Cumberland County commissioners authorize transit grants, renew inmate health contract and expand employee tuition benefits

Cumberland County commissioners on Sept. 15 voted unanimously to authorize submission of multiple N.C. Department of Transportation grant applications for the county's community transportation program, approve a first amendment to the inmate health-care agreement with Wellpath LLC and update county personnel policies to expand tuition assistance to include short professional certificates.

The actions, taken during a regularly scheduled meeting in the Cumberland County administrative complex in Fayetteville, include approval to submit FY27 grant applications for the community transportation program (grant categories 5307, 5310, 5311 and ROAP), authorization for County Manager Clarence Greer to sign the applications, a contract amendment for inmate medical services totaling approximately $5,300,000 and a personnel policy change that adds reimbursement for certification programs in addition to degree tuition assistance.

Board Chair Kirk J. DeVlier and Vice Chair Sherwin Jones joined all other commissioners in voting on the measures; zoning items and other routine consents were also adopted during the meeting.

Why it matters

The NCDOT community transportation grant funds support mobility services for older adults, people with disabilities and other targeted populations in Cumberland County. The Wellpath contract covers delivery of medical services to people housed in the county jail and represents a multi-million-dollar recurring county expense. The personnel policy changes expand the county's investment in workforce development by formally allowing smaller, job-specific certificates to be reimbursed alongside traditional tuition.

Key details

- Community transportation grants: Ross Howard, director of planning and inspections, told the board the county must hold a public hearing for Section 5311 funds and submit applications by Oct. 3. No members of the public spoke in the grant hearing; the board voted unanimously to authorize county staff to submit the FY27 applications.

- Inmate health contract: County Manager Clarence Greer said the first amendment to the Wellpath LLC agreement brings the contract to a total amount —being approximately $5,300,000—, an increase of roughly 2.7 percent aligned with CPI adjustments. The board approved the amendment unanimously.

- Personnel policy updates: The board approved amendments to personnel policy sections 7.1, 8.4 and 8.5, which expand the county's tuition assistance program and add an explicit category to reimburse short professional certificates. Commissioners discussed an annual/cap monitoring approach; the adopted language sets a per-certification range of $250 to $1,000 (board directed staff to monitor use against the existing budget and to request additional appropriations in the next budget if needed). The vote was unanimous.

- Water and sewer district plans and agreements: The board approved a utility service agreement for a Kelly Hills/Slocum Road project and adopted 10-year asset management/capital improvement plans for the Grays Creek, Kelly Hills, Norcrest and Overhills Park water and sewer districts. All votes were unanimous.

What commissioners said

—This is the formal contract, total amount being approximately $5,300,000,— County Manager Clarence Greer said when introducing the Wellpath amendment.

Implementation and next steps

- Staff will submit the FY27 NCDOT grant applications by the Oct. 3 deadline and will report back to the board on award notices. - The Wellpath amendment is effective as approved in the meeting; procurement and contract administration will follow existing county procedures. - The tuition assistance changes take effect under the updated personnel policy; finance staff will track expenditures and return with budget requests if spending requires adjustments.

Votes at a glance

1) Authorization to submit FY27 NCDOT community transportation program applications (Sections 5307, 5310, 5311 and ROAP) — Motion: Vice Chair Sherwin Jones; second: not named in transcript; Outcome: approved unanimously.

2) First amendment to agreement for inmate health-care services, Wellpath LLC — Motion: Commissioner Sherwin Jones; second: not named in transcript; Outcome: approved unanimously. Total amount — approximately $5,300,000; change ~+2.7% (CPI adjustment).

3) Update to personnel policies (sections 7.1, 8.4, 8.5) to expand tuition assistance and add reimbursement for short professional certificates ($250'$1,000 per certificate; monitoring and potential future budget amendment) — Motion: Commissioner Ricky Adams; second: not named in transcript; Outcome: approved unanimously.

4) Utility service agreement for Kelly Hills/Slocum Road Water & Sewer District — Motion: Commissioner Tyson; second: not named in transcript; Outcome: approved unanimously.

5) Asset management plans and 10-year capital improvement plans for Grays Creek, Kelly Hills, Norcrest and Overhills Park Water & Sewer Districts — Motion: Commissioner Tyson (each district separately); Outcome: each approved unanimously.

Meeting context and public input

The meeting included a public comment period. Resident Ron Ross urged the county to consider relocating a proposed African American museum to the county event center site and proposed a public/private fundraising approach; Ross asked, —Why this can't [it] be relocated to the event center?— Two speakers representing the Vision Resource Center thanked the board for county funding that allowed them to hire staff. Those comments did not affect the board's formal votes on grants or contracts.

Sources and provenance

This article summarizes items and votes taken on Sept. 15, 2025, at the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners meeting. Primary source: meeting transcript (public hearing and consent/agenda sections; contract, personnel and utility items).