MID-CAROLINA
Council of Governments
Creative Regional Solutions

April 16, 2020
News & Updates for the Mid-Carolina Region
For Your Information
Executive Order 131
Medical Volunteers Needed
FTA CARES Act Apportionments and FAQs
ICMA Free COVID-19 Webinar
Fourth Tranche of COVID-19 Response Funding
New COVID-19 Resources
CDFA-ARI Rural Finance Webinar Series
2020 Rural Day
Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act Signed into Law
New on RuralTransportation.org
2020-2022 NADO Board of Directors
Executive Order 131
To promote social distancing and slow the spread of COVID-19, Governor Cooper issued Executive Order 131 limiting the number of people that can shop at one time and requiring cleaning and hygiene measures to protect employees and the general public. The Order also requires long-term care facilities to take steps to lower the risk of spreading the virus. The Order speeds up the unemployment benefits process by removing restrictions for employers who are filing a batch of claims on behalf of their employees.  Click here for more information.
Medical Volunteers Needed
As COVID-19 continues to spread, medical volunteers are asked to sign up to aid in the effort to combat the virus. Governor Cooper's Executive Order 130 w idened the pool of potential health workers, and out of state licensed workers, retired health care professionals, students training for health care jobs and unlicensed, skilled volunteers are encouraged to sign up.  Click here for more information.
FTA CARES Act Apportionments and FAQs
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law on March 27 makes available $25 billion in funding for public transportation operations, maintenance, capital, and administrative expenses. $2.2 billion of the total funding is focused on rural transit and the federal share is up to 100 percent at the discretion of the recipient. Funds are available until expended. Visit FTA’s CARES Act Page for Section 5307, Section 5311, and Section 5311C apportionments and FAQs about eligible expenses.
ICMA Free COVID-19 Webinar
The International City/County Management Association is offering a free webinar entitled Managing Crisis Communications During the COVID-19 Pandemic . The webinar will feature three subject matter experts that will share strategies and insights to help make outreach and engagement efforts more effective during this challenging time.  Click here for more information.
Fourth Tranche of COVID-19 Response Funding
Last week, lawmakers began working on a bill containing a fourth tranche of funding in response to COVID-19, following the passage of H.R. 6074 , H.R. 6201 , and H.R. 748 – the first three tranches of COVID-19 response funding – all of which were passed by Congress and signed into law throughout the month of March.

In a fourth bill, Congress and the White House are looking to prioritize small business relief, however, debate over certain provisions and allocation of funding has reduced the likelihood of swift passage of a fourth bill. At the request of the White House, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell aimed to expedite the approval of $250 billion in additional aid for small businesses to mitigate the economic impacts of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are looking to emphasize specific priorities in the next round of funding, including funding for small businesses owned by women, veterans, and minorities; the provision of additional funding for state and local governments; additional funding for hospitals; and additional funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP). Despite some differing priorities, lawmakers will continue to work toward a fourth economic response bill to combat the effects of COVID-19.
New COVID-19 Resources
CDFA-ARI Rural Finance Webinar Series
The CDFA-ARI Rural Finance Webinar Series will be held on May 6 and July 8 . The Council of Development Finance Agencies has partnered with the Alliance for Rural Impact to develop this webinar series to serve rural America and the unique challenges they face. This webinar series will cover both the immediate development finance solutions that communities can implement to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 as well as the tools and resources being developed to rebuild. Click here to learn more and register.
2020 Rural Day
A message from our friend Patrick Woodie of the NC Rural Center …

“As the world is adjusting to the COVID-19 outbreak, so is the NC Rural Center. To protect the health and safety of our rural advocates and the communities we serve, we have decided to revamp our upcoming June 2020 Rural Day from an in-person event to a virtual speaker series. Though we are still ironing out the details for our Rural Talk: An Advocacy Speaker Series , we are committed to delivering the best and most cutting-edge content and to empowering our rural advocates with the tools necessary to make their voices heard. Our aim is to host this virtual series in May. Stay tuned to our social media and your inbox for details. ”
Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act Signed into Law
On March 25, the “ Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020 ” ( H.R. 4334 ), which reauthorizes the Older Americans Act (OAA) through 2024, was signed into law by the President following its passage in Congress.

This reauthorization of the OAA indicates a strong commitment to the provision of support for our nation’s older Americans, ensuring that these individuals can receive services like in-home personal care , healthy and consistent meals , t ransportation to essential medical appointments and other engagements , and access to legal services including those that prevent elder abuse and reduce social isolation . This reauthorization also supports the needs of unpaid and family caregivers who are playing an increasingly significant role in supporting the needs of older adults, especially at this critical time.

The funding increase shows strong federal support for funding levels that will allow Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) to not only continue – but also expand upon – the important work they do to support the needs of older adults. The reauthorization also preserves AAA’s “right of first refusal,” an important legislative priority that regional councils and the National Association of Development Organizations advocated for, working closely with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging . Click here for n4a’s statement on the OAA being signed into law.
New on RuralTransportation.org
New resources have recently been added to NADO and RPO America’s online clearinghouse RuralTransportation.org. These resources include:




For these and other resources, visit www.RuralTransportation.org .
2020-2022 NADO Board of Directors
The newly elected National Association of Development Organizations Board of Directors for the Southeast, Midwest, and West regions, as well as the Associate Member category was recently announced. The new Board of Directors, elected by their peers, will serve a two-year term that begins May 1, 2020 and concludes April 30, 2022 . The following NADO members were elected :

Midwest Region
  • Denise Bulat, Executive Director, Bi-State Regional Commission (Rock Island, IL)
  • Nicole Griensewic Mickelson, Executive Director, Region Nine Development Commission (Mankato, MN)
  • Sheldon Johnson, Executive Director, Northwest Regional Planning Commission (Spooner, WI)
  • Matt McCauley, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Networks Northwest (Traverse City, MI)
  • Steven Ray, Executive Director, North Central Indiana Regional Planning Commission (Peru, IN)
  • Lenny Eliason, Commissioner, Athens County (Marietta, OH)

Southeast Region
  • Joe Barker, Executive Director, Southwest Tennessee Development District (Jackson, TN)
  • Lisa Cooper, Executive Director, Northern Kentucky Area Development District (Florence, KY)
  • Matthew Dolge, Executive Director, Piedmont Triad Regional Council (Winston Salem, NC)
  • Tommy Goodwin, Executive Director, South Delta Planning & Development District (Greenville, MS)
  • Justin Hembree, Executive Director, Mid-Carolina Council of Governments (Fayetteville, NC)
  • Patricia Hartung, Executive Director, Upper Savannah Council of Governments (Greenwood, SC)
  • Keith Jones, Executive Director, Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments (Muscle Shoals, AL)
  • Laura Mathis, Executive Director, Middle Georgia Regional Commission (Macon, GA)
  • Ron Mitchum, Executive Director, Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (North Charleston, SC)
  • Chris Rietow, Executive Director, Apalachee Regional Planning Commission (Tallahassee, FL)
  • Pat Steed, Executive Director, Central Florida Regional Planning Commission (Bartow, FL)
  • Jason Vincent, Executive Director, Pennyrile Area Development District (Hopkinsville, KY)
  • Calvin Newsom, Supervisor, Marion County-District 5, Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District (Columbia, MS)

West Region
  • Lisa Dawson, Executive Director, Northeast Oregon Economic Development District (Enterprise, OR)
  • Sheryl Gonzales, Executive Director, Western Nevada Development District (Carson City, NV)
  • Dave Doran, Executive Director, Southeast Idaho Council of Governments (Pocatello, ID) *
  • Bob Nash, Executive Director, Superior California Economic Development District (Redding, CA) and Director, Bella Vista Water District

Associate Representatives
  • Jim Youngquist, Director, Arkansas Economic Development Institute (Little Rock, AR)
  • Kevin Adam, Legislative Liaison, Arizona Rural Transportation Advisory Council (Phoenix, AZ)
  • Linda Salmonson, Economic Development Manager, East River Electric Power Co-op (Madison, SD)

Ex Officio (Past Presidents)
  • Terry Bobrowski, Executive Director, East Tennessee Development District (Alcoa, TN)
  • John Bruner, CVADD Board Member, Cumberland Valley Area Development District (London, KY)
  • Peter Gregory, Executive Director, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (Woodstock, VT)
  • Lynne Keller Forbes, Executive Director, South Eastern Council of Governments (Sioux Falls, SD)
  • Vernon (Randy) Kelley, Executive Director, Three Rivers Planning & Development District (Pontotoc, MS)
  • Scott Koons, Executive Director, North Central Florida Regional Planning Commission (Gainesville, FL)
  • Leanne Mazer, Executive Director, Tri-County Council for Western Maryland (Frostburg, MD)
  • Tim Ware, Executive Director, NC Association of Regional Councils of Government (Wake Forest, NC)
Share Your Good News
If you have news, events, announcements or other items you would like included in an upcoming FYI, please email Justin Hembree , MCCOG.

Please let us know if you have questions, need additional details about the information we have shared or if there is a way the Council can be of service.
Mid-Carolina Council of Governments
Mid-Carolina Council of Governments is a multi-county, planning, development, and human services organization. We reach across county and municipal borders to provide technical assistance to our local governments and to administer programs that benefit our region’s citizens.

Our mission is to provide creative regional solutions to relevant and emerging issues in Cumberland , Harnett, and Sampson Counites while providing a standard of excellence in the delivery of federal, state, and regional services for our local governments and the people they serve.