Our Insights page offers original content developed by Centralina's experts, including commentary and analysis, reports and our Capitol Corner, which highlights the latest news from Washington D.C. and Raleigh. You'll also find links to resources and meeting materials.
On Friday, May 28, President Biden sent Congress a $6 trillion budget request for FY22. This is the Biden Administration’s first full budget, detailing the framework version that was outlined on April 9. It is also the first budget in ten years without spending caps in place.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board (WDB) is proud to introduce the new Centralina WDB Mobile Application for Android and iPhone users. This app was developed to provide a central location for users to access employment services provided by the Centralina WDB and NCWorks Career Centers. The app serves as a central point of information for workforce development services including hiring events, workshops, employer services, event details and career assessments.
Beatriz (Bea) Rodriguez, originally from Colombia, South America, has been appointed as the new Centralina Workforce Development Board(WDB) member. In her role with the Centralina WDB, Bea will represent the healthcare sector and Cabarrus County.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected older adults and individuals with disabilities, especially more disproportionately than other demographic groups. As a result, many agencies and organizations that provide support reduced or curtailed their services in order to protect employees and volunteers from possible exposure to COVID-19 and to prevent the spread of the illness to individuals they served.
Part of Centralina’s mission is to support older adults and those with disabilities, including dementia. One way we fulfill this mission is by leading an initiative called Dementia Friendly Charlotte Mecklenburg (DFCM) that seeks to increase awareness and enhance the lives of people living with dementia and those who care for them.
Through our dementia education sessions, Centralina has created over 500 Dementia Friends in the last two years. Dementia Friends are ambassadors that pledge to teach their communities about this illness, how to interact/communicate with those individuals and how to be a good community partner. In addition to education, we can also certify communities and businesses as “dementia friendly” and are currently in the pilot stages of certifying our first business. For more information on becoming a dementia friendly community or a Dementia Friend, contact the Centralina Area Agency on Aging.
Abuse and neglect of older persons is grossly under-reported and under-recognized. Estimates reveal that only one out of every twenty-three cases of mistreatment is reported to be investigated. Public education campaigns are vital for informing communities about elder abuse, which is why the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse promotes the 7th Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD).
In March 2021, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) approved the Centralina Economic Development District (EDD) Disaster Relief Coordinator Grant to support increasing capacity and coordinating inter-local resources to enhance economic resiliency and disaster response systems. The EDA and the Centralina EDD recognize that the increased frequency of natural hazard events, the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing need for immediate recovery and resilience, requires regional collaboration to strengthen response and recovery efforts. The project supports regional emergency management capacity, to meet and plan for recovery, response and resiliency efforts.
May is Older Americans’ Month—a time to celebrate Communities of Strength. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy designated May as Senior Citizens’ Month, and it eventually became known as Older Americans’ Month. At that time, there were only 17 million Americans age 65 or older. About a third of those older adults lived in poverty, and there were few programs to meet their needs.
On Monday, May 10, the last day of the statutory limit, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued its long-awaited guidance and allocations distributing $65.1 billion each to cities and counties of all sizes.
The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Program (SLFRP) provides substantial flexibility for each government to meet local needs — including support for households, small businesses, impacted industries, essential workers, and the communities hardest hit by the crisis. These funds can also be used to make necessary investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.
According to the North Carolina Medical Journal, an estimated 21.4% of adults aged 65 years or older live with diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Per the CDC’s National Diabetes Statistics Report-2020, North Carolina is ranked 7th in the nation for diabetes related deaths. Diabetes is a complex condition requiring the person living with it to make ongoing decisions throughout the day to maintain their blood sugar levels to control short-term and long-term complications from the disease.
Federal funds are commonly passed through state agencies in North Carolina before being awarded to local governments, which can make the original funding source less obvious. Before proceeding with a procurement, local governments should verify whether an award originates from a federal source. This determination affects compliance obligations, including procurement standards, reporting, and audit requirements.
When a construction or repair contract over $300,000 involves a building, the procurement and contract are subject to additional requirements under N.C.G.S. 143-128. Therefore, this question must be answered to determine whether the additional statutory requirements apply to this procurement scenario.
The micro-purchase threshold is a federal procurement threshold under which competitive procurement is not required. The default micro-purchase threshold is $15,000, but local governments may increase the micro-purchase threshold up to $50,000. An explanation of increasing the micro-purchase threshold and a template for the required annual self-certification is available here.