2022-09-15 Agenda Review
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35
AGENDA REVIEW, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 PAGE 534
ASSEMBLY
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for Agenda Review on September 15, 2022, at 4:04
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; Deputy County Attorney Kemp Burpeau; 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 September 19, 2022 Regular Meeting with discussions as
noted:
Consent Agenda Item #2: Adoption of Updates to the Board’s Policy and Procedures for Appointments to
County Boards, Commissions, Committees or Authorities: In response to Board questions, Clerk Crowell explained
that the last update to the policy was in 2011. The proposed update cleans up some of the basic language and there
are additions to address member terms and how appointees interact on social media. In response to Board
questions, Clerk Crowell confirmed there had been some issues with appointees and that an appointee could be
removed without cause by a majority of the Board. Deputy County Attorney Kemp Burpeau added that the addition
of Section H. was to help the appointees understand they must make it clear in social media posts that opinions they
state are not representative of the committee on which they serve.
Consent Agenda Item #3: Approval to Dissolve the New Hanover County Risk Management Advisory
Committee as Recommended by the Members of the Risk Management Advisory Committee: In response to Board
questions, Risk Manager Jennifer Stancil stated that the committee was put in place before there was a fully
functional department. The department is now fully functional, and the committee members support the
dissolution.
Consent Agenda Item #4: Authority to Purchase Property Located at 1605 Robin Hood Road, Wilmington:
In response to Board questions, County Manager Coudriet stated that the request is for the authority to purchase
1605 Robin Hood Road, Wilmington, at a price not to exceed $1.65 million, subject to receipt of a satisfactory
appraisal and building condition assessment. The County would then partner with Leading Into New Communities
(LINC), Trillium, and RHA Health Services to renovate and reopen what was The Harbor. The County will hold the title
to the property. Trillium has $1.5 million available to assist with the upfit of the property. LINC has a direct state
appropriation and has also been fundraising for the project. Staff is recommending that the funds to purchase the
property come from the Capital Outlay Fund Balance.
Consent Agenda Item #6: Adoption of Budget Amendments: In response to Board questions regarding
budget amendments (B/A) 23-010 and 23-011, staff provided the following information:
B/A 23-010: The reinvestment funds are to help meet the needs of the customer. Projects that staff
are looking at include increasing capacity in the call center so that staff can take calls offsite. Staff is
also looking at communication technology to improve communication with beneficiaries.
B/A 23-011: The reduction of funding for the Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program is funding
that the federal government has taken back so the state has reduced the award for the year. The
County still administers this program, but there is less funding available for it.
Regular Item #8: Recognition of the 25th Anniversary of New Hanover County Fire Rescue and Receiving
Accredited Agency Status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). Commissioner Barfield
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commented that considering the anniversary of September 11, 2001, this is a perfect time to recognize the
dedication and commitment of New Hanover County Fire Rescue along with recognizing their international
accreditation. Only 300 fire departments in the world hold this accreditation.
Regular Item #12: Consideration of Comprehensive Program to Address Homelessness within the City of
Wilmington. In response to Board questions, County Manager Coudriet stated that the ordinance is prepared but it
is staff’s belief that the ordinance will overshadow the good work that the program will do. Regarding the City of
Wilmington (City) ordinance, Chief Deputy Ken Sarvis stated that he was unsure about what the City was enforcing
but knows that they are beginning to enforce panhandling issues and sleeping on City property. Deputy County
Manager Tim Burgess stated that the County’s drafted ordinance is not as much about criminal activity as it was
about the homeless leaving items behind, and staff felt that if they were not camping there that they would take
their items wherever they go. After much discussion, the Board decided not to consider the draft ordinance at this
time. Mr. Burgess will email the draft ordinance to the Board for review. In response to further Board questions, Mr.
Burgess stated this the program will focus on the downtown area, but it does have the ability to go to other areas
outside of the downtown area.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS
Chair Olson-Boseman asked regarding Project Grace whether the County should put out another Request
for Proposal (RFP). County Manager Coudriet stated that the law reads that the project would not have to go through
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35
AGENDA REVIEW, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 PAGE 535
another RFP process. The County could go through the process again or engage with a group of developers. Staff is
still working to get the lease agreement on the calendar for the Local Government Commission’s September 22,
2022 meeting. The Board could act on Monday if action is needed to ensure that it is calendared for the said meeting.
STAFF UPDATE
Planning and Land Use Director Rebekah Roth and Senior Long Range Planner Rachel LaCoe provided an
update on the following items:
Housing Services Program: Ms. LaCoe stated that six proposals have been received for the workforce
housing program for a total of $6.3 million in funding requests which equates to about 289 units of
workforce and affordable housing, both construction and rehabilitation. Staff is working on finalizing
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recommendations to bring forward for Board consideration at the October 3 meeting.
Request from KFJ Development: Ms. Roth stated that staff was going to bring forward the request for
a text amendment for an urban riverfront mixed use zoning district from KFJ Development at the
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October 3 meeting. KFJ Development requested to withdraw their petition earlier this week along
with their petition for rezoning. Therefore, no action is required at this time.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Chair Olson-Boseman adjourned the meeting at 4:42 p.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.