilities
Published by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy
This month, we celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation created to ensure everyone has the right to take part in all aspects of life and community, including employment.
Developed through a multiagency collaboration around the ADA anniversary, this new fact sheet highlights new funding and flexibilities that provide significant opportunities to increase access to competitive integrated employment (CIE) for youth and adults with disabilities.
These opportunities are provided through the work of multiple federal agencies providing services to individuals with disabilities, including:
- Administration for Community Living (ACL), HHS
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), HHS
- Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), ED
- Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), ED
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
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Good Jobs Challenge
Good Jobs Challenge ($500 million) is designed to help get Americans back in good-paying jobs. The program will develop and strengthen regional workforce training systems and sector-based partnerships with a focus on programs targeted at women, people of color, and historically underserved communities.
This competition is designed to providing for the needs of an applicant’s identified regional workforce system through a single integrated award. This challenge is designed to provide resources for workforce system development to help establish or develop a regional workforce training system comprised of multiple sector partnerships, to develop the skills training curriculum and materials, and secure technical expertise needed to train workers, and to support non-construction projects needed to provide workforce training and connect workers with quality jobs, including wrap-around services.
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Economic Adjustment Assistance
Economic Adjustment Assistance ($500 million) grants will help hundreds of communities across the nation plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through projects tailored to meet local needs.
Through this program, EDA anticipates funding projects a wide range of technical, planning, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and public works and infrastructure projects under this program. As part of EDA’s effort to allocate funding to economically distressed areas, the agency will allocate at least $200 million of the Economic Adjustment Assistance funding to support coal-impacted communities.
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Storm events that damage trees are a regular event in NC. Some are wide-scale disaster level events like hurricanes or ice storms. Most, though, are more localized like thunderstorms, but they can be equally devastating to a community. As a municipality, you are responsible for the tree damage cleanup and restoration. NC Trees & Storms: Readiness, Response, and Recovery is a planning and implementation process that will help communities reduce tree storm damage, conserve the benefits trees provide, and help ensure an efficient and effective response and recovery from tree damaging storm events. NC Trees & Storms: Readiness, Response, & Recovery is a partnership effort between the NC Forest Service's Urban & Community Forestry Program (U&CF), NC Urban Forest Council, and NC Cooperative Extension Service.
- MONDAY, AUGUST 30th - Nashville
All Workshops take place 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Lunch is included.
*NC county and municipal employee scholarships are available. See registration page for details.*
Topics covered:
- NC Incident Command System and Resources
- Building an urban forestry incident response and management teams.
- Pre-Storm Tree Damage Mitigation
- Pre-Storm Planning – Organization, Documentation & Tree Work-Related Service Contracts
- Pre & Post Storm Tree Inventories & Analysis
- Post-Storm Tree Damage Assessment
- Community Forest Recovery Planning
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NCDIT's Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
Encourage Your Community to Take Advantage
of this Resource
The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program is a $3.2 billion federal initiative to help lower the cost of high-speed internet for eligible households during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBBP) provides households with a discount of up to $50 a month off of a household's internet bill. That increases to $75 a month for those living on tribal lands. Eligible households can also get a one-time discount of $100 toward the purchase of a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer through participating providers.
The program’s enrollment began on May 12 and we already have 115,000+ North Carolina households that have signed on! A household qualifies if the household’s income is at or less than 135 percent of federal poverty guidelines. A household can also qualify if at least one member:
- Participates in a federal benefits program, such as Medicaid, SNAP, or Lifeline
- Receives benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program,
- Lost a job or a significant amount of income in the past year,
- Received a Federal Pell Grant, or
- Is part of an internet service provider’s low-income or COVID-19 program.
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Emergency Preparedness:
10 Questions You Must Ask Yourself
The key to a smooth response and recovery is preparation. Here are 10 questions to ask yourself about your emergency preparedness
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Aug. 11 | How to Avoid the Negative Economic Impacts of a Natural Disaster: Planning for Recovery
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On August 16 the Census Bureau will release local data from the 2020 Census. In this online event, we will clarify what to expect in this data release as well as data tools and resources for using the data.
The event also features Kelly Tornow, General Counsel of the State Board of Elections. Ms. Tornow will provide an explanation of the legal considerations and authority for redistricting, as well as recent legislation impacting local government redistricting.
EVENT DETAILS
WHEN: Aug 11, 10:30 a.m. - noon
WHERE: Online event, attendees just need the internet and a browser
WHO: All local governments in North Carolina and interested organizations are invited to attend! Featured speakers: Bob Coats & Mike Cline (Office of State Budget & Management), and Kelly Tornow (State Board of Elections). Topics covered include the upcoming Census Redistricting Data release and an overview of redistricting requirements in North Carolina.
HOW TO ATTEND: Register here and you will receive a link to access the meeting
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Why Local Leaders Need to Make a Personal Resilience Plan During a Crisis
City and county managers who have been through major disasters have a common refrain: “We had never seen anything like this!” Fires, floods, winds, terrorist attacks, and mass shootings have challenged managers over the years at scales never imagined. Now, COVID-19 is a biological crisis on a scale not experienced in this generation, challenging not just a single community but challenging all communities across the nation.
On several occasions, both managers and mayors have said regarding their local crisis “There is no playbook for this.” Actually, there is, they just didn’t read it. No two crises are the same and no two communities are the same, but lessons from the past can help inform a novel situation.
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New NC Strategic Plan For Economic Development Highlights Importance Of Talent And Workforce Development
The state's new economic development strategic plan, titled First in Talent and published July 16, brings North Carolina's workforce front and center in the mission to build a more prosperous and resilient economy for all North Carolinians. The comprehensive economic development plan is a four-year plan that identifies three key goals critical to the state's economic development strategy:
- Prepare North Carolina's workforce for career and entrepreneurial success.
- Prepare North Carolina's businesses for success by growing and attracting a talented workforce.
- Prepare communities across North Carolina to be more competitive in growing and attracting a talented workforce and businesses.
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EDA Investing in America's Communities
You are invited to a webinar to learn more about the $3 billion in funding opportunities announced by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). This EDA investment is the largest economic development initiative from the U.S. Department of Commerce in decades and will help communities across the country build back better.
When: Aug 9, 2021, 2:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: EDA INVESTING IN AMERICA'S COMMUNITIES: An Overview of EDA's Investing in America's Communities Programs to Advance Economic Development and Recovery in Local Communities
Webinar Speaker: Hillary Sherman (NC Economic Development Representative, Economic Development Administration)
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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NC Affordable Housing Conference
2021 Virtual Edition
Save the Date!
The 2021 NC Affordable Housing Conference is set to be our best—and most innovative—conference to date! With top-notch speakers and housing professionals from across the state gathering in our new virtual platform, you won't want to miss out. Mark your calendars for Housing Works on October 14–15 to discover and discuss the latest news and innovations in affordable housing.
Stay tuned for our speaker and agenda announcements and plan to secure your spot when registration opens in mid-August!
October 2021
14–15
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These decisions are fraught with competing public values. Elected officials must be able to think strategically – about Every. Single. Decision. And in the midst of all these decisions comes new legislation!
In this short interactive class with Jim Joyce and Adam Lovelady from the School of Government, you will learn the ten most important things to know about your role as an elected official in land use planning and zoning. Questions we will consider include:
- Why should the government regulate development?
- What does “quasi-judicial” mean?
- What are the racial equity considerations in land use planning?
- Why do we have to update our planning ordinance?
- What if we don’t have a planning department?
- Which state agencies have a hand in local planning issues?
- What are vested rights?
- How can I get that abandoned trailer removed from across the street?
REGISTRATION:
This live webinar is available at no cost.
For the course agenda and to sign up for the webinar, visit:
If you have any questions contact Susan Jensen, program manager, at sjensen@sog.unc.edu / 919.962.0940.
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Course Announcement: Intro to LG Finance
August 30 – September 3, 2021
Click HERE to Register Now for Intro to Local Government Finance
Please click HERE for a detailed agenda.
$625
This introductory course provides basic instruction in local government and public authority finance and financial management. Areas of instruction include the basic legal authority and requirements governing local government revenues, budgeting processes, cash management, purchasing and contracting, expenditure control, conflicts of interest, fund accounting, and financial reporting. The course also provides an overview of the state and local economic issues that inform strategic budgeting decisions.
This course will be offered ONLINE via ZOOM from August 30 - September 3, 2021, from approximately 8:30 am - 2:00 pm each day. Please see HERE for a detailed Agenda.
Please note that in order to earn a certificate for the course, attendees will need to fully participate in all sessions. If you miss a session, you will not be eligible for the course certificate.
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Community Economic Recovery and resiliency Initiative Webinar
The Rural Planning Program of the NC Main Street and Rural Planning Center will be accepting new communities to participate in its Community Economic Recovery and Resiliency Initiative (CERRI). We will hold a virtual CERRI information session on Tuesday, August 17, from 10:00-11:00 a.m. for interested communities. During the meeting, we will present an overview of the program, its services and the requirements for participation.
For a more in-depth overview of CERRI, its services and the application requirements please click here.
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America Works Webinar hosted by Manufacturing USA
Manufacturing USA Institutes are centers of American research innovation and development and have been working to develop and build robust workforce programs. This webinar will have representatives from three Institutes within Manufacturing USA – MxD, IACMI and LIFT – who will be share programs that have proven successful for addressing wide needs of workforce development, from engaging youth to upskilling incumbent workers. The webinar will be held Thursday, August 19 from 2-3 pm.
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121 W. Nash St. Wilson, NC 27893
252-234-5952
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