Durham Board Of County Commissioners Regular Session Highlights from March 14th 

Durham, N.C. – The Durham Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met on Monday, March 14, 2022, in Regular Session at the BOCC’s Chambers, 200 E. Main St. This meeting marked the return to in-person meetings in the Chambers for the first time since March 2020. Highlights of the meeting include: 

• Chair Brenda Howerton called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.
• The audience was led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
• The minutes of the January 3, 2022 Work Session and January 24, 2022 Regular Session were approved.

Clerk to the Board Monica Wallace Read the BOCC Announcements

1. DCo Public Health COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Hours – The COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Durham County Department of Public Health, 414 E. Main St., has the following hours to get your free vaccination: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Appointments and walk-ins welcome. All doses available. Please note, clinics are closed between 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. daily. Visit www.dcopublichealth.org/COVIDVaccines or call 919-560-9217 for more information.
2. Durham PreK for 2022-2023 Application is Open – The Durham PreK Application for the 2022-2023 school year is open and all children who will be 4 years old by August 31, 2022 are eligible! Please visit www.durhamprek.org to receive more information and to apply. If you have any questions, you can always call 1-833-773-5338, or email prek@childcareservices.org for assistance.
3. Women’s Health Awareness 2022 Conference – The 8th Annual Women’s Health Awareness Women’s Wellness Conference will be held virtually on Saturday, April 9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The theme is Transforming Communities by Enhancing Women’s Health. The event is free, but you must pre-register at www.niehs.nih.gov/WHAconference.
4. Welcome Baby’s Giving Closet – The Giving Closet is every Friday at the Durham County Cooperative Extension, 721 Foster St., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contactless pick-up, sizes based on availability. Please bring photo ID, proof of Durham address, and child(ren)’s Medicaid card/birth certificate (ages 0-5). Masks are required. You can call 919-560-7150 or visit www.welcomebaby.org.
5. Durham County Government is Hiring – Looking for a satisfying career in public service? Join Durham County’s local government team and make a difference in your community today! Durham County Government is a great place to live, work and thrive! Explore current job openings by visiting https://careers.dconc.gov. Please Note: Durham County is offering a $6,000 Sign-on Bonus for the following positions: Entry-level Deputy Sheriff, Detention Officer, and Telecommunicator; Entry-level EMS Technician and EMS Officer I; Senior Public Health Nurse and Entry-level Electrician, Plumber and HVAC Technician.
6. Diabetes Support Group – Whether recently or ever been diagnosed with diabetes, there is always something to learn about this complex condition. Join the Durham County Department of Public Health for our monthly support group on Tuesday, March 22 from 6 to 7 p.m. This VIRTUAL event is a great place to hear the latest information and resources. Please register at https://bit.ly/3sCrakX in advance to avoid cancellations.
7. Durham County on DTN – Be sure to tune into the Durham Television Network and the official Durham County YouTube Channel to watch our monthly “In Touch with Durham County” show, which highlights the people who make our County thrive, including this month’s edition featuring Commissioner Heidi Carter and Clerk to the Board Monica Wallace. You can also watch our County Commissioners’ meetings, which are broadcast live and rebroadcast. Find our YouTube at www.youtube.com/dcowebmaster and watch DTN on Spectrum Channel 8 and online www.durhamnc.gov/1104/Durham-Television-Network. 

Minutes:

• The Minutes of the February 28, 2022 Regular Session were approved.

Ceremonial Items

• The Board proclaimed March 2022 as Women’s History Month in Durham to recognize the month-long celebration of contributions made by women and girls to American and world history. Read the proclamation here.
• Commissioners also proclaimed March as March for Meals Month, honoring the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program. Read it here.
• The Board proclaimed March 22nd as “World Water Day 2022”. This year’s theme is “Groundwater: Making the Invisible, Visible.” Read the proclamation here.
• The Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation recognizing the harmful impacts of derogatory language when referring to justice-involved people and urging the use of person-first language in Durham County. Read the proclamation here.
• County Commissioners honored General Manager Claudia Odom Hager with a resolution of thanks in recognition of her laudatory and outstanding service as Durham County’s Interim County Manager. When asked to assume the reigns of leadership, she readily accepted the task of managing operations for the Durham County Government. Over the period, General Manager Hager worked with the organization’s leadership to make sure all services and projects proceeded in a seamless manner. Read the resolution here.
• The Board of County Commissioners officially welcomed the new County Manager, Dr. Kimberly J. Sowell, to Durham County Government, and the oath of office was administered. Following a rigorous and comprehensive executive search process, the Board unanimously selected Dr. Kimberly J. Sowell. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Sowell was an Assistant City Manager with the City of Greensboro. She holds a B.S in Accounting and an M.S. in Adult Education from North Carolina A&T State University, and recently defended her dissertation as a Ph.D. candidate in Leadership Studies at North Carolina A&T.

A summary of the Consent Agenda follows:

• The Board authorized the County Manager to enter into a contract in the amount of $72,695.46 with Strategic Connections to upgrade the audio-visual equipment in three (3) conference rooms located in the Criminal Justice Resource Center building.
• Commissioners reviewed and approved a resolution giving direction to the Durham County ABC Board on when it would be necessary for them to seek BOCC approval for a proposed salary for a Durham County ABC General Manager.
• The Board approved an amendment to increase a contract with “Davenport Group” in the amount of $930,000 for the provision of IS&T hardware and services.
• County Commissioners approved a budget ordinance amendment recognizing $23,552.01 in federal pass-through funding from the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management to support state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management agencies with the resources required for the implementation of the National Preparedness System.
• The Board approved the final budget for the second phase of the Douglas Daye Farm Conservation Easement and approved a Capital Project Amendment, decreasing the Open Space & Farmland Preservation Capital Project by $127,900 and Budget Amendment transferring $127,900 from the Pay-As-You-Go Capital Project Fund to the General Fund to support the purchase of the Douglas Daye Farm Conservation Easement.
• County Commissioners approved the final budget for the Needham Farm Conservation Easement and approved a Capital Project Amendment, decreasing the Open Space & Farmland Preservation Capital Project by $101,288 and Budget Amendment transferring $101,288 from the Pay-As-You-Go Capital Project Fund to the General Fund to support the purchase of a 32.67-acre conservation easement on the Needham Farm, known as Blazing Hill Farm.
• Commissioners approved a Budget Ordinance Amendment for Public Health to recognize $25,000 from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health for Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Programming.
• The Board of County Commissioners approved a Budget Ordinance Amendment for the Department of Social Services to recognize funds in the amount of $55,966 from the Adult Protective Services (APS) Essential Services Funds.
• Commissioners voted to approve the sole source exemption for the purchase and installation of two weirs for the rehabilitation of Train 1 oxidation ditch at the Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant in the amount of $46,867.82.
• The Board authorized the County Manager to execute the Master Declaration Agreement (MDA) with ZOM Living for the 500 E. Main St. Market-Rate Housing Development.
• The Board voted to approve the acceptance of a donated conservation easement on 2.2 acres by Deborah Fowler for 3111 Cheek Rd. (parcel ID 168413). The conservation easement will protect the northern portion of the property along Panther Creek, including the floodplain and a proposed trail corridor.
• Commissioners approved a Capital Project Amendment and a Budget Amendment appropriating $4,425,502 of Debt Service Fund Fund Balance, transferring $4,425,502 from the Debt Service Fund to the PAYGO fund, and using that funding to create the New Detention Center Critical Infrastructure Capital Project.
• The Board approved a new contract with Woolpert, Inc. dba Data Cloud Solutions in an amount not to exceed $126,150.
• The Board voted to increase the construction budget for the Northern Convenience Site project to $3,302,086 and to authorize the County Manger to execute future change orders with Harrod and Associates of Raleigh, N.C., and/or Kleinfelder, Inc.
• Commissioners approved an already budgeted transfer from the Capital Finance Plan Fund in the amount of $5,965,000 for Loan #1 supporting the 300 East Main Street Affordable Housing Redevelopment Master Declaration Agreement.
• The Board approved a Capital Project Amendment increasing nine Durham Public Schools (DPS) existing capital projects and creating a new Energy and Sustainability capital project for a total increase of $3.5 million across all projects using 2020 LOBs funding.
• County Commissioners approved a resolution establishing January 1, 2025, as Durham County’s next General Reappraisal and establishing a four-year revaluation cycle thereafter.
• The Board approved a Budget Ordinance Amendment to create three (3) Nurse positions for the Public Health Department that were previously realigned to support compliance efforts. No additional dollars are required to support the expense in FY 2022-23, funding is achieved using existing dollars. In addition, the Board is requested to establish an Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Coordinator position (1 FTE) and transfer $50,500 across Functional Areas.
• The Board authorized the Board Chair to sign an agreement rectifying a previous agreement entered to provide oversight to employee functions.

Other business:

• Commissioners approved a Capital Project Amendment and a Budget Amendment appropriating $520K of General Fund fund balance and transferring the funding to the PayGo Fund to fund the Public Art Screen Wall Installation of the 300 Block East Main Redevelopment Capital Project.

The Board adjourned into a Closed Session to discuss legal issues with staff.

Finally, the Board adjourned the meeting at 10:05 p.m.

Board meetings are cablecast live and rebroadcast on Durham Television Network (DTN) on Spectrum Channel 8. Replays are available on DTN along with AT&T U-verse Channel 99 and Frontier Communications Channel 70. Meetings can also be viewed on the County’s YouTube channel. To view the agendas and recordings of the BOCC’s Regular Session meetings, visit the BOCC’s Website.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 28, 2022, inside the Commissioners Chambers at 200 E. Main St. For more information about BOCC meetings, contact the Clerk to the Board’s Office at (919) 560-0025 or email clerk@dconc.gov.