The Alamance Chamber has long been an advocate for small business and know they are key to a community’s economic health. We’re proud to be a partner in the organization and funding of a new Community Recovery Loan program.
The Chamber has partnered with Alamance County, the Alamance County Economic Development Foundation, and the Alamance Community Foundation to establish a small business revolving loan program for Alamance County businesses.
The program has been established through public-private funding from the Alamance County Economic Development Foundation and Alamance County Commissioners for $300,000 to initiate the program. The funds will be granted to the Alamance Community Foundation which will then work with Self-Help Credit Union to administer the loans. As a bonus, as loans are repaid, funds will be loaned out to new borrowers creating a revolving source of funding assistance for our business community.
“Many businesses in our community have been impacted by the Coronavirus and need a lifeline for recovery” said Mac Williams, President of the Alamance Chamber. “We are proud to announce this fund for local businesses to help them as they adjust and adapt their business not only to the current and post-COVID-19 economy but, importantly, for the longer term.”
Paired with the funding will be technical support from the Alamance Community College Small Business Center and Self-Help. The program wants to make sure businesses have not only the financial boost they may need, but also help to ensure they can address any business-related issues to maximize return on recovery efforts. Assistance can begin with help completing the application, then move to specific business issues such as legal, marketing or bookkeeping.
Want to learn more? Visit the Community Recovery Loan Program webpage for details, flyers in English and Spanish, and the link to apply.
Please share with business connections, associations, churches and other groups you think may be interested in the program.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Alamance County Board of Commissioners’ Regular Meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 20, 2020 at 7 p.m. in the County Commissioners’ Meeting Room located on the 2nd Floor of the County Office Building, 124 West Elm Street, Graham, NC 27253.
The health and safety of its residents continues to be the highest priority of Alamance County. Under the Governor’s Executive Order 141 Section 7, governmental operations are exempt from the prohibition on Mass Gatherings. In recognition of the Governor’s Recommendations to Promote Social Distancing and Reduce Transmission, there will be limited seating available. In order to ensure the health and safety of the Board, staff and general public, access to the regular meeting is available in the following 3 ways:
There will also be a link on the county home page (https://www.alamance-nc.com) above the banner that will say “Click Here to watch Live Commissioners Meeting”
A public comment form will be available on the Alamance County website for any persons wishing to submit written comments prior to the start of the meeting. These written comments will be entered into the record and minutes at the July 20th Regular Meeting.; or
Persons wishing to participate in public comments by telephone must provide the Clerk to the Board with their name, address, topic to be discussed, and telephone number by calling 336-290-0403 and leaving a message. Then at the appropriate time during the Commissioners’ meeting on July 20th at 7 p.m. the citizen will be called to submit their comments verbally by phone.
All County policies regarding the 3-minute limit per comment and number of public comments in the 30-minute period will apply. A copy of this Notice shall be posted on the bulletin board located outside of the Commissioners’ Meeting Room on the 2nd Floor of the County Office Building. A copy of the Notice shall be sent to all parties who have requested and receives notification of any changes in the Commissioners’ Regular Meeting schedule.
The Board of Health is pleased to announce that they have completed the Interim Health Director search after a competitive application and interview process. The Board offered the position of Interim Health Director to Alexandria Rimmer, MPH, and she has accepted the position. Rimmer will assume the health director duties beginning July 31, 2020 at 5pm.
Rimmer is currently employed by the Health Department as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist. She has been employed with the Health Department since 2018. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from Liberty University.
“I am truly honored to be offered this opportunity to lead the health department during this transition,” said Rimmer. “I am eager to assist the department in a leadership capacity as we continue to respond to COVID-19 and also remain dedicated to our other public health functions.”
The Board of Health has formed a Search Committee and will be meeting in the coming weeks to begin the process to appoint a permanent Health Director.
Raleigh, N.C. – NC State Extension announced that Kianna Cook is completing an Extension internship this summer with the Alamance County Center.
An Extension summer intern works with Extension personnel to deliver hands-on, educational programs. Job shadowing and mentoring help interns learn about the mission and work of North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Cook will be working closely with the 4-H and Family and Consumer Sciences (food/nutrition) programs during her internship. She will also learn about the horticulture, field crops, and livestock programs.
“Extension makes a positive difference in the community every day. We provide educational programs that connect communities with research-based information. Our internship program is another way we help prepare students for challenging and rewarding careers in food, agriculture, natural resources, and family and consumer sciences” said Dr. Richard Bonanno, Associate Dean of the NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director of NC State Extension.
Cook is a senior from North Carolina State University majoring in Applied Nutrition and minoring in Psychology, and is a native of Franklinton, NC.
The Alamance County Inspections Department is excited to announce the first participant in the Alamance Fire Sprinkler Incentive Program! Concept Builders of Burlington is pleased to take advantage of the program with a home they are building at 1025 Soapstone Trail in Snow Camp.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, “Home fire sprinklers can dramatically reduce the heat, flames, and smoke produced in a fire. Properly installed and maintained fire sprinklers help save lives.”
To encourage home fire sprinkler installations, the Alamance County Inspections Department created the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Program in order to promote public safety, raise awareness of the benefits of home fire sprinkler systems, and help defray the cost of their installation in new homes. This program discounts the cost of a new home permit by 50% when a non-required home fire sprinkler system is installed. There is also no fee charged for the plan review or permit for the sprinkler system itself.
The Inspections Department wishes to promote public awareness of this important safety feature via our incentive program. Per the NFPA, United States fire departments responded to an estimated 1,318,500 fires in 2018. These fires resulted in 3,655 civilian fire fatalities and 15,200 civilian fire injuries; most or all of these could have been prevented if homes were protected by a residential fire sprinkler system. Fire sprinklers are required by law in all new residential construction in places like California, Maryland and Washington DC. The hope is that residents will become more informed about this important safety feature.
June 26, 2020 – Alamance County Health Director Stacie Saunders has announced she is resigning her position at the Health Department effective July 31. Saunders will join the Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services as Public Health Director effective August 3.
“This is an incredible health department and I am so proud of the work we have done together including improving access to birth control methods, committing to better birth outcomes by making Centering Pregnancy our standard of care for maternity, expanding Children’s Dental Health Clinic services to schools, and combating multiple communicable disease threats, including the current novel coronavirus pandemic,” Saunders said of her time in Alamance. “This health department is filled with dedicated individuals, committed to serving the people of this community. It has been an honor to serve alongside these public health champions every day.”
Saunders began her public health career at Alamance County Health Department in 2007 in a grant-funded position aimed at reducing infant mortality. Saunders has served as the Public Health Director for Alamance County since 2014.
The Alamance County Board of Health will appoint an interim Health Director in the coming weeks.
The Alamance County Public Libraries will begin offering computer appointments beginning Monday, June 29, 2020. Computer sessions will be limited to one hour per day. Session times are as follows: Monday, Wednesday and Friday
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
The library is not open to the public at this time as access to the building is for computer use. To schedule your session, please contact your branch by phone:
Please be advised that Century Link/AT&T is experiencing outages that affect 911 service for residents in the Gibsonville area. Some residents are unable to use their landline or internet service phone to call 911.
Alamance County urges customers in this area to use a cell phone or find alternate options to contact the Alamance County Communications Center (911) in case of emergency.
Century Link/AT&T is currently unable to give estimates for time of repair, but staff are working to restore service as quickly as possible.
Alamance County will continue to provide updates as new information is received.
The Alamance County Manager has submitted his proposed budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 to the Alamance County Board of Commissioners. A public hearing on the proposed budget ordinance will be held on Monday, June 15, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. in the Alamance County Historic Courthouse located at: 1 Court Square, Graham, NC 27253.
The health and safety of its residents continues to be the highest priority of Alamance County. Under the Governor’s Executive Order 141 Section 7, governmental operations are exempt from the prohibition on Mass Gatherings. In recognition of the Governor’s Recommendations to Promote Social Distancing and Reduce Transmission, there will be limited seating available at the Alamance County Historic Courthouse. Pursuant to Executive Order 141 Section 4, press will be permitted to attend. All interested citizens wishing to comment on the budget can do so in the following ways:
Oral Comments – Citizens wishing to make oral comments may attend the public hearing on Monday, June 15th at 7:00pm at the Alamance County Historic Courthouse, Graham, NC. (There will be limited seating available.)
Additionally, persons wishing to submit their public comments orally during the meeting, may do so by telephone. These persons must provide the Clerk to the Board with their name, address, topic to be discussed, and telephone number by calling 336-290-0403 and leaving a message no later than 9:00 P.M. on June 14th. Then at the appropriate time during the Commissioners’ meeting on June 15th at 7:00 P.M. the citizen will be called to submit their comments verbally by phone.
Written Public Comments – Beginning June 4th, citizens are encouraged to submit written public comments for the June 15th budget public hearing:
A public comment form will be available on the Alamance County website for any persons wishing to submit written comments prior to the start of the meeting. Written comments received prior to the start of the June 15th meeting will be entered into the record and minutes at the June 15th Regular Meeting.
The proposed budget ordinance is available online on the Alamance County website:
The recommended General Fund Tax Rate is $0.67 per $100 of assessed valuation. Recommended tax rates for fire districts are:
Fire District
Current Tax Rate
Proposed Tax Rate
54 East
0.0900
0.0900
Altamahaw-Ossipee
0.1400
0.1400
E. M. Holt
0.1175
0.1175
East Alamance
0.1050
0.1050
Eli Whitney/87South
0.0800
0.1100
Elon
0.1100
0.1200
Faucette
0.1100
0.1200
Haw River
0.1350
0.1350
North Central Alamance
0.1150
0.1150
North Eastern Alamance
0.1000
0.1000
Snow Camp
0.0950
0.0950
Swepsonville
0.0900
0.0900
An overview of the 2020-2021 proposed general fund budget includes:
Fiscal year 2020-21 budget totals $209,166,397
Property tax rate is recommended to remain at $0.67
Property tax revenue is projected to increase due to overall tax base growth by 2.5% or $2,458,374
Sales tax revenue is projected to decrease by 20% from projected FY 19-20 amounts.
Makes use of $3,500,000 in appropriated fund balance for operations, $1,518,539 less than the previous year’s allocation
Uses $1,066,719 in designated funds from sources including revaluation, performance management savings, etc. and $221,824 for grant matching funds
Reduces proposed general fund spending by $14,101,278 from budget retreat requests, and $4,289,171 from previous fiscal year general fund spending
Eliminates County CIP funding, limits capital equipment to public safety only
Provides funding for the Alamance County Capital Finance Plan for ABSS’ and ACC’s proposed bond costs and paygo projects at a reduced level for ABSS due to decreased restricted sales tax revenue
Eliminates the 2.0% merit increase for County employees
Freezes hiring for 25 full time employee and 5 part time employee positions
Adds one new School Resource Officer employee funded by ABSS contract
Accommodates required $884,968 increase for employee retirement costs and retiree insurance
Reduces education operations spending by $500,000
Recommends approval of fire district tax increases for Faucette, Elon and Eli Whitney VFDs
This 3rd day of June 2020. Tory M. Frink, Clerk to the Board Alamance County