The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners held their first Regular Meeting of 2025 at 9 a.m. in Room 118 of the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse.

To start the meeting, Cumberland County Director of Emergency Services Gene Booth presented an update on the implementation of voice dispatch technology, a critical initiative to improve dispatch efficiency and response times for first responders. 

According to Booth, the new system will be added to the current Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system to work for fire and EMS. 

“The typical way this works is, the fire dispatcher will click on a recommend button. It'll tell them, dependent upon the type call and where the location, what units need to respond. Then they verbalize that over the radio to the fire departments,” explained Booth. “What this will do is it'll take away that act of having to verbalize and it'll be automated through CAD over the radio to give them the dispatch, the location and the type call.” 

“What this does for emergency services in 9-1-1 is it allows that dispatcher the opportunity to answer the radio for all those units checking in around that are not using the mobile CAD at the time. So really, this really enhances the efficiency of our dispatch,” continued Booth. 

The new system will also allow first responders to have the choice in fire department alerting, giving them the choice in house alert systems ranging from siren, flashing lights to a digital board.  

This project, in partnership with the Cumberland County Fire Chief’s Association, was proposed as part of the FY25 budget. Emergency Services staff have identified the required components and vendors, secured equipment quotes, and, with input from the 911 Board, determined the total project cost of $164,714.76. This amount will be funded through both the Emergency Telephone System Fund and the general fund. According to Booth, once the system is in place there will be an 18- month implementation which will include procurement of necessary equipment for all first responders utilizing the system. 

The Board unanimously approved the following CONSENT AGENDA items:

A. Approval of Dec. 2, 2024 Special Meeting Minutes

B. Approval of Proclamation Honoring Fire Chief Ronnie Marley

C. Approval of Contract Amendments for Temporary Employment Services with Belflex Staffing Network, LLC, Manpower Group US, Inc. and the Mega Force Staffing Group, Inc.

D. Approval to Pay Prior Year Invoices

E. Update on Status of Chemours Litigation (Cumberland County v. The Chemours Company, The Chemours Company, FC, LLC, E.I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company, Dupont De Nemours, Inc., and Corteva, Inc. – Cumberland County File No. 22 CVS 1569) – This item was removed from the Consent Agenda and considered separately as an Item of Business (4D).

F. Lease of Parking Lot at 235 Person Street

G. Acceptance of Offer to Purchase Surplus Property Located at 400 Buhmann Drive, Fayetteville – This item was removed from the Consent Agenda and considered separately as an Item of Business (4E).

H. Approval of Budget Ordinance Amendment for the Jan. 6, 2025 Board of Commissioners' Agenda

The following ITEMS OF BUSINESS were discussed:

Consideration of Change Order #1 for Crown Complex Parking Lot Improvements: Jermaine Walker, Director of Engineering and Infrastructure, presented a change order for the Crown Coliseum parking lot improvements project. Originally funded as part of the FY22 Crown CIP, the project scope includes paving, striping and ADA pathway construction in several parking areas. Due to unforeseen site conditions, a change order of $120,058.35 was approved, increasing the contract amount from $1,034,491.10 to $1,154,549.45. The change order passed with a 5-1 vote.

Consideration of Change Order #1 for Emergency Services Center Chiller Replacement: Jermaine Walker, Engineering and infrastructure Director, presented a change order for the chiller replacement at the Cumberland County Emergency Services Center. After ongoing issues with the existing equipment, staff recommended a replacement. A temporary chiller was needed during installation to avoid disrupting operations. The change order of $13,250 increased the contract value from $419,000 to $432,250. The change order was unanimously approved.

Consideration of Change Order #1 for Corporation Drive Outfall Phase I: Jermaine Walker, Engineering and infrastructure Director, presented a change order for the Corporation Drive Sanitary Sewer Outfall project. Due to delays caused by rain and additional work required for dewatering and grading, the project budget was increased by $106,839.80. This raised the total contract amount from $1,616,318 to $1,723,157.80, and the project timeline was extended by 365 days to Jan. 20, 2025. The change order was unanimously approved.

Update on Status of Chemours Litigation (Cumberland County v. The Chemours Company, The Chemours Company, FC, LLC, E.I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company, Dupont De Nemours, Inc., and Corteva, Inc. – Cumberland County File No. 22 CVS 1569): Rick Moorefield, County Attorney, provided an update on the ongoing litigation with Chemours. The case, filed in Cumberland County Superior Court, has had its trial date pushed to no earlier than Sept. 10, 2025. There are no pending motions, but discovery is continuing. The current schedule includes key dates in 2025, with discovery closing in early March, summary judgment briefs due in mid-May, court-ordered mediation by May 30, 2025 and potential trial dates in September and October.

Acceptance of Offer to Purchase Surplus Property Located at 400 Buhmann Drive, Fayetteville: Rick Moorefield, County Attorney, presented information about the offer, which was for surplus property located at 400 Buhmann Drive, Fayetteville, that was acquired by the County and City of Fayetteville through tax foreclosure in 2016 for a purchase price of $8,582.96. The City has since conveyed its interest in the property to the County. The Board voted unanimously to accept an offer from Eric McAllister, on behalf of McAllister Real Estate Investments, LLC, to purchase the property for $8,585. The sale will be advertised and is subject to an upset bid process as outlined in G.S. § 160A-269. Additionally, the Board voted to place a 60-day moratorium on all future offers to purchase property and called for the Board’s Policy Committee to review the County’s current policy and bring it back to the Board’s scheduled agenda session on Feb. 13, 2025.

As a final act of business before moving into a closed session to further discuss the Chemours Litigation, the Board voted unanimously to appoint Vice Chairwoman Veronica Jones to the Alliance Health Board of Directors. 

 To view the agenda and supporting materials for this meeting, go to www.cumberlandcountync.gov/bocmeetingmaterials.