Cumberland County accepts $62,000 Homeland Security grant to buy tactical robot

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners voted to accept a $62,000 grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety Homeland Security grant program at its meeting, approving a budget ordinance amendment to allow the county to purchase a tactical robot for public-safety use.

County staff told the board the award will be used to buy the robot and that acceptance requires a county certification that the recipient has no overdue tax debt. Staff recommended approval of the budget amendment, listed as B250379, to recognize the grant funds and allow purchase of the equipment.

Commissioner Tyson moved to approve the budget ordinance amendment B250379 to recognize $62,000 in grant funds and to accept the grant award. The board approved the motion by voice vote with the chairman calling for those in favor to raise their right hands. The motion included a request that the board chairman sign the grant award and the state grant certification of no overdue tax debts.

The grant was described by staff as coming through the Homeland Security grant program administered by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and intended for tactical law-enforcement equipment. The meeting record shows the item as agenda item 3(b). Item 3(a), a lease with Cumberland County Community (name not fully specified in the record), was removed from the agenda by the county manager before the meeting.

No roll-call vote tally or names of individual yes/no votes were recorded in the transcript. The board entered a closed session later in the meeting; staff subsequently reported that no action resulting from closed session was required.