001[Music] It's time to go ahead and get us started. We're going to start with the pledge of allegiance. >> United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God. indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Take a moment, please. Gracious God, we gather here tonight with open hearts and um to service our community with our minds focused on the well-being of our neighbors. We ask for your wisdom to balance our resources with responsibility and for our hearts to remember that the human stories behind every policy and every service. We give thanks for the commitment of each person that is here tonight, their willingness to serve with integrity and compassion and for the opportunity for us to all come together in unity. Bless the work before us. May our presentations be
002informative. May our conversations be respectful, our decisions wise, and our actions just. Guide us and grant us patience and courage so that our decisions and discussions yield meaningful benefit and common good for the residents of our dear county. Amen. >> Amen. >> Um, next on our agenda tonight, we have the approval of the minutes. >> Approve. I have a first. Yep. >> A second >> and a second from Mr. Ford. Thank you both. Um we next up is the approval of the agenda. I do want to point one thing out on page three. Actually, the community support and outreach department. We're actually going to start with that. And um if that's okay, that's how it should have printed. If everyone has had a moment to look at that. Does anyone have any questions or concerns
003on the agenda? >> A motion to approve. Do we have a second? Second. >> All those in favor say I. >> I. All those who oppose the agenda is approved. Next, we're going to start with the division report starting with Miss Star. Okay. Uh, good evening everyone. I'm Stephanie Star. I'm the director of community support and outreach. Sorry. Great. Make sure everyone can hear me. Sorry about that. Um, I'm Stephanie Star. I am the director of community support and outreach. Going to give you some more information, just an overview of our department um this evening. Uh so community support and outreach um started in 2018 and the mission of um and we call it Cso for short. The mission of Cso is to provide services and education that facilitate self-sufficiency, healthy living, nutritional well-being, and
004chronic disease prevention. Many of our programs and services are governmentmandated and safety net services. And to that end, Cso programs and services fall primarily under the county's public safety strategic objective with a focus on health and welfare. And many of our programs also align with the community consensus and sustainability strategic objectives as well. So a little bit more about our our programs and services. Um the CSO um department has seven different programs that um can be divided into three main uh areas. The first areas are federally mandated economic stability programs, including our energy assistance programs and workforce. Our energy programs provide utility assistance and include the lowincome energy assistance program or LIAP and the crisis intervention program or SIP. The Work First program provides supportive services including job training, job placement assistance, retention counseling, childcare
005referrals, and transportation assistance to aid families in achieving self-sufficiency. Both programs are income based, receive federal funds passed through by the state, and follow federal and state policies. Our second area is our nutrition services um for vulnerable populations and that includes our special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children or wick and the senior nutrition program. WIC is also a federallymandated service and provides food to lowincome pregnant breastfeeding and postpartum women and their infants and children under the age of five. The program is income based, receives federal funds, and follows federal and state policies. Our senior nutrition program supplies congregate meals and programming at four meal sites and homed deliver meals to homebound seniors who cannot attend a congregate site. The program is partially funded by our home and community block grant or HCCBG
006um which is um both federal and state funds and it's part of the older Americans act funding. Uh unlike the other programs that I discussed a few seconds ago, um it is not specific criteria criteria are determined by the state and although the program isn't incomebased, over 80% of our participants fall below the federal poverty level. Our third area is our community outreach and engagement activities including volunteer coordination, health promotions and education, and our parenting program. Our outreach programs keep our community healthy, educate underserved populations, and ultimately decrease chronic disease and health care expenses. These outreach activities are a requirement of public health accreditation. We receive federal and state funding for some of those activities. Our volunteer program includes our Christmas bureau which provides holiday gifts and food to lowincome families. The volunteer income tax
007assistance program or VITA which offers free tax help to lower income individuals and families. School supplies to our foster care children and Easter baskets to both our foster care children and adult wards. This program is funded by donations as well as county funds. The parenting program provides a 13-week evidence-based intensive parenting program to families who are overwhelmed and struggling with parenting role or for those experiencing the early stages of child maltreatment and need intervention and treatment. Most of the referrals for that program come from DSS and the department of juvenile justice and the program is primarily funded with uh state grants. And in addition to these programs and services, CSO serves as a convenor of local service providers working to maximize partnerships, collaboratively identify key issues, and build a healthier Union County. The cso department
008is responsible for the community health assessment which is our mechanism to assess the community strengths and resources, health issues, emerging issues and community concerns and we call that the CHA for short. The CHA is required to be completed either every three or four years and is a public health accreditation requirement. We complete ours every 3 years and we do that in collaboration with Atrium and Novant Health and we are currently conducting our 2025 CHAW. CSO is also a member of the opioid settlement workg group. I know this uh slide has a lot of information. Our current funding um enables us to deliver services. Approximately 40% of our budget comes from either federal or state grants and approximately 60% comes from county funding. Uh we have 35 full-time staff, five benefited part-time staff, two part-time staff,
009and then we have three seasonal staff who provide um services and work during our LEAP season. So they're full-time during that season, but they're considered part-time. So it is a little confusing but that's what those numbers are about. And this is a very difficult slide to read. Uh but I'm just going to summarize this and actually the next page I know that you have printed copies of the slides as well. Um we have at least uh one performance measure for each of our programs. The success of our programs and therefore our ability to impact vulnerable community members are measured by the number or volume of sessions and activities provided. And I welcome you to look these over at your convenience. But I'm going to highlight some of um the information on these slides for our
010fiscal year of 25 which just ended at the end of June. So our parenting program increased service delivery by 55%. uh the average number of clients served by our wick program increased by 70 17%. Our work first program processed 5% more applications. And although our um clients served by our crisis assessment unit, which provides our um energy assistance programs, um the number of staff stayed the same, but we process 54% more SIP applications and 44% more LEAP applications, which is showing the the needs that we're having in our community. Um again I know this is a busy slide as well um and there are lots of accomplishments that um we have up here um but I'm going to summarize this as well. So over the last seven and a half years uh we have realigned
011services engaged in quality assurance projects and implemented new processes and systems that have improved the delivery of our programs and services. uh in short in a short period of time we achieved many successes that have furthered our mission as well as many of the county strategic objectives and I'm just going to name a few here. Um over the last 5 years we have grown and expanded the number of clients served by our wick parenting and our energy programs. uh between fiscal year 21 and 23. So that was during our COVID time, we implemented and distributed 11.5 million in rental and utility assistance through our emergency rental assistance program and that ensured that our residents remained in their homes and landlord received payments. Um, as I mentioned before, we collaborate with Novant Health and Atrium Health
012to complete our community health assessments and we did that in 2019, 2022 and we're doing that now in 2025. Um, we also engaged uh stakeholders and community partners to build sustainable services and community sens consensus work on community priorities through our Union County healthy advisory coalition, the opioid settlement work group, outreach efforts through our community engagement and health promotions team, and the creation of groups such as our substance use disorder task force and our mental health solutions group. As I've mentioned a few times already, um the programs and services in Cso are safety net services and provide for the health and welfare of Union County residents. As such, we want to make sure that residents have access to them. We know that some residents are unable to access services and that that they need due
013to factors such as lack of transportation, lack of available services outside of work hours or a lack of child care. We also know that the reason that some people do not obtain services is because they are unaware of the programs and services that are actually available to them. As such, one of our key initiatives um is to provide increased access to programs and services by reducing barriers, educating the community about our programs and services, expanding our our delivery options, utilizing program flexibilities, and by bringing these services out in the community where access is limited when that's appropriate. Our second um key initiative is to facilitate facilitate community partnerships and conversations to address issues impacting Union County residents. And again, we do that by facilitating and participating in coalitions, task force, um forces, committees, and workg
014groups. And we do again facilitate a good number of those ourselves. And last but not least, um going to talk a little bit about our challenges and issues. So, as everyone knows, Union County is growing. Um and as it grows, so do the needs of our community. According to projections from the North Carolina of state budget and management, between 2022 and 2042, the population in our county is expected to increase by 51%. and the 65 plus population is expected to increase by 120%. That means that we need to make sure that we are that there are programs and services available to those who are most vulnerable and ensure that we are meeting the strategic objective of meeting the public health and welfare of community members. And going hand inand with the population growth is funding
015challenges and issues. Uh federal and state funding for many of our programs, including our energy assistance and um even programs for our older adults, have decreased. While the need continues to grow due to increased housing, utility and and food costs and there are limited resources in our community that are available. uh the need for affordable mental health and substance use services has increased and unfortunately again there is limited availability of of services in our county and our count our senior nutrition program and I know I believe I've talked about this before depends on volunteers to deliver meals and when volunteers are unavailable our staff have to jump in and that puts extra burdens on our staff too but despite all these uh challenges. There are definitely opportunities. Um our program managers and supervisors are always
016looking at ways to improve operations and service delivery. And one successful example of this is in our WIC program. WIC uh staff have utilized increased state flexibilities in policy and improved communication with participants and as a result the wait time for new appointments decreased from 46 days in February to 8 days in June and that's continued. That's pretty huge. Um Cso programs have used community partnerships to enhance service delivery. Uh, in May, Union County Senior Nutrition Program began collaborating with Food for Families NC, a nonprofit in Indian Trail, to deliver weekly bags of groceries to seniors who are waiting for permanent placement in the county's home delivered meal program. So, at least they're getting some meals um from another source. We are also always looking for ways to um find additional funding. And in for
017this year, our senior nutrition program received additional funding from our board of county commissioners and several municipalities to reduce our weight list. And in FY26, which is this year again, our parenting program enhanced funding um through DSS funds. and they are now serving the six and over population where we we were very limited in our capacity to do so before. We weren't able to until a couple of years ago actually. Um but this funding is allowing us to do a lot more of that. Um and that really concludes um my presentation about our department. Uh I welcome any questions that any of you have. So, Commissioner Sides had asked a question about the weight list for senior nutrition. And as of August, early August, we had 358 people on the waiting list, which is down
018from the mid600s. Still a lot, but uh but down from the mid600s. And we will take off 110 from that. uh by the end of September and that is due to the funding that had come from the board of commissioners and from the municipalities who have decided to partner with us. Um in addition the way that the weight list has been reduced is through vetting of the seniors who are on the wait list and so those who are remaining are those who are we've gone through basically all of the weight list now. And so those remaining are the ones who still are uh actively in their homes and needing assistance. The other thing I would mention is when we talk about this again, it will not be uh 248 on the waiting list even though
019we take off 110 in all likelihood because we have 25 to 30 additional apply um at least every month. So is that helpful? >> Yes. >> Yeah. And I also want to mention that um thank you Janet. I was going to say that that it's not a it's not going to evenly balance out because we're always adding people. But we're we're really going to be working on um vetting that list throughout this year and coming up with really good processes to do that um to make sure that we're taking people off as there's no need. Um we also the funding that we are receiving um we are going to be providing warm meals. Um and so those folks who live in the outlying areas who require frozen meals, we're not going to be able to
020add them or take them off the weight list right now. So I did want to add that component to it, too. Let me just say as one of your county commissioners, I have and will continue to try my best to secure funding to make sure people that need it get fed. I until some recent health challenges that has taken away my ability to drive. I my wife and I served as a volunteer to deliver and it was very obvious that we were the only interaction some of these people had with the out outside world or uh other folks from from county services and just to interact with these people and see how appreciative they are for what we can provide for them. Believe me, there this is not a fluff government giveaway program. These are
021people who look forward to this each week because this is the only substantial meal that they will receive. It got so much under my skin. There's one client serving who has this old dog and I mean old dog figuratively is an obviously an older age dog. So we started taking treats to the dog each week. So dad got fed and the dog got a got a treat and it got to the point where the dog was looking for us. So we got to where's where's my treat? >> Love that. But it is it is the most uh from personally for me satisfying volunteer opportunity other than this board of course that I've had the opportunity to be involved in providing a basic need of of food for for people who don't have the ability to
022get to the grocery store don't have a family member in the home that can provide these services or um the ability themselves to transport and get it or prepare it. It is one in my opinion it is one of the core basic services that our local government can provide for our CI citizens and I will continue to advocate whether it's successfully or unsuccessfully to increase funding until there is zero weight list for people getting meals and people getting inhome services because I have seen seen firsthand how critical they are for these citizens of our county. Thank you. We really appreciate your advocacy because I I believe that really helped us to secure or it did help secure that funding from the county commissioners. So, we really appreciate it. And I will echo I I also
023deliver meals um once a month and I know Janet delivers meals as well and a few other folks in here I think do as well and it it is very very rewarding. Um and I encourage everyone in here to sign up to do that if they're able to do so. >> I just had a question. What were some of the vetting reasons to remove people from the list? So, well, it more of it was that we didn't have the staff. So, that it's our program is staffed with um three part or benefited part or four benefited part-time site managers. So, they work at the sites um to get the meals out so they don't have extra hours. We have two part-time folks that fill in um and help out with that and also um um
024deal with the all the volunteers who might cancel and and so forth. that are filling that are really working on making sure we do that and get everything staffed. Um, and then our full we only have two full-time staff and and all of them, you know, one of them goes out and does all the assessments. We just didn't have the staff um to continuously keep up with the weight list um the way we wanted to. We would send letters out twice a year um to people and say, "Hey, if you don't want to be on the wait list, give us a call." Um, and sometimes people would call, but most often they wouldn't. So, we were able to get some assistance from a few other staff um, in the building um, who had a little
025availability and so we made calls. Um, we did have people on the wait list from 2022 23. So, that's really what I mean by that. We just wanted to get through the weight list um, and make sure that people still needed it. And unfortunately some people you know had passed. Some people were living with families. Some people were in facilities or or you know homes. Um so that's really or some people said they were no longer interested. Um so that's how we were able to get that weight list down. Um so we are working on a plan um on how to maintain that and keep up with that on a more consistent basis than sending letters out. Um, so we're working on that process and we're working with our QA department on that. Stephanie will
026think of that. I think that's a great thing that you guys are doing. And uh I talked to Janet maybe about a couple months ago and she gave me a contact uh because me and my wife wanted to maybe help in one of the centers or even even do some delivering of some meals and they told me they had to get a background check and >> and I haven't heard it's been about a month at least I think but I haven't heard anything back. >> I'll check in see what's going on. I know we just changed our um volunteer software, so that might have been part of it, but I'll check on that role. Thank you. Next, we have Miss Collie Andy this evening. Um, I am Tracy Collie, public health director, and this evening
027I'm going to give you an update on the environmental health division's wet private wellwater program and, uh, some information on water quality. So, uh, the well program in the state of North Carolina, and I I mean private drinking water well program, um, is governed by general statute and rules that support the general statutes. And those rules include oversight of construction standards for wells, permitting and inspections, water quality sampling, protection of water supplies, which has to do with setbacks and that kind of thing. And then Union County also has a uh irrigation well ordinance that is a public health ordinance, so it's enforcable across all municipal boundaries. So, uh, a large subdivision that's served by public water and public sewer. If they want to irrigate like the the fancy front entrance area so their plants look
028good, that's an irrigation well. And, uh, that would be permitted to the same standards as a private drinking water well uh, and sampled likewise. And the that's important because uh if you think of the uh water table and the groundwater as a flowing glass of water, each well is a straw that you put in that flowing glass of water. So we want to make sure those wells are uh constructed properly and we protect that very very valuable resource. So this is just an overview of uh some of the activities that occur within the well program that the team um of environmental health specialists take care of and that is permitting permitting new wells, repairs to existing wells and issuing abandonment permits. We of course do inspections, construction inspections of different uh types. Uh we do
029consultations at properties and then that includes irrigation wells. We do we offer a variety of water sampling, water quality sampling for wells, bacterological analysis, an inorganic panel, uh nitrate nitrite, petroleum, pesticide, herbicide, and that's for both new and existing wells. The required water sampling for new wells is bacterological analysis, an inorganic panel and nitrite nitrite analysis. So when water sample results come back from the state lab or from our local public health lab that and and our local public health lab um analyzes for bacteria, does bacterological analysis for uh colifform and ecoli. uh we report out those results specifically and uh give a summary of information along with those results and that's that's what we call a health risk evaluation so folks can interpret those results and uh understand the health implications for those. We
030offer uh downhole camera assessments of wells. We have a a downhole well camera. we can uh drop down into the well to look at the geologic formation. Helps us look at the casing, casing depth, how well that casing is seated in consolidated material, how well it's grouted, that that kind of thing. And then we also are heavily involved in partnerships with universities uh and uh others in that space. And I'll talk a little bit about that next couple slides. Um, this is just an example of a typical well permit. Um, the top little page up there, top left, it's hard to see, but that's the front of the permit has the statistics and the uh documentation uh related to the property owner's information. And then the diagram on the lower end shows uh some distances
031and setbacks from a proposed house, the uh on-site wastewater system, property boundaries. Sometimes there are features on adjacent properties that we have to be mindful of so that all setbacks are observed and noted during the um permitting process. So when an application comes into environmental health, uh there's a there's a fee that that is paid with that. We conduct a site visit. We also, you know, as we're assessing any potential sources of contamination on the site, we're taking measurements and we're also doing um some desk work, some desk research, researching uh some DEEQ, Division of Environmental Quality databases for US sites, other identified contamination sources. uh because that that can impact um casing type. It can also impact um uh setbacks and other information associated with permitting. So when a permit is prepared and issued
032um we send that to the owner and that is what the owner provides to the well contractor which enables them uh to start well construction. Um we do we offer a pre-construction site visit. So if there's any questions because you can imagine during a construction process, house site can change, property boundaries can change, lots of things can change like there can be excavations. So any changes like that can impact a well permit. So, we may have to suspend it or revoke it, reissue it because any small change can impact um the ability to drill the well in the identified location because uh we know that's important because that well is going to be the drinking water source for that family or that person that's going to be living in that home. So, that's just a
033shot of a typical well in Union County. Got the vent pipe. Got the electrical conduit. Got the outlet pipe. That's the sanitary seal on the top of the well. Uh you can barely see it down toward the bottom front. That's the uh information plate that's required. Uh in North Carolina, it uh get has the data for the well. Uh the data was drilled, how deep it is, what the uh yield is or gallons per minute, what the static water level is. and it's just got some very important information and that's required to be placed on that well. Okay. So, uh certificate of completion. So, a certificate of completion is issued uh for a well once all construction uh criteria have been satisfied. So, all construction inspections are completed. Um the wells been chlorinated. all inspections
034have been have occurred. Um that could be for a new well or even a repaired well. Um so we notify the property owner multiple times throughout the process that because you can imagine during the construction process um lots of things are happening. So, we want to really make an extra effort to communicate with the property owner, builder, developer, or all three so everyone knows where they are in the process and what needs to be done so they can communicate with us. Ideally, we want to be able to collect the required uh water quality samples prior to the certificate of completion being issued. We cannot hold the certificate of completion for water quality sampling, but we would like to. Um, so we encourage folks if at all possible to drill the well earlier in the construction
035process, which gives the property owner, developer, builder, whatever time to develop the well, get it installed, chlorinate it, you know, run temporary power to it so we can start that water quality sampling. So those results are back. So we know and the property owner knows that the water is safe to drink before the C certificate of occupancy is issued. Certificate of occupancy is what's issued by building code enforcement saying everything's good with your house. Here's your CEO. You can move in. So just to run through some of the things that we do with a new well, we always check for chlorine. This is for water quality sampling beforehand. You know, obviously want to make sure the chlor chlorine is run out so that the bacteria uh results are accurate. Uh we disinfect the tab, we
036collect the samples as I mentioned. Uh the Union County Public Health Lab evaluates the uh bacterological samples and the other samples are sent to the state lab in Raleigh for analysis. And as I mentioned, there are a number of samples that are offered for um existing wells too. So uh wellwater sampling results related to new wells again water quality sampling is required but not required to be done before the certificate of completion is issued. So, this is just a section of the rules that that speaks to uh water sampling and analysis, what the samples need to be analyzed for, and uh just kind of speaks to the process. Says a local health department be down at the bottom under 3805 data review. The local health department shall provide information to the well owner or respective
037leaseholder concerning chemical and biological contaminants exceeding public drinking water MCL's that's maximum contaminant levels and the need for exposure limitation remediation or future sampling. So we do that in the health risk evaluations that we send. So this is a general geologic map of of North Carolina. You can see Union County kind of center at that that little crook down there toward the bottom. So we are underlaying by uh meta volcanic rock. It's highly fractured vertically and horizontally. It's typically poorly developed, very shallow. It's difficult for septic systems and it can be challenging for wells. Um this is some of our well program data. I just updated it for fiscal year 25. So this is good through uh the end of June this year. Uh about 664 well permits have been issued. Uh 1585 site visits
038unduplicated um have been conducted. 2362 consultative visits. And then we've done some sampling on 800 we've done 88 different types of samples. Um and we have all that data which is a very rich database that we use for mapping and reporting and a lot of um universities are interested in our data because it's so robust and we have a strong GIS department here in Union County so it's very valuable. So these are our most common well contaminants and this is this is data from this past fiscal year. Uh manganese that's a secondary maximum contaminant. Um and about 15% of our samples come back elevated above MCL for manganese. Um arsenic 32.23% 23% of our samples are above MCL for arsenic. And the other thing I want to mention is MCL, maximum contaminant level, secondary contam
039maximum contaminant level. Those are levels that are enforcable through the safe drinking water act of the EPA. That is what public drinking water supplies must comply with. Since these are private drinking water wells, it's a little bit different, but that's that's how these levels are uh um determined. About 3.35% of our samples are above MCL for iron. No surprise there. Our soil is red, very highly oxidized, and a lot of iron. About 27.62% of our samples are found to be present for colifform. that has a lot to do with uh geology, placement of casing, how well the annular annular space is grouted. Um and so just remember some of these samples were collected on existing wells too. So some of those wells may be older and drilled uh prior to our regulations. And of the
04027.6% 6% uh samples that are found to be present for colifform about 1.59% of those are um present for E.coli. Um that uh percentage for E.coli and the colorform uh percentage can fluctuate based on rain rain events dur during uh one of the hurricanes previously. We offered uh some free wellwater sampling for bacteria and the uh percentage of colifform and ecoli and samples um on wells that the property owners felt like they were impacted by flooding just almost doubled in some cases tripled. So uh back to responsibilities of Union County. So approximately 25% of Union County residents use private drinking water wells as their primary source of water. So it's very very important that we protect that resource. We make sure that folks are educated about their wells and they understand the importance of routine
041testing and sampling. Um, in the state of North Carolina, owners of private drinking water wells are responsible for the ongoing ongoing responsibility. Once the well is drilled, constructed, that initial sampling is completed, the responsibility of maintaining um the the well itself, the mechanical components and continued sampling of that well periodically um is a responsibility of the property owner, the well owner. So this is one of the uh maps that I developed uh for arsenic in Union County. These samples uh were from August 2028 to May 2024. Um so you could tell it pretty well covers most of Union County with the exception of a small area to the left of that green line. If you could kind of see that there. Some of you guys have heard this um presentation previously. So that is the
042delineation with the Carolina slate belt. That's where a different geological formation comes in. So the to the left of that which is kind of Weddington Waxaw up through Stallings that's a different formation. So the prevalence of arsenic at very high levels isn't quite as concentrated there. It's not that we don't have a little bit, but not quite as concentrated in that area despite that being, you know, more heavily populated than really the eastern or the northern um part of the county. Um, so just so you know, the uh black diamonds, well, actually, I'll start with red. Red is the locations that exceed um the MCL for arsenic, the the maximum contaminate contaminant level for arsenic and the black are severely exceeds the maximum contaminant level for arsenic. I'm very uh concerned about that. The blue
043h and they have arsenic but it doesn't exceed the the established maximum contaminant level. And just as a historical note, uh the maximum contaminant level of arsenic used to be 50 and now it's 10. So as the science has shown that there is a neurological damage with a well-known um toxin uh of arsenic, they reduced the MCL from 50 to 10 um a number of years ago. So arsenic, do we how do we know we got it? We don't really know. It's colorless. It's tasteless. is odorless. So you wouldn't you wouldn't know. The occurrence is uh the natural naturally occurred prevalence is uh typically controlled by geology although there are other sources man-made so uh sources pesticides uh coal plants those those kinds of things. Um arsenic concentrations in a well can vary over time
044you know depending on the life of the well. So you can, you know, have some fluctuations in arsenic levels in one well to another in a neighborhood over time. Um, an MCL of 10 micrograms per liter, uh, studies show give you a lifetime cancer risk of 1 in 150. One in 150. There are ways very very effective ways to treat arsenic in water. Uh one option is absorption. Um carbon filters typically do not remove arsenic. Uh one of the uh research partnerships we are uh um have with the UNCC Chapel Hill Super Fund research project is uh one of their projects is to develop some lowerc cost residential treatment options for arsenic. And um I'm not sure if I said this, but arsenic is a neurotoxin, particularly problematic for young children, chronic exposure over time.
045It's a tough thing to study, especially with modern um families and way they live and you know, bottled water, you know, kids go to daycare, they drink the water there, not necessarily at home. parents go to work, they're drinking the water at the you know, so it's really difficult to measure uh from a demographic uh perspective. It can be done but tough. So this is a map of uh manganesees. Um manganesees at lower levels and as I mentioned before it's considered a secondary contaminant um is really a nuisance. It can sometimes affect taste and smell. It leaves mineral buildup in your toilet, sometimes in your sinks. We have a well, we we have elevated levels of of manganesees, not super high, but um what's of concern with the levels of manganesees that we're seeing in
046our water is they are above uh the public health risk level. Uh elevated levels of manganesees are shown to be a neur also a neurotoxin. they uh can uh cause um symptoms that resemble parkinsonism. So also a neurotoxin and it's also very important that they actually receive it. If they are a a homeowner and they've contracted with a developer or builder and the builder or developer receives the information, we want to make sure that information uh is passed to the property owner and the family before they start drinking it. Any questions about those two maps? Yes, sir. >> Yes. Thank you Tracy for so much information. The question I had, excuse my ignorance, but when it comes to the arsenic or the magnes, say a person has a house and they're building it out there
047and they're not drinking it, but can you the exposure still affect them just by maybe showering in that water? >> That's a great question. So, typically not at the levels that we have. Um, now children may be different. If they're bathing in it and they get it in their mouth, you wouldn't want that. but just showering in it, it rolling across your body or uh it depends on the level of arsenic if you're brushing your teeth. Um but we would recommend that you not use it for drinking and cooking. Yes, sir. Particularly arsenic. So, I kind of touched on uh certificate of occupancy issuance uh drinking water testing by our regulations for private drinking water well. Uh and this is from uh general statute uh 87 through 97H within 30 days after it issues as
048a a certificate of completion for a newly constructed private drinking water well. The local health department, that's us, and environmental health, shall test the water obtained from the well or ensure that the water obtained from the well has been sampled and tested by a certified laboratory, which our public health laboratory is in accordance with and then it goes on to talk talk about that environmental health does not I want to be clear about this. Environmental Health does not have the legal authority to hold a COC until after wellwater samples are collected and results reported. So that that is clear. I've already asked about that. It's gone to the uh attorney general's office. We in environmental health or public health don't have that authority. And please note that the uh water sampling that I'm referring to
049right now for a new well is limited to bacteria and organic nitrate nitrate. Yes, ma'am. >> Is that different in other counties? Is that >> Yeah, these are state rules. >> These are state rules and regulations. The only thing that's unique to Union County is our irrigation well ordinance. >> So across the state, everyone can get a certificate of occupancy before So, I am aware of some counties that have local ordinances that may put additional requirements um for uh in place prior to a certificate of occupancy being issued. And I believe that's Wake and possibly uh Guilford. Uh I think Meckllinmberg has something but I think it may be more toward uh geared toward bacteria. >> So for clarity like the person who built it, you know, would be the person that you would be
050seeking to notify, but they may have already sold it. Someone's living in it drinking the water. >> Our legal responsibility is notify the property owner. >> Okay. So if it has been sold, it's >> we have no control over them passing the information on to the new owner >> or even that's the concern on >> right or even from there forward if the house changes hands >> from a legal perspective. So building code has some authority um which they require only portable water shall be supplied to plumbing fixtures that provide water for drinking, bathing or culinary purposes or for in the processing of food, med medical or pharmaceutical products unless otherwise provided in this code. Potable water shall be supplied to all plumbing fixtures. And in the North Carolina PL building code, portable water is
051defined as uh water free from impurities present in amounts sufficient to cause disease or harmful physiological effects and conforming to the bacteriological and chemical quality requirements of the public health service, drinking water standards, or the regulations of the public health authority having jurisdiction. >> What about when a house with a well sells? I know it's the owner's responsibility to service it and due diligence would be for the buyer to inspect that, but is there any kind of >> There are no requirements in the state of North Carolina. The only requirements that I'm aware of are sometimes lenders lenders like VA loans may require bacterological analysis sometimes, which I don't really know how this is determined, but we have had folks uh request nitrate nitrate sampling, others uh inorganic. I would assume that it could be
052written into the contract, but I'm not not in authority on that. >> Buyer beware. >> So, there can be some process changes. There could be some process changes. Um, as I mentioned, we want to try to educate folks on the importance of drilling the well earlier in the process. So, by drilling the well earlier in the process, which is simple, the rig can get in easier, the rig doesn't have to worry about that's a it's a large piece of equipment. They don't have to worry about cracking the driveway, damaging the shrubs, the sidewalk, etc. They can get that rig in there, uh, drop the well where it's supposed to go based on the permit prior to any changes being made. Um and the well can be developed, chlorinated, run off. We can get our samples.
053The samples can come back and we can address the potability through uh whatever treatment is necessary based on the chemical uh constituents in the well because the the treatment is not always just treating for that one contaminant. We have to look at the full chemistry of the water. So whatever we're doing uh treats it more holistically. Okay. So, um I mentioned some of the uh partnerships we have. Um we uh have had a partnership with UNCC Chapel Hill Super Fund Research Program since round about 21 or 22. Um we have provided a good amount of data and consultation uh around our wells, our construction data, our water sampling data. I sit on an advisory board uh with that group. Um we've provided a lot of information about our well program and how we uh handle
054uh wells and water quality sampling and education in our community. Um, and so that that partnership continues and it's uh been a a great uh collaboration and really enabled us to provide a better service to the citizens of Union County and enhance some of the work that's being done in this area including um the development of uh lower cost uh treatment options for property owners. As part of this super fun research project, um, a test well was drilled at Jesse Helms Park. That's right. It kind of smack smack dab in the middle of the arsenic problem there. So, they used a unique type of drilling process. Uh, that um the uh professor that was uh lead on that project was out of UNC Charlotte. Uh, um, NC State is also involved, other universities. So it's
055really a collaborative effort across multiple institutions and uh so this link here and can you that link Megan um this link if you have time and you wanted to take a deeper dive into this uh this uh gives the data there's a lot to look uh oh of course the link doesn't work but that's okay um it gives a lot of the data of the results from the Union County work that was done it talks about the community meeting that occurred after reporting the information. Uh this uh program and collaboration include a cit included a citizen science sampling effort where uh individual property owners that were found to be in in these high arsenic or maganesees areas um were given free sampling uh for their wells and and uh the sample results were reported back
056to them. What what's a little bit unusual is some of those results were collected inside homes. So, one of the issues we found with that is uh there was some lead, some elevated lead. We know that that's not a typical contaminant in uh naturally occurring contaminant in Union County groundwater, but it can be a contaminant um when you have contact time with plumbing or lead solder. All right. So, what what are we going to do about this? So, in addition to the um the uh partnership and research projects, um I pitched the idea that we use uh ARPA funding to fund a private drinking water well rehabilitation and repair program. So, we had a this is just a pilot program. Um the application period for this was originally July I think July 1 to July
05731st and then we extended it on out to August 31st in 2023. So during that time fra frame um we accepted applications there was an eligibility component. So we wanted to target lower income folks property owners you know this wasn't really for businesses or rental properties. These are uh property owners uh that had wells that they uh were concerned about. And as part of the program, uh, folks were given a full panel assessment, you know, again, bacteria and organic, uh, nitrate, nitrite, an assessment, a site assessment, and reporting back educational information. If they were selected, and we, uh, were able to confirm issues with their well, uh, the grant funding was used to fund the repair or replacement of their wells. So, let me go back one. Oops. Okay. So, uh with that, we ended
058up um because remember there's there's no uh additional staffing for this. This is just me and a few of my staff because we're really concerned about this. We really want to um not always be conveying this information to folks, but but not having a way to help them. So, um there are 11 folks that were approved through the application process. Eight, uh were able to move forward. Um the uh the three that weren't selected to move forward with the repair process were found to not have contaminants in their well. It was a perception that they had about their wellwater maybe not being safe or just the fact that they have a well and they hear that, you know, the myth that wells are bad. That's that is that is not true. Wells are not bad.
059Sometimes the wells have contaminant issues just like public water, but it's treatable. So, of those 11, eight were selected and we were able to um assist some. We're in that that process now. Some have gone through the process. And uh this is a video of Whoops. >> This is a video of one of the uh our citizens that we were able to help. >> M >> Richardson, a longtime resident of Mineral Springs, recently received life-changing support through Union County's pilot private drinking water well rehabilitation and repair program. After struggling with low water pressure and elevated contaminants in her well, she now has access to safe, reliable water right at home. Union County Environmental Health launched this pilot program in response to growing public health concerns linked to naturally occurring groundwater contaminants, primarily due to Union
060County's geology. Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, the program provides eligible well owners with free well repairs or replacements. It also empowers residents with knowledge about maintenance, water treatment options, and the importance of routine water testing. In spring of 2025, Richardson's well was fully replaced. >> Knowing that I could wash my car now, even even though I'm 75 years old, it's um it's a situation that I am free to do it if I want to. if I I'm trying to clear clear out an area that um I might be able to grow some grass. So, it means a lot to me that I've got um better hopefully better water and uh better water pressure. Linda's experience is one of many, demonstrating how the pilot program is making a difference, improving not just water quality,
061but quality of life. Union County staff guide participants through every step of the process. After an initial application, wells are evaluated for eligibility, and a site assessment is performed. Water samples are collected and analyzed to determine the best solution. After repairs or replacements are completed, follow-up testing ensures water quality has improved. Well owners also receive a final report with personalized recommendations for ongoing maintenance and testing. Through this initiative, Union County reaffirms its commitment to protecting groundwater and ensuring every resident has access to clean, safe, and sufficient water. To learn more about the program or check your eligibility, visit unionountnc.gov. [Music] >> So again, we don't have all the results back in from all the uh folks that we were able to help. Mrs. Richardson was just one of them. and she's very gracious to let
062us um interview her. Some her issues were not only contamination, but she had very low water yield. So, that's also a public health concern, not having enough water to just exist. So, we're we're finding uh those uh situations to be more common in Union County um with insufficient um water production. Do you happen to know the uh amount of funding ARPA funding that was dedicated to this project? >> $200,000 was. >> And I assume because ARPA has ended, the project has ended or is it continuing? >> The project has ended. However, what we hope to do is gather data because that's really what what drives decisions to make sure that we are uh really data focused um on what we do and not just anecdotal. um and were able to show the uh um how
063the program was effective and um a good use of county dollars to help certain individuals when public water is not available or it's not financially feasible particularly uh due to the nature of the public health concerns. It's not just because someone wants public water. They need portable water to to drink, to bathe, to wash their car, to wash their dishes. Um, we had some situation recently uh a group of folks in one area of the county um that uh whose wells went dry, >> so they have no water. So, equally a a problem particularly if you have children, you can't bathe them, you can't cook for them. Um, so it's a challenge, but I that concludes my presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. >> So, I'm I'm sorry. For 200,000, you
064had how many or have how many going through the program? Did you say? >> I believe there are eight. >> Eight. And not all have um a finished product. >> Correct. >> Okay. So I would like to know of those eight for that 200 grand for the of those eight how many have successfully completed the project in other words the well has been repaired replaced etc and so how much of that 200,000 has been used on that so in other words I'm trying to figure out the yield for the money invested in the program >> and so each uh project was capped at30 30,000 also. >> Okay. >> So, and that you know remember this is a pilot project so there are lessons learned changes. Uh we wanted to be conservative and try to help
065as many people as we could thinking that not everyone would need a full well replacement that many folks would need treatment which would range in the you know 5,000 to 20,000ish ballpark. So, it's really a good use of of money if we can uh uh specifically address the concerns at each site and definitely a lot cheaper than ex extending water lines. >> Yes, ma'am. Did you have a question? >> Well, it was on that on that point. I was just wondering what the average cost is for these for well, what is the for full well replacement? So, the maximum cost would be >> Well, it depends,000. It depends on how deep the well is, what they have to drill through, how large the pump is. I would say generally speaking, it's around 15,000. That's a
066very general rough estimate. We purposely try to stay out of the pricing. We we don't want to get involved in that. We want to be impartial um and just identify what the issues are, but just generally speaking. >> So, of the eight, how many are left for completion? I'll have to double check on that um commissioner sides and let you know. I know uh I think most of them are in in process. So you we really need a some more robust data to determine if this is a a program that we would want to see continued. >> That's exactly where I was going. Um I I can't wait until you have that data, which I assume is all eight are finished. We add up the price tag and we make sure all eight pass as
067far as having clean water I assume. Correct. and you know there's a well so then you'll have a field then you'll be able to dice it down to each one each particular case cost this much because we had to do this but this one only cost this cuz we had had and replace everything that that would be the far end of the most expensive case is that is that >> so currently with the program we have now we've We've capped the amount per property at 30,000. >> Okay. Well, what if it's going to get the job done? >> What's that? >> How do you know for sure that 30,000 is going to get the job done? >> Well, that's where the well contractor comes in also. So, we do a full well assessment. We work
068with the contractor to get bids and and all that as part of the process. And so you know, you know ahead of time before you even get started, this is going to fall under our cap. >> We Yes. >> Okay. So you you have full pricing. >> I'd hate to be the person who has to tell a homeowner you're you don't qualify because it's going to take more than what we're allowed for this project. I don't imagine that's a fun phone call. >> Well, thankfully we haven't had to do that yet. I I do I do want to mention that like this is not just an environmental health project. We had a lot of partners that supported us particularly public communications. There's a grants management um group at the government center that were very helpful
069procurement legal. >> Helpful as in they got you money. >> Thank you. Pardon? >> Helpful in that they got money. Well, they have expertise in the areas where we needed them, which would be, you know, contract, you know, we had to contract with, um, uh, contractors and the procurement process and, you know, making sure we followed a legal process that didn't, uh, open up the county to liability as well. >> Well, the whole reason for funding the grant positions was to get money. And I can't think of a better purpose to get money for them than to get people drinking water. And so I was I was hoping for an answer. Yes, we've tapped this source or we know of this avenue or we're working on these three avenues to get funding for this program.
070So I hope that will happen as your final data starts to come in. Does that does that make sense? Yes, sir. >> I just had a quick question, Tracy. I was just uh wondering uh do most of the most of the whales do they have septic systems and also uh is it because potentially if you have such maybe a older uh septic system maybe 30 years old that maybe some of the wells could have some contaminants like the E.coli based on those older very old septic systems. So, I mean that's a good that's a good question. So, um most properties with septic systems, although not all, do have wells. And that speaks to the importance of making sure your septic system is maintained. Um and uh that if you identify a malfunction of that septic
071system, that we get it repaired so that the effluent that is surfacing during a rain event does not run toward that well and get in and around that casing. and um you know contaminate that well. It's very important aspect to this and just another facet of making sure you know the septic system is maintained and the well is properly cited and also maintained. >> Thank you. >> I know you said that the cost is how y'all try to stay out of that but just for clarity that you could drill that well only to then it have contaminants just like any other well, right? Like so you could go to fix it and then the water could still be >> possibly. It could possibly we try to be mindful of that and then um be able
072to add treatment after the fact. So you can be mindful based on like when if you where where it perked at. I mean like how do you >> Well, no, we can be mindful based on the mapping of the geolog the geology and the prevalence of ar elevated levels of arsenic and manganesees in that area. >> It seemed clustered in that map like like there were some areas that all the black was especially even there was one area seemed like that that the manganesees and the arsenic were both clustered in the same area right below the belt. And some of that has to do with where a neighborhood is. Like so all the sampling is done in that same general area. And that's where that's why you might see some of those clusters like that.
073>> You said that the water samples that gave those numbers were a mixture of existing and new. Is that based on the how many new? It was like you had 600 and something new and 800 water samples. So that would be the percentage of it that was >> uh generally speaking yes. I don't have that specific number but by far the majority are new wells rather than existing wells that are being sampled. And you know there are other there are well owners in Union County that take their water uh or have their water tested and sampled by a certified private lab too. So this doesn't represent all sampling that's done in the county. That may be something that's done by a private lab as well. >> Thank you. >> Good question. I guess I mean
074I know you said that there's no state law for a certificate of occupancy to withh to be able to withhold that. Correct. >> Uh that is not something that's currently being done. >> Right. So some counties >> clear I did not say there is no state law. I'll say that >> the certificate of occupancy is not being held for water quality sampling um results. >> Okay. Because there isn't because there's not a state law that's requiring that. Correct. >> I didn't say that. >> Oh, like the order of it. >> Hold on a minute. >> Wait. I mean, I would think that in our county, if it's 25% of the people have wells, I mean, this could really get out of hand >> if all of a sudden we're the county is going to be
075funding taking care of these wells. I mean, Why not h, you know, make it a homeowner and, you know, buy or seller issue and enforce that by having an ordinance in the county to withhold the certificate of occupancy before, you know, to make sure that this well is safe and and the water in there is. Has anybody looked into the legalities of the county being able to withhold a CEO if the property residential property does not have a tested functional passing? Well, has anybody checked? Is that within the legal purview of the county to do that? Does anybody know? Have we looked into it that far? >> You said that there were other counties that do that, right? Or no? Uh there are like as Amy referenced there are other counties that have local ordinances.
076I don't know them intimately but I think they do have some requirements where they hold uh the CEO for some sampling results. And remember you know North Carolina is a big state. We have a lot of different geologies. you know the issues at the coast are different from the issues in the Piedmont which are different from the issues in the mountains where you may have you know radological concerns um so it you know it depends >> so I can have a well it doesn't work spits out arsenic and you can't use and I can still sell my house to you >> yep >> I don't know what the laws of disclosure might be but if I don't have to disclose knows that I I don't know do I that the well is not functioning >>
077if you know it >> sorry >> if you know about it as the >> if I know about it which means it's been tested and it doesn't then I have to disclose that >> you're supposed to legally disclose it >> okay so then if I haven't tested it and I don't know I'm off the hook but at some point you had to test it >> because it would be the buyer's due diligence that they should have >> the buyer if they have a lick of sense and there's a well I'm I'm saying either let me see your most recent test results or we're going to put in the contract that this gets tested and gets um either way and if it's bad it blows up the deal but then that puts the burden of proof
078back on me as the buyer not the not the seller >> but going back to the occupancy question. Could it not be that it was early? You said that it would be better served if people put the well went for the well earlier in the process. That seems like, you know, you have to get permits for a lot of things. >> So, could we not have something that required them to do the well earlier in the process? That would eliminate the problem. >> Very wise woman. So, uh the way the uh building permit process works now is before a building permit is issued um an individual must uh receive uh confirmation from uh public water that they have access to water and sewer, drinking water and sewer. They also have to have prior to the
079building permit being issue issued a copy of this uh construction authorization for their septic system and the permit to drill their well. So the permits have to be issued. It's just the well doesn't have to be drilled prior to the permit being issued. So you have to kind of think about like what the burden on the the builder is and the change in process and how to enforce that and is that something that uh you want to do. >> I'm just saying if you're if the buyer doesn't want to take responsibility and the seller doesn't want to take responsibility, they don't even if they decide not to even test this water, right? because if they test it, then they have to disclose it. Then they can easily just give up their responsibility and it will
080go right to the county and then all of a sudden you're going to start having a lot more than 11 people who are going to be wanting their their their wells repaired, you know, potentially, right? I mean, I guess I'm just trying to uh prevent a potential bigger issue here. I mean, this is really nice, but if somebody's going to sell their home, I think it's a responsibility for the seller and the buyer to take care of this issue and and test test the water, disclose it, and there should be I mean, I'm I'm surprised there isn't a couldn't be a county ordinance requiring this. To me, this is like a fire, you know, it's almost like fire codes. It's like is your house safe enough to >> a county ordinance and mortgage company should
081be involved in this as well as well. >> I don't if I'm a if I'm a mortgage company, why in the world would I want to loan money against a house that doesn't have decent drinking water? >> But that would be by state, not county. That's not something that we could do. >> Well, that'd be by everybody. Yeah. >> Yeah. like >> it feels >> if the if the water changes if the water changes are unpreventable then >> might not matter. This is if you know out front. >> Well, there's there's effective treatment >> available. Yes. >> At what cost though? Like I mean some wells far exceed 30,000 if they have to be deep and then you had a problem anyway and then like like a huge range. It's a challenging issue and um
082something that you all can think about in your free time. >> Fair enough. >> And we're I'm happy to, you know, you can kind of give us some thought and we can um bring it back up at the next meeting if anything anything comes to you. >> Um I have one question. >> Sure. Um what about so we're you know we're talking all about the individual property owners and the property but um what about the bigger picture of where all this is coming from to begin with like are there I mean you I I think one of the slides mentioned like insecticides or pesticides I mean are there other things on more of a macro level that we should be paying attention to? You know, it's possible. Um, there are sources of arsenic in some
083farming chemicals, pesticides, herbicides. Um, most of those have been phased out. >> Okay. So, this is really just natural. >> Well, it could be that they're still on the the surface of the land. they tend to bioaccumulate and as development moves into agricultural properties it's possible that wells that are installed in those areas that may be a component of it. It's very difficult to prove. >> Yeah. >> Or make that correlation if there even is one just because of the naturally occurring nature of the arsenic. >> I see that make sense. >> I do have one more question. Okay. >> And that's with our elevated cancer rates in the county. Is have they ever been mapped to see if they align? >> So, as I as I mentioned earlier, it's very difficult to study and
084correlate because of the way modern families and you know people live and consume water. Um there was a Duke study many many years ago that uh collected hair and nail trimmings of uh Union County residents served by Weller and uh and these were folks that live that were long-term residents and there was a correlation um with some um but it was you know was inconclusive and the study wasn't continued. >> Thank you. Yes, that's right. So, >> we're going back and forth. Now, I'm not talking about new builds, but about like homeowners and buyers and what not. >> One of the slides you said in here, you know, 25% of Union County residents, the primary waters residents use well to it also says right underneath that the owners of the private wells have the ongoing
085responsibility >> ongoing, >> right? But then you have this pot. But I guess everyone was like was concerned about this could blow blow out and get out of proportion, but technically it's not the county's it's the private owner's responsibility to take care of the well. >> Correct. >> After it's Yes, sir. >> Right. So how's it going to blow out of get out of proportion? The pilot project is there to help people, but ultimately if someone applies for it, you can always say no, it's not the kind of responsibility. It's your responsibility. >> The pilot's closed. >> No, right. I think the pilot >> not going to blow out of >> right the pilot program was designed to assist folks of low very low income um you know it's not to promote development you know
086it's not for that it's >> no that's what I kind of figured it was there for for people who can't necessarily keep up but ultimately the the wells are the responsibility of the owner >> no question yes sir >> program doesn't make us responsible >> right so wells and again. So, that is the purpose of the Safe Drinking Water Act that governs the safety um of public water supplies, which I'm going to talk a little bit about that in a minute. Um but it does not uh there are no regulations such as that that uh govern private drinking water wells. >> Do you have an idea when the remaining of those eight in the pilot project will be completed? >> No, sir. I would say before the end of the year though. >> Calendar or
087physical? >> A calendar. >> Would you like me to provide those updated numbers? >> Oh yeah. >> Okay. >> We have no more questions with that. We'll move on to the next one which is the city of Minro oil water notice. >> Okay. So, since we're already talking about water, I just wanted to give you an update on the recent uh city of Monroe systemwide boil water notice that was issued uh recently and just kind of talk through very high level timeline of events and overview of what occurred and what public health's response was particularly um environmental health. So, in the early hours or morning time of August 13th, um we were notified, public health was notified by DEEQ, the division of environmental quality, public water supply section, and the North Carolina Department of Public
088Health um that uh the city of Monroe uh was on a uh boil water advisory. Now the difference between an advisory and a notice is that a bowl of water a bowl water advisory is issued as a precaution. So a uh an initial sample was found to be uh potentially contaminated. Um an establishments that we permit or regulate in public health or environmental health may continue limited operations following safety measures. And that's boiling the water before use and and that's ma mandatory. It is the uh water public water supply systems obligation to notify those customers of that advisory. So on the morning of the 13th I was made aware of the advisory. When there is a sample that is found to be in this case um present for E.coli coli a confirmation sample must be
089collected. Um so when that advisory uh when we were notified of that advisory our actions were like at the public health leadership level to notify Janet uh the county manager's office there's some key folks that need to be in the know on that um on that situation. Not that any action needed to be taken at that point, but for awareness purposes. Um at um approximately uh 9:41 that evening uh one of two confirmation samples came back with total colifform uh bacteria and the city of Monroe systemwide not a partial systemwide was placed on a boil water notice. That's an elevated category and that means that uh the contamination is confirmed. It's a higher risk category and it requires immediate suspension of operations involving water use until the notice has been lifted and establishment is cleared.
090And when I when I talk about that, I mean uh permitted and regulated establishments. So, let's think about the the permitted and regulated establishments that are within the city of Monroe. That's all your restaurants, that's schools, that's child care facilities, that's institutions like nursing homes, the hospital, uh hospice, facilities that we do not regulate, but we know are uh um providing services or treatment that may be uh of concern. doctor's offices, dental offices, orthodontists, dialysis centers. So, we uh want to make sure we're getting the word out to them. So, when the bull water notice was issued by NCDEQ and they notified us of that, um we uh took action. We worked with public communications and others in the county, public health, environmental health and began to get ready. Um the uh notification went out
091to the public at least initially uh from the city of Monroe. They made note that it was a um kind of a a western uh zone issue. It was actually um a system systemwide notice. Um, so our public communications team helped uh us make sure that our information was factual um uh current, correct, and uh easily understood by the public. So we pushed that information out uh late that late that night of the 13th, early in the morning of the 14th. And then um early in the morning on the 14th, environmental health and public health, business operations, human services uh got to work because we had to communicate with all of these regulated facilities of which there are 496 within the city of Monroe. So we don't have a very large staff in environmental health,
092but we know what to do. we have everyone's contact information uh because we update it every time we go for an unannounced inspection. Sometimes that's four times a year, sometimes that's twice a year, sometimes that's annually. So, we pushed out emails and communications to every one of those facilities and um the our uh state um emergency preparedness and coordinator uh reached out to uh NCDA because we have the Tyson plant that was affected. Uh division of um health service regulation that regulates hospital and adult day service. uh DCDE, Division of Child Development and Early Education, they were notified. Um Department of Education or um Department of Public Instruction um was notified. So th those facilities and licensing entities were responsible for reaching out to those facilities in addition to us because lots of times those
093facilities have a food service permit with it, >> you know. So, there's a lot of work going on. So, we're we're pushing stuff out on social media. We're putting out information. Public communications is helping. We're sending out emails or it's not on Gov delivery. It's on social media. Um but remember, it's the um water utilities responsibility to notify their customers too. So, they should be notifying. Um so that morning um any facility where uh environmental health holds a permit, we were able to uh draft and then finalized issuance of a uh permit a blanket permit suspension notification while the water was not safe to drink. So, uh, permanent food establishments, tattooing facilities, and other facilities that serving the public are not permitted to operate with contaminated water for obvious reasons. And this was E.coli, remember?
094Um, so the uh regulatory authority with this is DEEQ, public water supply section. We have uh ongoing and uh fluid communication with uh DEEQ. At that point, we didn't have specific information on addresses um and even names of specific city of Monroe water customers and we just don't have that. There's a lot of um locations in Union County that have Monroe addresses. We don't know if they're City of Monroe customers. Yes sir. >> The primary responsibility since it happened in Monroe would be the uh public utilities of Monroe for the residents >> and the timeliness of them of notifying them. >> So uh there's there's some wording around that um they can have as long as 24 hours but um if they can do it sooner they they should. um you know and a decision
095had to be made because we knew we knew that morning we have breakfast facilities opening. We have um immune compromised populations that are being served. So we had to make the determination to notify. We had plus we have limited staff and it takes time to get the word out. Um and we um we made that call. So, do you do you do that for uh people that are getting their water service from the city of Monroe but may live elsewhere? In other words, you can live in Indian Trail and have a Monroe address. Are you doing it by address like everybody that has a Monroe address? >> So, that was the challenge to begin with because this was within the city of Monroe. So, we really needed to engage with the city of Monroe to
096find out who exactly was served by this because we're there's an economic impact to this um uh decision as well. We don't want to close facilities or let create um panic when someone isn't impacted. We want to be correct. We want to be factual and we want to make sure the information is shared in a timely fashion. So um anyway, so we started working on that. We did complete all the notifications. We we uh pushed everything out. Um the environmental health team split up. We actually had some facilities that didn't receive the information, so we visited them uh in person just because remember some of them start cooking at 4:00 a.m. So they're not checking their email. They're not waiting for a voicemail to come in from the health department. they probably wouldn't answer it
097anyway. I'm just kidding. They're really great. So, we had to be very intentional on making sure that information um was shared. Um so, at that point, um we did start receiving uh communication from the city of Monroe. They were able to determine that the um area of contamination was in the western zone of the water system. If you can imagine uh the water treatment uh uh facility is here. It the water is treated. It passes through the eastern zone to the western zone. Um they had to prove or show uh NCDEQ that there was some type of check valve or backflow prevention or valve that didn't allow the contaminated water to back up into the eastern zone. Uh they were able to do that. that was, you know, DEEQ's call at that point. They were
098a we were able to lift the suspension and uh on the eastern zone and then it remained in the western zone until the next day and they could um address that issue. And then at that point, which now it's Friday the 15th, we were able to uh lift the the suspension on the final facilities and confirm with addresses and maps that we had all the facilities covered and the uh and then the event was closed. Um again, you know, so many people helped with that work. uh public communications, public health, the nursing staff, our lab team, they were working um like a phone line, phone call in line. We developed FAQs to respond. We just really uh wanted to approach this from um a perspective of educating our citizens and making sure people were safe.
099And um so that's a a a thumbnail sketch, a general summary of what occurred. Um and I wanted to make sure that um I brought that to you all so you would be aware that that happened. And that is um one of our responsibilities when that occurs. It has happened in the past. It happens from time to time that we're made aware of um advisories, but there's a real reason behind um those actions. >> Does anyone have any questions? >> I think I've lost some of my audience here. >> It's not your fault. Not your fault. >> Do they know how the first contamination happened? >> I have not been made aware of the reason. Thank you. >> We have any other questions on the boil notice? >> Do we have a quorum? >> So,
100we can cover the item and >> Okay. >> Why don't we cover it? see if there's any concern and then we'll figure out if we need to have a vote. Uh that is an official vote to take it to the board or if there is not concern. We we'll we'll bring it back if we at the next meeting if we need to have a vote. >> Okay. Okay. So, um Miss Collie, if you want to lead us through the approval of the clinical service fees. >> Sure. We have three fees this evening for your consideration and support. Uh the first fee is a TB risk screening questionnaire. Currently, we do not charge for that. We were asking for a new fee of $10 to be charged for that. The second fee is a biopsy of
101a tissue pathological examination. Um the current uh Medicaid reimbursement rate is $84.18. commercial uh fee is 10783. We are ask we're recommending a fee of for that. And then the final uh third fee is penicellin G benzathine. Um we are asking for a fee of $389 for that. And our nursing director is here and happy to answer any questions that may come up. The first one, the TB risk we currently don't charge for and the recommendations 10 $10. >> Could you just explain quickly what it means by fee like who's paying the fee? >> Uh that is the uh patient will pay that fee out of pocket >> or insurance. >> No, >> don't believe that's covered by insurance. >> Patient fee. Actually, there's a it looks like there is a commercial reimbursement for two
102of them, >> right? Just not the TB risk question. Yeah. Right. >> A lot of those were people coming for that uh TV. >> We do. I don't know an exact number, but we do. So, if someone's had a um a positive skin test in the past, um they can't get that skin test again, they need that that risk questionnaire. So, a lot of times it's people that need it for employment or for school. Um and they just need someone to go through any possible symptoms or other risk that they may have. >> The job $10 is worth it >> for sure. and it's important >> and that's consistent with other counties in the state um that do have a fee for it. >> What is the current fee on the penicellin? >> My glasses
103back on [Music] >> I don't think the current fee is there. Um we did >> it was lower than what we're requesting and we are just bringing it up to where it's um it was was it lower than the reimbursement rate probably. >> Does anyone else have questions on this? Would anyone oppose the recommended fees? >> And unfortunately, we don't have query. How do you want to handle that? >> I think we will find out since since this group is in consensus, we'll find out if that can carry the day to take it to the board or if we have to have a quorum, then we'll bring it back uh at the next meeting. >> Okay. >> Thank you all. >> Thank you, Trish. [Music] Uh, next on our agenda is announcements and public comments.
104>> So, is that for us to go? Yes. So, I want to introduce you all to Dora Bowers who is our new social work division manager. She is over child welfare and adult welfare services. And so she is here on behalf of Ashley tonight um who is at home hopefully healing quickly from her knee knee surgery. Um and uh so Dora I think you have a couple of things that you want to share. >> Sure. >> Hello everyone. So um just to go over some things economic services we currently have eight vacancies. All of them were in the Medicaid department. A couple are due to promotions and three of those are due to staff leaving after having children, babies. Uh we are currently in the state audit, but there are no results to report at
105this time. Food and nutrition as well as Medicaid are both in their time limit standards. Um September is eligibility worker appreciation month and a breakfast meeting is planned for all of economic services. Karen, who is this um division manager for economic services, has purchased some gift baskets to give away and store prizes for the meeting. And then as far as child welfare, we currently have six vacancies total. Um three of those are supervisor positions. Um we did have a supervisor die recently and then we had one to get promoted and one that left the agency. Uh the social work positions are in after hours and foster care and then adult services we only have one vacancy which is supervisory position and adult services they are meeting their timely standards for this. >> Thank you. Nice
106to meet you. >> Congratulations. Um so I have a couple of other quick updates. One is that Union County is one step closer to launching a veterans treatment court. Um, and that is thanks to a group of professionals including Michelle Marano, our veteran services director, and Robert Turner who have completed the first round of training that is required to be able to launch that. Um, and the Veterans Court is a special court that will focus on helping veterans involved in the justice system. Uh I think Chief Justice uh Aaron Hux, who is the chief district court judge, said it very well. The court is not a courtroom of punishment, but a courtroom of hope, healing, and accountability by connecting veterans with treatment for substance use disorders, mental health, excuse me, mental health care, housing, employment,
107and mentorship, often from fellow veterans. The intent is to affirm the commitment to ensuring that no veteran is left behind. And so we're excited about being able to move forward with that. It's not ready to launch yet, but um proud that Robert and Michelle were able to be part of that effort. And then the only other thing I wanted to make sure that I let you all know is that we are going to be providing an opioid settlement update for the board of county commissioners at the September 15th meeting. And then we'll be kicking off a strategic planning effort. um which Jackie has mentioned that at our last meeting, but we'll be kicking that off on September the 16th and looking forward to that process. There will be five meetings from September through December for
108that group and then we'll bring back proposed priorities for the board of county commissioners consideration and go through likely some sort of an application process and then uh the goal will be to have new contracts uh with funded partners by July 1st. Well, we have to have have to have that um done by July 1st because the current contracts will end June 30th. And I believe that is all that I was going to provide. Thank you. If we have no other announcements or public comments, >> do we have a motion to do a motion to return? >> Second. A second. All those in favor? >> Anyone? Okay. Good night all. >> Thank you.