On Oct. 7, Dr. James West, Wake County Commissioner, and member of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Board of Directors joined a virtual meeting to swear in members of the 2020-2021 NCACC Board of Directors and conduct other business. The Board of Directors and its Executive Committee make policy decisions to guide the NCACC and its staff throughout the year. The full list of 2020-2021 NCACC Board members is available here.
“As a member of this organization, I am able to work with fellow commissioners across the state to provide important, basic services that impact residents’ daily lives,” said West. “While every community is different, we all face common challenges and it is critical that North Carolina’s counties speak with a strong voice on these issues. I am excited to have the opportunity to represent Wake County on the state level.”
During the meeting, NCACC President Ronnie Smith discussed his presidential initiative – a one-year effort to promote food system resiliency in all 100 counties – and announced Task Force Co-Chairs he appointed to help identify ways to strengthen North Carolina’s food system and increase access to affordable, healthy food options. Task Force Co-Chairs, James West, Wake County Commissioner and Sue Hinman, Granville County Commissioner will help lead this initiative and develop recommendations for counties.
In Wake County, Meal sites for children are open across the county to serve meals to students daily. Other food resources such as mobile food markets, food pantries and emergency food boxes are available to serve families through curbside delivery. Food safety measures are being followed, and ID is not required to access any of these services. A listing of all sites can be found on the Wake County COVID-19 website
The coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating food insecurity. According to Feeding America’s latest data, North Carolina’s food insecurity rate is projected to rise from 14 to 19.3 percent because of the pandemic. And for children, food insecurity is expected to be even more dire, with a projected increase from 19.3 percent to 28.6 percent. Counties are involved in many aspects of the food ecosystem, including administering food and nutrition assistance programs, and supporting public school systems in distributing meals to students. In addition, Cooperative Extensions work in every county to offer programs and partnerships focused on agriculture and food, health and nutrition, and 4-H youth development.
The Board also received an update on the North Carolina Property Tax Solution (NCPTS), a program to help counties manage property tax records and billing. NCPTS is provided by the NCACC, governed by member counties, and supported by software provider, Farragut. The strength of NCPTS is its collaborative approach, which helps counties implement best practices and allows counties to direct pooled investments toward technology upgrades to keep the system on the cutting edge.
NCACC staff provided a legislative review of the North Carolina General Assembly short session of 2020, summarizing major legislation enacted this year. S.L. 2020-3 made regulatory changes allowing local boards and councils to meet remotely. S.L. 2020-4 established the North Carolina Pandemic Recovery Office and appropriated $1.57 billion of nearly $3.6 billion the state received from the federal government through the CARES Act, including $150 million in funding to the 97 counties that did not receive direct CARES Act funds.
The Board was also briefed on the latest edition of NCACC’s County Map Book, which highlights key demographic, economic, health, and educational information from North Carolina's 100 counties. The NCACC 2020 County Map Book is available here.
The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is the official voice of all 100 counties on issues considered by the General Assembly, Congress and federal and state agencies. The Association provides expertise to counties in the areas of advocacy, research, risk management and education and leadership training.
