Substantial interest in Citizens Academy led Burke commissioners to approve all 18 applicants

Burke County’s new Citizens Academy proved so popular that commissioners scrapped the 10-person cap and approved all 18 applicants for the inaugural class Monday night.

“Every day I talk to someone who has questions, who doesn’t really understand what we do, and it’s not their fault,” said Commissioner Randy Burns. “As you (County Manager Brian Epley) mentioned earlier, we do a pretty poor job sometimes of telling our own story, so I’m excited about this.”

The Citizens Academy is a six-week course designed to give participants a better understanding of how county government works. The academy will focus each week on different departments and cover different topics.

The first academy begins Thursday, Sept. 11. Another Citizens Academy will be hosted next spring.

The crowd of department heads, county employees, and residents packed in the commissioners’ meeting room Monday also heard a presentation from Grant Program Manager Lindsay Stockman about the county’s active grants.

$9 MILLION IN GRANTS

Stockman said the county currently has 45 active grants totaling about $9 million, with only about $280,000 required in matching funds. Grants typically enable the completion of projects that would otherwise be delayed until sometime in the future.

Burke County grants often target the five focus areas identified in the commissioners’ strategic plan: community advancement, economic growth and sustainability, public safety and well-being, fiscal stewardship, and employer of choice.

Stockman said six grants are being used to support community advancement. An example, she said, is the Dogwood Health Trust grant, which has provided digital access stations and classes for seniors.

Eleven grants are supporting economic growth and sustainability, Stockman said. An N.C. Department of Commerce building reuse grant is funding the renovation of Maynard Electric Company’s building, for example.

County Manager Epley said businesses work with the county to apply for building reuse grants, and the amount awarded is based on the number of jobs created. The county is technically the applicant, Epley said. The state appropriates grant money to the county, which awards the money to the business.

Public safety is supported by 25 grants, Stockman said. One is an NCDIT (N.C. Department of Information and Technology) grant that funded new 911 radios for the 911 center.

Three grants are aimed at fiscal stewardship. One is a state America250 grant to aid the America250 Burke County Committee as it plans for the county’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary next year.

Since starting her job in April, Stockman said, the county has applied for 16 additional grants, none requiring matching funds.