2021-01-13 Agenda Review
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34
AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, JANUARY 13, 2021 PAGE 733
ASSEMBLY
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for Agenda Review on Wednesday, January 13, 2021
at 4:00 p.m. via in-person and virtually in the Andre’ Mallette Training Rooms at the New Hanover County
Government Center, 230 Government Center Drive, Wilmington, North Carolina.
Members present: Chair Julia Olson-Boseman; Vice-Chair Deb Hays; Commissioner Bill Rivenbark; and
Commissioner Rob Zapple. Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr. participated virtually.
Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; County Attorney Wanda Copley; and Clerk to the Board
Kymberleigh G. Crowell.
Chair Olson-Boseman called the Agenda Review meeting to order and announced that the purpose of the
meeting is to review and discuss the agenda items for the January 19, 2021 Regular Meeting.
A brief discussion was held regarding a joint meeting with the Wilmington City Council. By general
consensus of the Board, Chair Olson-Boseman directed staff to confirm the joint special meeting with the Wilmington
City County to be held on February 17, 2021 at 9:00 a.m.
Chair Olson-Boseman announced that the joint special meeting with the New Hanover County Board of
Education scheduled for January 20, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. is to be postponed until a date determined.
Consent Item 3. Approval of Boat Slip Purchase for NHC Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit. In response to Board
questions, Chief Financial Officer Lisa Wurtzbacher stated if a budget amendment is not associated with the request,
then the boat slip purchase is most likely fully covered by the grant and she will verify this. County Manager Coudriet
stated he believes the City of Wilmington does not have security for the marina, only a fire unit. As to whether the
$162,645 is a one-time expenditure and if there are any annual fees, Ms. Wurtzbacher stated it is her understanding
that it is a one-time fee. As to the boat length and if the Port of Wilmington has its own security, staff will obtain the
information and report back to the Board.
Consent Item 5. Adoption of Post-Issuance Compliance Policies and Procedures for Complying with
Continuing Disclosure Obligations. In response to Board questions, Ms. Wurtzbacher stated the North Carolina
Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) loans in 2015 and 2016 were for Marquis Hills and Heritage Park.
Consent Item 10. Approval of Release of the Levy for Tax Year 2010. In response to Board questions, Tax
Administrator Allison Snell confirmed the motor vehicle tax for the County would disappear moving forward and are
the old taxes from when it use to be billed in-house. The law began in 2013 or 2014 so the tax will probably only
appear for two or three more years. For breakout charges for vehicle tax bills and registrations, there were some
exceptions made due to Covid-19. She will report back to the Board with more details. She believes the six-month
extension was for both the registration and the taxes, and was broken out in the bill so one or the other could be
paid. She will report back on if there will be any extension beyond the six months.
Consent Item 12. Approval of Board of Education Budget Amendment #2. Regarding the funding transfer
for regular instruction and a reduction in school-based support with no change in the number of positions, Ms.
Wurtzbacher explained that the budget amendment is to fix a coding error due to transfer funds to where the posting
should have been made.
Regular Item 14. Presentation of the Audit Report for the Fiscal Year Ended 6/30/2020. County Manager
Coudriet stated that April Adams from Cherry Bekaert will be presenting the audit report remotely.
Regular Item 15. Tides, Inc. Program Update. County Manager Coudriet stated as part of the funding
requirement, staff from Tides, Inc. would be providing their third annual update to the Board on Monday. This is
currently the third year of funding and the Board made a three-year obligation for funding. He believes Tides wants
to continue receiving funding, as their data has been strong, and anticipates staff will include a request to do so.
Regular Item 16. Consideration of Home Delivered Meals Expansion. Senior Resource Center Director
Amber Smith stated the budget amendment request includes the acceptance of two new grant sources from Meals
on Wheels NC/SECU in the amount of $10,000 and USDA revenue for $5,963. The request would eliminate the Home
Delivered Meals (HDM) current waitlist of 75 individuals and provide funding to support daily nutrition services for
a total of 540 HDM participants, add two full-time positions, and one van to transport the meals. Ms. Smith provided
a brief overview of the HDM program stating that it serves meals for homebound seniors who are age 60 and over
that need nutrition services. Due to Covid-19, there have been an additional 130 homebound seniors added since
March 2020 and there has been a shortage of volunteers to meet the increased program demand. Regarding if there
will be more volunteers returning after more people are vaccinated, Ms. Smith stated prior to Covid-19, there was
still a shortage of volunteers and there is a minimum of 30-40 volunteers needed just for the HDM program. With
about 750 meals a day being packed, served, and delivered, there is a need for more staff. The need for HDM will
not go away, and was an important need even before Covid-19.
Regular Item 17. Consideration of the Board of Commissioners Providing for the Issuance of Not to Exceed
$31,000,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2021A, and $33,000,000 Taxable General Obligation
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34
AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, JANUARY 13, 2021 PAGE 734
Refunding Bonds, Series 2021B. Ms. Wurtzbacher stated these are refunding bonds which were issued in 2010 and
2013. Because of the current low interest rates, the bonds can now be refunded for additional savings and there will
be less paid in debt service every year. There is an estimated savings of over $3.5 million for the 2010 bonds and
over $1.8 million for the 2013 bonds. As to splitting the bonds between general obligation and taxable general
obligation refunding bonds, Ms. Wurtzbacher explained general obligation bonds are a current refunding and the
bonds are already called. The other is advanced refunding and the laws changed some time ago that if an advanced
refunding is done before the bonds are callable, taxable bonds have to be used.
Regular Item 18. Public Hearing for Economic Development Appropriation. Ms. Wurtzbacher stated this
is an economic appropriation request for $25,000 to Genesis Block Labs, LLC for its accelerator business program.
Since this is an economic development request and is outside of the budget cycle, a public hearing must be held. A
brief overview of Genesis Block Labs was provided by founder Gerard Newkirk. The strategy of the accelerator
program is to send 120 companies through the program over the next three years to produce over 400 jobs in the
Cape Fear Region, and make $13-15 million in revenue. It focuses on revenue generating minority and women owned
businesses (MWBE) in the region. There are 67 companies that have applied and 10 companies will be selected each
quarter. 64% of the applicants are from this County and 98% are not MWBE certified, which provides an opportunity
to help grow minority and women owned business. In response to Board questions, Mr. Newkirk stated there is a
MWBE certification with different distinctions recognized at the federal and state level. The accelerator program is
a 16-week intensive program, nationally accredited, and has been used throughout the country. Castle Branch, NC
Idea, and Live Oak Bank are a few of the local partners. As to the metric for success in six months to one year for the
companies, Mr. Newkirk stated it is broken down into four components which are to build their revenue in the first
four months, hire one to three employees in the first 18 months, and to show traction in their profile in the area.
The fourth area is still being developed and will cover customer acquisition. Regarding the difference of Genesis
Block from the Cape Fear Regional Community Development Corporation (CFRCDC), Mr. Newkirk stated Genesis
Block focuses on acceleration and the companies that applied stated they didn’t feel that there was access to a
program such as this due to the demand in this area. Also, the platform is designed for business formation and job
creation which are measurable outcomes to be held accountable to. Regarding a partnership with CFRCDC, Mr.
Newkirk stated they have not partnered with that group, but have partnered with other organizations in the area.
Commissioner Barfield stated CFRCDC has been here for a long time and has an incubator program, homeownership
classes, and small business development programs. He wanted to know the difference between the organizations in
case there is a future funding request from a similar company.
Regular Item 19. Public Hearing and Approval of Development Agreement for the Redevelopment of the
Government Center. Ms. Wurtzbacher stated there were some changes in the development agreement due to the
County no longer doing a lease to purchase option with the developer. The County will instead borrow money to
fund the new government center itself. The arrangement is still similar to the original agreement with the contract
to construct the building and the other half of the parcel being sold to the developer. The full $53 million will be
borrowed and the cost will be more than that since interest will be paid on that amount. Regarding $77 million for
the construction and if the cost will stay the same, Ms. Wurtzbacher stated the debt service on the $53 million is
about $60 million. The lower interest cost being paid is due to the County being able to borrow on its own. Regarding
the sale of 7.5 acres for the parcel and the cost being negotiated down to $2.8 million, she explained in the original
agreement the developer was paying double the amount for the appraised value. The updated agreement accurately
reflects the appraised value for what will be purchased. County Manager Coudriet stated there is still a profit over
the next 20 years, but for the developer to pay market value versus twice market value. Part of it is recognizing that
the developer still needs to make some kind of profit on the deal. The County is still getting market value for the
parcel and instead of paying high interest, it will be at about $1.75 million in interest due to market conditions.
Regarding the need for space of 136,000 square feet for the building, County Manager Coudriet stated it is designed
for growth and doesn’t believe the building is oversized for the long-term needs of the County. There is also a larger
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and 911 center to accommodate a new model during emergencies. Ms.
Wurtzbacher explained that the “Other” category includes loan closing costs, project management fees,
administrative costs, marketing costs, and professional fees. County Manager Coudriet stated the prior development
agreement was written with a fixed amount purchase price for a lease agreement. The deal hasn’t really changed,
but since there were funding modifications, it has to go through a public hearing.
Regular Item 20. Public Hearing on Proposed $91,000,000 Financing of Improvement Projects and
Adoption of Approving Resolution. Ms. Wurtzbacher stated this matter was originally heard at the December 7,
2020 meeting. This is the final step for approving $91 million for the improvement projects including The Healing
Place facility, government center, stormwater projects, equipment replacement, and school capital. The County is
also refinancing some limited obligation bonds which will save approximately $936,000 over the life of that debt.
The documents in the agenda packet are drafts and will be finalized after Board approval.
Staff Update: Covid-19 Vaccinations. Health and Human Services (HHS) Director Donna Fayko provided an
update regarding the Covid-19 vaccines being administered in the County. Today the vaccination sites were
reopened for first dose vaccines as well as the call center, which scheduled 967 appointments for the next two days.
There two vaccination sites are at HHS and the Senior Resource Center. The automated registration system with the
state has been working well. Staff will be working during the holiday on Monday and second doses will be starting
thth
the week of January 18 and the following week of the 25. First doses will not be given during that period, however,
it is anticipated that a shipment of about 1,950 Pfizer vaccine doses will arrive next week. The County will also be
looking to partner with qualified organizations, MedNorth, and Cape Fear Clinic to help give the vaccine to targeted
populations. The Public Health department has administered about 6,700 doses since December. County Manager
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34
AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, JANUARY 13, 2021 PAGE 735
Coudriet stated the hospital received about 3,000 doses and his assumption is that they have largely executed their
first dosing and are now in the second doses. About 10,000 doses total have been done in the community. Ms. Fayko
stated the IT department has assisted with setting up a registration system with a dashboard to track doses and
registrations. In regards to questions about new partners such as Wilmington Health, Ms. Fayko stated they just
became authorized as a provider this week and the County has shared doses with them. Half of the Pfizer shipment
has been shared with them for the following week, but after that they will receive direct shipments from the state.
She confirmed that Wilmington Health uses their medical records to contact the 75 and over age group to make
appointments. County Manager Coudriet stated Wilmington Health is not limiting the doses to only their pre-
identified patients, it is for anyone in the 75 and over age group and it is an online only registration. He confirmed
that anyone living outside of the County can make appointments for vaccines and there are no residency restrictions.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Chair Olson-Boseman adjourned the meeting at 5:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kymberleigh G. Crowell
Clerk to the Board
Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting.