2021-11-10 Agenda Review
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35
AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, NOVEMBER 10, 2021 PAGE 259
ASSEMBLY
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for Agenda Review on Wednesday, November 10,
2021 at 4:00 p.m. in the Harrell Conference Room 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 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.
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 November 15, 2021 Regular Meeting with discussions as
noted:
Regular Item 6: Consideration of a Resolution in Support of Military Operations at Wilmington
International Airport. Chair Olson-Boseman stated the resolution is to confirm the Board’s support for the military.
The Board discussed the work being done behind the scenes to shift flight patterns, adjust flying altitudes, and
restrict afterburns to address the noise concerns in the community. Commissioner Barfield stated that he does not
understand how anyone can question this community’s commitment to the military.
Regular Item 7: Consideration of Updated Fire Insurance Map for Northern New Hanover County. In
response to Board questions, Chief Donnie Hall stated that in August 2021, the NC Department of Insurance Office
of the State Fire Marshal rated the New Hanover County Fire Districts resulting in a Class 2 rating. During this rating
process, the County was notified of the changes needed to the Northern Fire District Insurance Map. The previously
approved map reflected areas beyond five road miles from a fire station in the County as being part of the Pender
EMS and Fire Insurance District. Changes in the Insurance Rating System now allows for all current areas within the
County to be in the Northern Fire Insurance District. This updated insurance district boundary map will reduce district
confusion and allow property owners to receive the maximum allowable benefits from the rating improvements. In
response to Board questions, Chief Hall stated that the insurance savings for homeowners in the Northern Fire
Insurance District became effective in August 2021.
Regular Item 8: Consideration of Health and Human Services Strategic Plan. Health and Human Services
Director Donna Fayko stated that Health and Human Services (HHS) has worked with the Office of Strategy to
develop a five-year strategic plan that fits with the County’s plan. This is the first departmental plan completed as a
consolidated agency. HHS Board supplied its endorsement of the plan during its October 19, 2021 meeting.
Regular Item 9: Community Violence Intervention Update. County Manager Coudriet stated that he will
be providing the monthly update to the Board. There has been one community meeting since the October update.
In response to Board questions, County Manager Coudriet stated that a budget amendment might be presented to
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the Board for consideration at the December 20 meeting to start funding the first interventions. Staff would like to
be sure that the approved audit is in place before moving forward with the budget amendment.
STAFF UPDATE – COVID-19 Community Metrics Presentation by HHS Director Donna Fayko. County
Manager Coudriet stated that Director Fayko will be presenting the same update during the HHS Board meeting on
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Friday, November 12.
Ms. Fayko explained that there are currently three outbreaks in New Hanover County: Salvation Army which
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is set to end November 12, Champions which is set to end November 21, and at the correctional facility on Division
Drive which is monitored by the State of North Carolina. There is one cluster in New Hanover County at Coastal
Preparatory Academy. There are currently nine individuals in the hospital and of those, six are New Hanover County
residents, there is no one in ICU, and there is no one on a ventilator. New Hanover County is still yellow for moderate
transmission. There has been a total of 296 deaths in New Hanover County with 24 of those being in October. The
tests coming back positive today are 2.59% which is down from yesterday’s 2.71%.
In response to Board questions, Ms. Fayko stated that vaccination rates remain static. HHS has administered
308 pediatric vaccinations for 5 to 11-year-olds as well as 715 booster shots. There are 19 vaccine providers in New
Hanover County, and HHS does not have the vaccination numbers for those providers. Ms. Fayko noted that families
may prefer to take their children to their pediatrician and waiting until that becomes more available. Deputy Health
Director Carla Turner stated that both Wilmington Health and the hospital will be holding vaccine clinics on
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November 13 and November 20 for those age 5 to 11. Ms. Fayko stated that in discussions with HHS Board Chair
Dr. LaShonda Wallace, the HHS Board is not having prior discussions on whether to lift the mask mandate but will
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make their decision on Friday, November 12 based on the most current metrics. Based on the metrics, Ms. Fayko
does not see why the mask mandate would not be lifted, but she cannot predict how the HHS Board will vote.
A brief discussion was held about the Pandemic Operations Team and how that will help the County. County
Manager Coudriet explained that the best way for HHS, Facilities Management, and Emergency Management to
perform their normal duties is to let them do the work rather than it being done by other the county staff. For
example, a health planner who should be working on a whole range of things in his/her normal course of job duties,
has done nothing for a year except site planning and operational planning for vaccination sites. The County is
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35
AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, NOVEMBER 10, 2021 PAGE 260
recruiting for the team to take those burdens away from staff who have regular full-time jobs and put that effort
into people hired specifically for pandemic operations/response. The team will also help HHS consolidate the
pandemic response into one site. The team is being built to expand, if needed, should the County have to return to
running multiple sites if a very contagious variant were to arise across the community. The County is currently looking
to hire a manager, nurse epidemiologist, and three clinic nurses and in total is looking to hire 17 people. The program
will be reevaluated as things change with the pandemic and going forward.
Chair Olson-Boseman thanked Ms. Fayko and the HHS team for the presentation.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Chair Olson-Boseman adjourned the meeting at 4:50 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.