County board takes next step in public water system for areas contaminated by PFAS

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday for its last agenda session of 2023.

Here are some key items to note from the agenda: 

Audit for fiscal year 2023 delayed

• According to a Dec. 7 memorandum to commissioners from Vicki Evans, the county’s finance director, the county was delayed in submitting the results of its audit for fiscal year 2022-23, which ended June 30. The Local Government Commission’s deadline is Oct. 31, with a grace period that runs through Dec. 1, but the county did not submit its report until Dec. 8, Evans said.
• Because the county missed the deadline, the board of commissioners must approve an amendment to the audit’s contract extending its date, according to Evans’ letter.
• Evans said the delay stemmed from staffing issues in the county and at Cherry Bekaert, the accounting firm conducting the audit. “Two finance accountants relocated and one finance accountant retired and both Internal Audit staff retired while audit work was being completed,” Evans wrote. “That work was absorbed by existing finance staff and one temporary re-hired retiree.” Evans said the delay was also partially caused by the “untimely completion” of an audit of the Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

County moving forward with public water system

• According to a Dec. 6 memorandum from Amanda Bader, the county’s general manager for natural resources, county staff have selected an engineering firm to assist in the development and construction of a public water system in Cumberland County.
• During a request for qualified proposals open from Nov. 16 to Dec. 1, two engineering firms responded, Bader said. County staff selected HDR Engineering Inc. of the Carolinas, whose locations include offices in Wilmington and Raleigh.
•  “The firm selected would assist the County with development of a water system in southern Cumberland County to address groundwater contamination,” Bader wrote. “The anticipated water source for this project is groundwater with treatment.” 
• The board will consider placing a vote on the selection of HDR Engineering for the project on the Dec. 18 agenda and giving staff permission to enter contract negotiations with HDR Engineering.

Lexi Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@cityviewnc.com or 910-423-6500.

The CityView News Fund is a nonprofit organization that supports CityView’s newsgathering operation. Will you help us with a tax-deductible donation?