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2021-04-19 Regular MeetingNEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 19, 2021 ASSEMBLY BOOK 35 PAGE 67 The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met in Regular Session on April 19, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. in the Assembly Room of the New Hanover County Courthouse, 24 North Third Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present: Chair Julia Olson-Boseman; Vice -Chair Deb Hays; Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr.; Commissioner Bill Rivenbark; and Commissioner Rob Zapple. Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; County Attorney Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Reverend Richard G. Elliott, St. Andrews On -The -Sound Episcopal Church, provided the invocation and Commissioner Barfield led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA Chair Olson-Boseman requested a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Commissioner Zapple requested that Consent Agenda Item #10: Adoption of Budget Amendments be removed from the Consent Agenda for further discussion and consideration. Hearing no further discussion, Chair Olson-Boseman asked for a motion to approve the remaining items on the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion: Commissioner Zapple MOVED, SECONDED by Vice -Chair Hays, to approve the remaining items on the Consent Agenda as presented. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. CONSENT AGENDA Approval of Minutes — Governing Body The Commissioners approved the minutes of the Special Meeting held on March 10, 2021; Agenda Review held on March 11, 2021; Regular Meeting held on March 15, 2021; Agenda Review held on April 1, 2021; and Regular Meeting held on April 5, 2021. Approval of the New Hanover County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council Funding Recommendation for Fiscal Year 2021-2022 — County Manager The Commissioners approved the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 JCPC funding in the amount of $547,770 which is allocated as follows: JCPC Administration - $9,900; Youth Empowerment Services - $406,345; Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) - $39,180; and Unallocated Funds - $92,345. An RFP has been advertised for the remaining unallocated funds of $92,345. The RFP is for Teen Court and Mediation programs. The RFP closes on April 30, 2021. Adoption of National Safe Boating Week Proclamation — County Manager The Commissioners adopted a proclamation recognizing May 22 - 28, 2021 as National Safe Boating Week and the start of the year-round effort to promote safe boating. A copy of the proclamation is hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and is contained in Exhibit Book XLIII, Page 3.1. Adoption of Sexual Assault Awareness Month Proclamation — County Manager The Commissioners adopted the proclamation to recognize April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in New Hanover County. A copy of the proclamation is hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and is contained in Exhibit Book XLIII, Page 3.2. Second Reading: Approval of Solid Waste Franchise for Cape Fear Hauling LLC — County Attorney The Commissioners approved and authorized a solid waste franchise award to Cape Fear Hauling, LLC. The first reading was unanimously approved on April 5, 2021. The company will provide Certificates of Insurance, agree to not bring outside waste into the County and to haul all waste to a County designated facility, if required by law. A copy of the franchise agreement is available for review in the legal department. Second Reading: Approval of Solid Waste Franchise for Total Joe's Cleaning Inc. — County Attorney The Commissioners approved and authorized a solid waste franchise award to Total Joe's Cleaning Inc. The first reading was unanimously approved on April 5, 2021. The company will provide Certificates of Insurance, agree to not bring outside waste into the County and to haul all waste to a County designated facility, if required by law. A copy of the franchise agreement is available for review in the legal department. Second Reading: Approval of Solid Waste Franchise for Turtletrash LLC — County Attorney NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 19, 2021 PAGE 68 The Commissioners approved and authorized a solid waste franchise award to Turtletrash, LLC. The first reading was unanimously approved on April 5, 2021. The company will provide Certificates of Insurance, agree to not bring outside waste into the County and to haul all waste to a County designated facility, if required by law. A copy of the franchise agreement is available for review in the legal department. First Reading: Approval of Solid Waste Franchise for Coastline Dumpsters LLC — County Attorney The Commissioners approved the first reading of a solid waste franchise to be granted to Coastline Dumpsters LLC. Pursuant to Section 44.55, the applicant has provided information about his business organization, equipment, personnel, and fiscal responsibility. The Environmental Management Director has no objections to the franchise request. The renewal franchise period would run for seven years. A second reading is required. A copy of the franchise agreement is available for review in the legal department. American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) — Extension of Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency Family Medical Leave — Human Resources The Commissioners approved the extension of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency Family Medical Leave effective the pay period that will begin April 20, 2021 through September 30, 2021. Adoption of YWCA Stand Against Racism Proclamation — County Manager The Commissioners adopted a proclamation to recognize April 22-25, 2021 as YWCA Stand Against Racism Weekend in New Hanover County. A copy of the proclamation is hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and is contained in Exhibit Book XLIII, Page 3.4. Discussion and Adoption of Budget Amendments — Budget In response to Commissioner Zapple's questions regarding budget amendment 21-067, Chief Financial Officer Lisa Wurtzbacher stated the bonuses are for people who worked one-stop early voting sites and are paid, but not full-time employees of the Board of Elections. The bonus is $19.56 per day for all the days an individual worked. Hearing no further discussion, Chair Olson-Boseman asked for direction from the Board. Motion: Commissioner Zapple MOVED, SECONDED by Vice -Chair Hays, to adopt the budget amendments as presented. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Additional information: The Commissioners adopted the following budget amendments which amend the annual budget ordinance for the fiscal year ending June 20, 2021: Department of Social Services 21-055, 057, 058; Sheriff's Office 21-059, 21-060, 21-062, 064, 21-069; Health 21-061 Senior Resource Center 21-063, 065, 068; General 21-066; and Board of Elections 21-067. Copies of the budget amendments are hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and are contained in Exhibit Book XLIII, Page 3.3. REGULAR ITEMS OF BUSINESS STATE OF THE COUNTY ADDRESS Chair Julia Olson-Boseman presented the annual State of the County Address. A copy of the state of the county address is incorporated as part of the minutes and is contained in Exhibit Book XLIII, Page 3.5. TRILLIUM HEALTH RESOURCES ANNUAL REPORT Dennis Williams, Southern Regional Director of Trillium Health Resources, provided the annual report on Trillium Health Resources highlighting the following: • Trillium Health Resources Annual Report New Hanover County Fiscal Year 2019 — 2020: • Trillium's mission: Transforming lives and building community well-being through partnership and proven solutions. • Who We Are — Numbers: • 26 counties • 1,469,101 total population • 266,000 Medicaid eligible • Served 58,452 individuals from mild to severe mental health needs: 70% with mental health (MH) needs 20% with substance use disorder(s) (SUD) • 10% with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) • Approximately 500 providers • $475,921,857.00 spent on services last year NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 19, 2021 • Smallest County: Tyrrell 3,665; Largest County: New Hanover 239,272 • Coverage is over 12,000 square miles • Trillium Map per Region: BOOK 35 PAGE 69 • Medicaid Transformation — Standard Plans: • Standard Plan - five companies were awarded: • Amerihealth Caritas NC Inc • Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC • United Healthcare of NC Inc • WellCare of NC Inc. • Carolina Complete Health: covers regions 3, 4, and 5 • These plans will be managing the mild to moderate Medicaid behavioral health recipients • Map of Standard Plan Regions: Managed Medicaid Coverage Regions gegion) Ae • Standard Plan Insurance Companies Timeline: • March 15th through May 14th: open enrollment • May 15th: auto enrollment • July 1, 2021: standard plans begin to serve Medicaid individuals with low to moderate needs • Medicaid Transformation Tailored Plan: • Five to seven Managed Care Organizations (MCO) - NCACC recommended the current LME/MCO map • Managing the high-risk/high-cost individuals with mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance use • DHHS released the RFA on November 13, 2020 • Managing the whole person- both physical health and behavioral health • Behavioral Health I/DD Tailored Plan Regions: Region 3 Region 5 Region 1 IO RERegion 2 REGIONS ReglOn 4 e 1 . aoxam 2. Region 6 Region 7 3 ❑ 4 ❑ 5 N 6 ❑ • Applications were due back to the state on Feb 2, 2021 and Trillium submitted its plan on time • DHHS will award the contracts on June 11, 2021 to five to seven MCOs • Trillium will have a readiness review late fall • July 1, 2022: Trillium will begin the Tailored Plan for the more severe behavioral health, substance use, and IDD population like Trillium does today • What will it look like: • Manage the whole person both Behavioral and Physical health • Focus on the Social Determinants of Health: • Transportation, housing, food insecurities, employment, and personal safety • Contract with every pharmacy in Trillium's 26 counties • Contract with all primary care physicians that provide services to Medicaid consumers • Provide Tailored Care Management • Organizational Changes: NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 19, 2021 BOOK 35 PAGE 70 • Call Centers: pharmacy, provider, nurse, and current call center • Contracts: pharmacy and primary care offices • Care Management: whole person care • Impact Today: • Consumers will remain with the same services as with their current MCO • Trillium will still move forward with developing the infrastructure to serve the whole person • Work towards contracting with pharmacies and primary care services • Covid —19 Impact: • Some rate increases extended ranging from 5% - 30% to network providers • Respite care for children with IDD increased to 30 hours • Telehealth continues to be provided when needed • Trillium continues remote status with office usage limited to 15% of allowed capacity • Access to Care continues to be in operation 24 hours per day • Project Updates: • DSS respite homes • 1,200 Naloxone kits • COVID kits for providers and consumers • Increased rates for providers direct care staff • Hand sanitizer stations at playgrounds • Racial Equity Projects: internal and external • Safe schools/healthy kids - online training on a variety of topics • The Healing Place • Consumers served in New Hanover County: • Total Consumers served — 9,524: • Mental Health: 6,937 • Substance Use: 2,725 • IDD: 983 • Total is unduplicated, since a single individual may receive services in more than one category In response to Board questions, Mr. Williams confirmed that this is Medicaid transformation not Medicaid expansion. People who qualify for the standard plan have been contacted directly by the state via phone, email, text, and/or snail mail. People who qualify for the tailored plan have not been contacted yet as details are still being worked out for those recipients. People can contact the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) or Trillium to learn about which plan they qualify for. Only people who are Medicaid recipients can receive assistance services from Trillium. People who are on standard insurance plans, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, can access services through their insurance providers. County Manager Coudriet stated that Trillium's access line for Medicaid enrollment people can call is 1-833-870-5500 to choose healthcare plan. Chair Olson-Boseman thanked Mr. Williams for the update. STATUS BRIEF: COVID-19 VACCINATIONS Health and Human Services (HHS) Director Donna Fayko provided the following current progress and plans for the County's continued involvement in direct delivery and facilitation of Covid-19 vaccines across the County: • Covid-19 Update: • State of the County: • 7.2% daily positivity rate: • Female: 54%: Male: 46% Total Positive Cases 18,469 Recovered 17,488 Active 712 UNCW 36 Off 28 On Campus Last 14 days 100 200 150 100 50 0 3/1 5/1 7/1 911 " ' ' ' Sri 511 TOTAL CASES New Hanover County 18.333 MOLECULAR (PCR) POSITIVE CASES 13,819 ANTIGEN POSITIVE CASES 4,514 specimen c. e.. Gale missing for 1 cases • Total deaths of New Hanover County residents = 164: • 89% (145 people) were older than 65 • Female: 68; Male: 96 • Covid-19 County Alert System: 9 New Hanover County is in the significant impact category NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 19, 2021 PAGE 71 • Vaccination Updates: • HHS Administered: 49,626 • First doses: 27,150 • Second doses: 22,476 • NHRMC (combined): 85,716* • Total for NHC: 78,000 (People With One Dose 79,002 3,534,340 of Vaccine People Fully Vaccinated 63,009 2,483,901 (Percent of Population 33.7% 36.1% With One Dose of Vaccine Percent Population Fully 26.9% 26.1% Vaccinated (Percent Population 65+ Fully Vaccinated • Outreach Sites: Solomon Towers, Chestnut Street Presbyterian Church, Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, Martin Luther King Center, New Beginning Church, Good Shepherd, Salvation Army, First Fruit, Sanctuary of Wilmington, Union Baptist Church, Christ Community Church, Town of Carolina Beach, NHC Detention, Courthouse, Fire Departments, 911 Center, and homebound seniors • Johnson & Johnson (Janssen/J&J) vaccine: • Use of the J&J vaccine is still on pause • CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met on 4/14/21 but did not result in a vote or recommendation on the return to use of the J&J vaccine • The ACIP supports a continuation of the pause for another week to gather additional information and do more analysis • NC DHHS will continue to support this pause in use • NHC HHS has ceased all use of J&J • ACIP's clinical recommendations: maintain a high alertfor symptoms that might represent serious thrombotic events or thrombocytopenia in patients who have recently received the J&J Covid-19 vaccine, including: • severe headache, backache, new neurologic symptoms, severe abdominal pain, shortness of breath, leg swelling, petechiae (tiny red spots on the skin), or new or easy bruising • See your physician if any of these symptoms occur. • ACIP considers the blood clots in the setting of low platelets a rare, but serious signal. There are still many women who have had J&J in the past two to three weeks, so there are more potential cases not yet identified. • ACIP will meet again this Thursday or Friday and will review more data as available, including any additional cases identified. They will discuss risk/benefit analysis and plan to make recommendations at that meeting. • Janssen Vaccine Risk Benefit Analysis: • ACIP may find that the: • Use benefit of the Janssen vaccine outweighs the risks • Risk outweighs the use benefit • Recommend use within certain populations (age and gender based) • Efficacy: • 72% in preventing moderate to severe illness (after 28 days) • 86% in preventing illness (after 28 days) • New Vaccine Allocation Process: • Begins this week • Tuesdays: surveys will be sent to providers to request doses for following week • Events and equity will be incorporated into new process • Notification of allocation will occur on Thursdays and supply will arrive Monday or Tuesday • 70% of allocated vaccine must be used within seven days • Second doses will continue to be distributed as they are currently • Moderna will move to 14 dose vial • Eligibility Groups: NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 19, 2021 BOOK 35 PAGE 72 HHS Operations This Week: • HHS cadence: First doses on Mondays and Tuesdays • HHS (9:00 a.m. — 7:00 p.m.), MLK (9:00 a.m. — 4:00 p.m.) and Independence Mall (1:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.) • Sign-up Genius used for appointment scheduling • Walk-ins are an option at HHS • Second doses: Thursdays and Fridays • All providers see a decline in demand for vaccine • Scaling back of operations is in planning stage • Call center activity: • 66,684 calls since 3/17/20 • 43,678 calls since 1/01/21 • Averaging roughly 200-250 calls/day • Operations moving back to HHS on May 2, 2021 In response to Board questions, Ms. Fayko confirmed that UNCW has been enrolled as a provider and has its own vaccination clinic up and running. During the first two weeks, 1,400 vaccinations were administered. She reconfirmed that people can now go to the HHS department to obtain a vaccination without an appointment. First dose vaccinations are available on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and a person needs to be 16 years of age or older to receive the vaccine. Chair Olson-Boseman thanked Ms. Fayko for the update. COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS Appointment to the New Hanover County Non -County Agency Funding Committee Chairman Olson-Boseman reported that there is one vacancy on the New Hanover County Non -County Agency Funding with one applicant eligible for appointment. Commissioner Zapple nominated R. Shane Hartley for appointment in the faith -based category. Vice -Chair Hays seconded the nomination. Hearing no further nominations, Chair Olson-Boseman called for a vote on the nomination on the floor. Vote Results: The Board voted UNANIMOUSLY to appoint R. Shane Hartley to the New Hanover County Non -County Agency Funding Committee to serve the unexpired term with the term to expire June 30, 2023. Appointment to the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority Chairman Olson-Boseman reported that there are two vacancies on the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority with one applicant eligible for appointment. Commissioner Zapple nominated Mary Baggett for appointment in the Wrightsville Beach Hotel Owner/Manager category. Vice -Chair Hays seconded the nomination. Hearing no further nominations, Chair Olson-Boseman called for a vote on the nomination on the floor. Vote Results: The Board voted UNANIMOUSLY to appoint Mary Baggett to the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority to serve the unexpired term with the term to expire December 31, 2023. Appointment to the New Hanover County/City of Wilmington Workforce Housing Advisory Committee Chairman Olson-Boseman reported that there is one vacancy on the New Hanover County/City of Wilmington Workforce Housing Advisory Committee with two applicants eligible for appointment. Vice -Chair Hays nominated Melanie James for appointment in the Non -Profit Housing Community category. Chair Olson-Boseman seconded the nomination. Hearing no further nominations, Chair Olson-Boseman called for a vote on the nomination on the floor. .._...._...._.................... .................. BOOK 35 PAGE 72 HHS Operations This Week: • HHS cadence: First doses on Mondays and Tuesdays • HHS (9:00 a.m. — 7:00 p.m.), MLK (9:00 a.m. — 4:00 p.m.) and Independence Mall (1:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.) • Sign-up Genius used for appointment scheduling • Walk-ins are an option at HHS • Second doses: Thursdays and Fridays • All providers see a decline in demand for vaccine • Scaling back of operations is in planning stage • Call center activity: • 66,684 calls since 3/17/20 • 43,678 calls since 1/01/21 • Averaging roughly 200-250 calls/day • Operations moving back to HHS on May 2, 2021 In response to Board questions, Ms. Fayko confirmed that UNCW has been enrolled as a provider and has its own vaccination clinic up and running. During the first two weeks, 1,400 vaccinations were administered. She reconfirmed that people can now go to the HHS department to obtain a vaccination without an appointment. First dose vaccinations are available on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and a person needs to be 16 years of age or older to receive the vaccine. Chair Olson-Boseman thanked Ms. Fayko for the update. COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS Appointment to the New Hanover County Non -County Agency Funding Committee Chairman Olson-Boseman reported that there is one vacancy on the New Hanover County Non -County Agency Funding with one applicant eligible for appointment. Commissioner Zapple nominated R. Shane Hartley for appointment in the faith -based category. Vice -Chair Hays seconded the nomination. Hearing no further nominations, Chair Olson-Boseman called for a vote on the nomination on the floor. Vote Results: The Board voted UNANIMOUSLY to appoint R. Shane Hartley to the New Hanover County Non -County Agency Funding Committee to serve the unexpired term with the term to expire June 30, 2023. Appointment to the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority Chairman Olson-Boseman reported that there are two vacancies on the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority with one applicant eligible for appointment. Commissioner Zapple nominated Mary Baggett for appointment in the Wrightsville Beach Hotel Owner/Manager category. Vice -Chair Hays seconded the nomination. Hearing no further nominations, Chair Olson-Boseman called for a vote on the nomination on the floor. Vote Results: The Board voted UNANIMOUSLY to appoint Mary Baggett to the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority to serve the unexpired term with the term to expire December 31, 2023. Appointment to the New Hanover County/City of Wilmington Workforce Housing Advisory Committee Chairman Olson-Boseman reported that there is one vacancy on the New Hanover County/City of Wilmington Workforce Housing Advisory Committee with two applicants eligible for appointment. Vice -Chair Hays nominated Melanie James for appointment in the Non -Profit Housing Community category. Chair Olson-Boseman seconded the nomination. Hearing no further nominations, Chair Olson-Boseman called for a vote on the nomination on the floor. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 19, 2021 BOOK 35 PAGE 73 Vote Results: The Board voted UNANIMOUSLY to appoint Melanie James to the New Hanover County/City of Wilmington Workforce Housing Advisory Committee to serve the unexpired term with the term to expire August 31, 2023. Appointment to the Southeastern Economic Development Commission Chairman Olson-Boseman reported that there is one vacancy on the Southeastern Economic Development Commission with one applicant eligible for reappointment and two applicants eligible for appointment. Vice -Chair Hays nominated Angie Fairchild for reappointment. Chair Olson-Boseman seconded the nomination. Hearing no further nominations, Chair Olson-Boseman called for a vote on the nomination on the floor. Vote Results: The Board voted UNANIMOUSLY to reappoint Angie Fairchild to serve on the Southeastern Economic Development Commission with the term to expire April 30, 2025. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON -AGENDA ITEMS Chair Olson-Boseman stated that no one signed up to speak on non -agenda items. ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS OF BUSINESS Vice -Chair Hays commended Chair Olson-Boseman on delivering as excellent State of the County address, providing everyone with an update of all of that has been going on and all that is forthcoming in the future. She also expressed appreciation for her leadership, commitment, and sincere public service to the County. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chair Olson-Boseman adjourned the meeting at 10:06 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Kymberleigh G. Crowell Clerk to the Board Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting. The entire proceedings are available online at www.nhcgov.com.