County Keeps ‘AAA’ Rating; Bond Sale Set for Sept. 12, 2018

I am pleased to announce that all three ratings agencies (Fitch, Moody’s and S&P) have once again assigned a AAA rating – their highest – to the County’s $150 million General Obligation (GO) public improvement bonds, series 2018. The agencies have also affirmed the current AAA rating on the County’s $1.2 billion outstanding GO debt.

The GO bonds are expected to sell competitively on Sept. 12, 2018. Proceeds of the series 2018 GO bonds will be used to fund school and parks and recreation improvements.

If you have questions, contact Finance Director Sarah Lyberg at 980-314-2979 or Sarah.Lyberg@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

NC’s Volkswagen Mitigation Plan Directs Funding Toward Public-Sector Fleets
 
North Carolina has submitted its Volkswagen Mitigation Plan outlining how the state will spend its $92 million share of a national settlement with Volkswagen (VW) for unlawfully cheating on vehicle emission controls. The Phase 1 plan will focus on public-sector fleet by designating:

• $12.2 million to be spent on school bus replacements
• $6 million allocated for transit bus replacements
• $3 million for heavy-duty on-road equipment replacement projects
• $3 million for heavy-duty off-road equipment replacement projects

Mecklenburg County’s Air Quality Division will be working with Asset and Facility Management, Medic, departments with self-maintained fleets and other local municipalities to identify local projects that are beneficial for air quality and eligible for VW funding. The North Carolina Division of Air Quality expects to begin accepting project proposals in late 2018 or early 2019.
 
For a copy of the state’s plan, and more information about the Volkswagen settlement, click here. For more information about Air Quality’s efforts, contact Megan Green at 980-314-3368 or Megan.Green@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

CSS Teams Up To Host Community Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families

In late August, the Mayor’s Challenge co-leads, Janene McGee, Mecklenburg County Veterans Services division director, and Dr. Nicole French, clinical director at Veterans Bridge Home and Army Reserve psychologist, hosted the third set of visits provided by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Technical Assistance Center (TAC) to the Service Members, Veterans and Families (SMVF) Suicide Prevention workgroup in Charlotte.

The goal of the Mayor’s Challenge and the Suicide Prevention Workgroup is to reduce suicides among service members, veterans and their families using a public health approach to suicide prevention. During the two-day site visit, held at Veterans Bridge Home, SAMHSA TAC provided the group with technical assistance and access to nationally ranked subject matter experts and best practices.

Over the next several months the SMVF Suicide Prevention Workgroup will continue to meet as a large workgroup as well as meet within subcommittees to tackle action items aligned with the NC Suicide Prevention Plan.

For more information about our role in the Mayor’s Challenge, contact Community Support Services Director Stacy Lowry at 980-314-8903 or Stacy.Lowry@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.