Agenda
25-0193. Award of Contract for Bliss Products and Services, Inc. in the amount of $246,815.70, to replace three (3) sections of bleacher seating at Durham County Memorial Stadium (RFP 25-023)
The Board is requested to authorize the County Manager to execute a service contract with Bliss Products and Services, Inc. in the amount of $ 246,815.70 for the removal and replacement of three (3) sections of bleacher seating at Durham County Memorial Stadium. This project supports ongoing infrastructure improvements at Durham County Memorial Stadium. As part of Risk Management ’s safety inspection of the facility, it has been determined that the aging wood and vinyl encapsulated seating needs replacement to improve the safety of the patrons at Durham County Memorial Stadium. The Request for Proposal was opened January 3, 2025, and closed February 11, 2025. Bliss Products and Services, Inc. was selected by a committee to be the contracted vendor.
25-0390. Approval of Purchase of Goods Contract with Batteries of NC & S.W.S. LLC in the Amount of $656,331.78 for the Sheriff’s Office FY26 Vehicle Equipment
The Board is requested to approve and authorize the County Manager to execute a contract with Batteries of NC & S .W.S. LLC in the amount of $ 656,331.78 for the Sheriff’s Office FY 26 vehicle equipment. Funding was previously budgeted and exists to cover the costs of this contract. G.S. 143-129(e) allows local governments to be exempted from the competitive bidding requirements and purchase furnishings/equipment through group purchasing programs. This request will allow the Sheriff ’s Office to purchase emergency equipment and upfits for the FY 26 fleet. The equipment to be purchased includes, but not limited to emergency lights, sirens, computer stands and associated mounting systems. Vehicles will be assigned and deployed after the equipment is installed.
25-0391. Approval of FY 2025-26 Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) Grant Funding Resolution
The Board is requested to approve a one -year extension of the Governor ’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) Grant for the Sheriff ’s Office and have the Chairwoman sign the Resolution. In FY 22, the Governor ’s Highway Safety Program awarded the Durham County Sheriff ’s Office a four -year step -down reimbursement grant that requires a local match at varying percentages each year to fund three sworn deputy positions to work traffic enforcement. This renewal, and all subsequent renewals, will require a local match of seventy -five percent (75%) and a federal allocation of twenty-five percent (25%). For FY 26, the local match will be in the amount of $215,260 (75%) and a federal allocation in the amount of $ 71,754 (25%); for a total amount of $ 287,014. The BOCC initially approved these funds on September 13, 2021 (21-0550). The Governor ’s Highway Safety Program helps fund law enforcement agencies to reduce traffic crashes in North Carolina. The Sheriff ’s Office will work to reduce traffic accidents across Durham County in the following categories: · Overall Fatalities · Alcohol Fatalities · Unrestrained Fatalities · Speed Related Fatalities · Motorcycle Fatalities · Teen Fatalities · Pedestrian Fatalities
25-0402. Approve Contract Award to Froehling and Robertson, Inc., for Professional Engineering Services for Materials Testing for Chin Page, Page Park, Slater Lift Stations and Pipeline Construction for the Utilities Division in the Amount of $124,913.00 with a Not to Exceed Amount of $138,000.00
The Board is requested to approve a contract award and authorize the County Manager to enter into a professional engineering services contract with Froehling and Robertson, Inc ., in the amount of $ 124,913.00 with a not to exceed $ 138,000.00. Funding will be from the Sewer Enterprise Fund operating budget.
25-0408. Approval of the FY26 Durham Annual Transit Work Program Global Operating and Capital Agreements
The Board is requested to approve the FY 26 Durham Annual Transit Work Program Global Operating and Capital Agreements. The FY 2026 Durham Annual Transit Work Program (“Work Program ”) is the annual budget for the Durham Transit Plan and includes projected revenues, expenditures, as well as a Multi -Year Operating and Multi -Year Capital Improvement Program. The Work Program was approved by the Durham Board of County Commissioners on May 12, 2025, and the GoTriangle Board of Trustees on June 25, 2025. To be eligible to receive reimbursement for project expenditures identified in the Work Program, Durham County must enter into Global Operating and Capital Agreements (“Global Agreements ”) with GoTriangle, the Administrator of the Triangle Tax District, and the Triangle West Transportation Planning Organization (“Triangle West TPO ”) for projects that have been awarded federal funding. A global agreement is an operating or capital funding agreement that encompasses a discrete logical grouping of capital projects, transit operations or studies. The global agreements will allow the County to request reimbursement in FY 26 of up to $ 817,608 for the County -sponsored operating and capital projects. Durham County may also request reimbursement for any carryover capital projects identified in the Work Program. To be eligible to receive reimbursement for project expenditures identified in the Work Program, GoTriangle must enter into Global Agreements with Durham County and the Triangle West TPO for projects that have been awarded federal funding. The global agreements will allow GoTriangle to request reimbursement in FY 26 of up to $ 13,933,789 for the GoTriangle -sponsored operating and capital projects . GoTriangle may also request reimbursement for any carryover capital projects identified in the Work Program.
25-0426. Approval of Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 26BCC008 Cooperative Extension to Recognize $66,364 from Welcome Baby Smart Start Grant Program
The Board is requested to approve Approval of Budget Ordinance Amendment No . 26BCC008 Cooperative Extension to Recognize $ 66,364 from Welcome Baby Smart Start Grant Program This funding will support continued delivery of evidence -based parental support for Durham families with children ages 0-5.
25-0421. County Grant Landscape - The Department of Social Services and Public Health Department Update on Federal and State Policy Changes and Funding Implications (60min)
The Board is requested to receive the presentation on the County Grant Landscape. The Department of Social Services and the Public Health Department will provide a comprehensive update on the administration and performance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid programs in Durham County, with particular focus on recent federal policy shifts that may impact program funding and service delivery. Staff will present current program statistics, recent federal policy changes, operational challenges, and community impact data for both SNAP and Medicaid services. The presentation will emphasize potential funding reductions resulting from federal policy modifications and their anticipated effects on Durham County residents and county operations.
25-0422. Alliance Health Update on FY 2025-26 Budget (60min)
The Board is requested to receive an FY 2025-26 budget update from Alliance Health. Alliance Health will provide a comprehensive update on the administration and programming on with particular focus on recent federal policy shifts that may impact program funding and service delivery. Discussions will also share context on historical funding patterns.
25-0423. Golden LEAF Foundation Community-Based Grants Initiative - County Manager Endorsement Process (20 Minutes)
The Board is requested to receive an informational briefing on the process for the County Manager to endorse projects for the Golden LEAF Foundation ’s Community-Based Grants Initiative. Founded by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1999 to receive and manage a portion of the State of North Carolina ’s disbursement under the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement of 1998, the Golden LEAF Foundation was created to provide economic impact assistance to economically affected or tobacco -dependent regions of North Carolina in the form of grantmaking, collaboration, innovation, and other activities. Of its grantmaking efforts, one of Golden LEAF ’s most important grant programs is its Community -Based Grants Initiative (CBGI), through which the organization annually makes $ 11 million available for grants to public sector organizations (501(c) (3) nonprofits, local governmental entities, and institutes of higher education) within one of the North Carolina Department of Commerce Prosperity Zones. For Fiscal Year 2026, local governments and other eligible organizations located within Prosperity Zone 11 - which includes Durham County - will be eligible to apply for funding. Under the program, Golden LEAF will award up to three projects in any one County, with total funding allocated per County not exceeding $ 1.5 million. Generally, grants are awarded for projects that address one or more of the three Golden LEAF priority areas - Job Creation and Economic Investment, Workforce Preparedness, and Agriculture. As part of the Golden LEAF CBGI application process, a project must be endorsed by the County Manager of the County within which an organization is located. In order to facilitate this endorsement process for organizations within Durham County, the County has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to collect and evaluate proposed projects for the County Manager ’s endorsement. Under the RFP, the County will evaluate the proposals against an evaluation rubric that includes alignment with Golden LEAF ’s priority work areas and competitive criteria, potential impact on Golden LEAF ’s targeted communities, previous organizational success with similar projects, use of evidence-based practices, project readiness, and proposed budget. Once the County Manager endorses a project, the County will have no further role or responsibility in the grant process; selected organizations will apply directly to Golden LEAF and grants will be issued directly by Golden LEAF to the applicant organization. As clearly stated in the RFP, CBGI endorsement by the Manager will not create a commitment from Durham County to issues a grant or contract to the selected organizations nor create an obligation for future funding consideration.
25-0428. Adopt the Emergency Services Resolution for the 2025 Eno-Haw Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan
The Board is requested to adopt the resolution for the 2025 Eno-Haw Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. This plan is reviewed annually and updated every five years to assure compliance with all State and Federal regulations and that any needed revisions or amendments are developed and presented to the BOCC for approval . The plan is a multi -jurisdictional plan covering Alamance, Durham, Orange, and Person Counties. The citizens and property within Durham County are subject to the effects of natural hazards that pose threats to lives and cause damage to property. The plan incorporates knowledge and experience that certain areas of the region are particularly vulnerable to drought, excessive heat, hurricanes and coastal hazards, thunderstorm, tornado, winter weather, flooding, wildfire, hazardous substances, cyber threat, terrorism, and infrastructure failure. Planning is one of the best ways to develop a customized program that will mitigate the impacts of hazards while accounting for the unique character of a community. A well -prepared hazard mitigation plan will ensure that all possible activities are reviewed and implemented so that the problem is addressed by the most appropriate and efficient solutions. It can also ensure that activities are coordinated with each other and with other goals and activities, preventing conflicts and reducing the costs of implementing each individual activity. This plan provides a framework for all interested parties to work together toward mitigation. It establishes the vision and guiding principles for reducing hazard risk and proposes specific mitigation actions to eliminate or reduce identified vulnerabilities. In an effort to reduce the nation's mounting natural disaster losses, the U .S. Congress passed the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) to invoke new and revitalized approaches to mitigation planning. Section 322 of DMA 2000 emphasizes the need for state and local government entities to closely coordinate mitigation planning activities and makes the development of a hazard mitigation plan a specific eligibility requirement for any local government applying for federal mitigation grant funds. The City and County has performed a comprehensive review and evaluation of each section of the previously approved Hazard Mitigation Plan and has updated the said plan as required under regulations at 44 CFR Part 201 and according to guidance issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. The primary revisions for Durham identify some new hazard mitigation strategies related to stormwater management, facilities hardening measures, and land use, as outlined in Table 7.11 on Page 396.
25-0435. Citizen Comments (30min)
25-0377. Approval of Budget Ordinance Amendment No.26BCC007 Appropriating $1,500,000 of General Fund Fund Balance to support the Durham Affordable Housing Loan Fund
The Board is requested to approve Budget Ordinance Amendment No .26BCC007, appropriating $ 1,500,000 of General Fund Fund Balance to support the Durham Affordable Housing Loan Fund (DAHLF). The County Board of Commissioners in FY 2024-25 approved an appropriation of $ 1,000,000 to support the DAHLF, but the funding was not spent or encumbered by the end of the fiscal year. This budget action re -budgets that $ 1,000,000 as well as an additional $ 500,000 for a total of $1,500,000 to support the fund. The Durham Affordable Housing Loan Fund (Fund) is a revolving loan fund created in 2019 through a community roundtable process involving the Duke University ’s Office of Community Affairs, Self ‐Help, Durham County, the City of Durham, and members of the local housing development community. The initial contributions to the Fund have been loaned to affordable housing developers with zero defaults to date. The Fund Managers and partner organizations recognize the need to expand the Fund and have set a goal to raise an additional $ 20 million to create a $ 30 million Fund . The City and County have been asked to loan $ 1.5 million to the Fund, and Duke University intends to convert its initial $ 2 million senior loan to top loss funds . Together, this $ 5 million contribution will leverage $ 15 million in new senior loans to provide $ 30 million for the Fund. Please see the AAF Supplemental for descriptions of top loss funds and senior debt. In November 2024, the Board authorized loaning $ 1 million to the Durham Affordable Housing Loan Fund. This County commitment was instrumental in facilitating new conversations with community partners but was not sufficient for the Fund manager to seek senior debt funding from other partners. Now that the Fund partners have achieved the $ 5 million in top loss funds, Self -Help Fund managers will begin securing the additional $ 15 million from their other partners, and expect to have these additional funds available to developers by the end of this calendar year.