02 NCAC 59D .0106. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FUNDS

(a)  The funds available for technical assistance shall be allocated by the commission based on the recommendation of the division and the needs as expressed by the district and needs to accelerate the installation of BMP's in the respective district.  Each district may use these monies to fund new positions or to accelerate present technical assistance positions.  Districts must provide an itemized budget to the division in order to qualify for technical assistance funds.  Matching funds for district technical assistance shall be approved by the commission prior to any expenditure of funds.  Budget revisions submitted by the districts may be approved by the NPS Section based on Paragraph (b) of this Rule.  N. C. Agriculture Cost Share technical assistance funds may be used for each FTE technical position with the district matching at least 50 percent of the total.  Priorities for funding positions shall be assigned based as follows:

(1)           Subject to availability of funds and local match, provide support for one FTE technical position for every district.

(2)           Subject to availability of funds and local match, provide support for one additional FTE technical position if the position is needed to further support program implementation.  Priority for funding positions beyond one FTE per district shall be based on the following parameters:

(A)          Whether the position is presently funded by program technical assistance funds.

(B)          The number of program dollars encumbered to contracts in the highest three of the previous four completed program years, and

(C)          The number of program dollars actually expended for installed BMPs in the highest three years of the most recent four-year period for which the allowed time for implementing contracted BMPs has expired as reported on the NC Agriculture Cost Share Database.

(3)           Subject to availability of funds and local match, provide support for additional FTE technical position if the position is needed to further accelerate treatment of identified critical nonpoint source pollution problem(s).

(b)  Technical assistance funds may be used for salary, benefits, social security, field equipment and supplies, office rent, office equipment and supplies, postage, telephone service, travel and mileage.  A maximum of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) per year for each FTE technical position is allowed for mileage charges.

(c)  Technical assistance funds may not be used to fund technical assistance positions which do not meet the following minimum requirements:

(1)           associated degree in engineering, agriculture, forestry or related field; or

(2)           high school diploma with two years experience in the fields listed in Rule .0106(c)(1), of this Subchapter.

(d)  Cost shared positions must be used to accelerate the program activities in the district.  A district technician cost shared with program funds may work on other activities as delegated by the field office supervisor but the total hours charged to the program by field office personnel must equal or exceed those hours funded through the program.  Also, these hours must be in addition to those hours normally spent in BMP planning and installation by district personnel.

(e)  District technicians may be jointly funded by more than one district to accelerate the program in each participating district.  Each district must be eligible for cost sharing in the program.  Requests for funding (salary, FICA, insurance, etc.) of a shared position must be presented to the division by all concerned districts and the division shall cost share to the billing district at a 50-50 rate based on the portion of the FTE provided each respective district.  A shared position must be officially housed in one specific district and cost share for support items (office rent, telephone, etc.) shall be paid to one district only.

(f)  Funds, if available, shall be allocated to each participating district to provide for administrative costs under this program. These funds shall be used for clerical assistance and other related program administrative costs and shall be matched with in-kind funds of an equal amount from the district.

 

History Note:        Authority G.S. 106-840; 106-850; 139‑4; 139‑8;

Eff. May 1, 1987;

Amended Eff. July 1, 1992;

Recodified from 15A NCAC 6E .0006 Eff. December 20, 1996;

Amended Eff. August 1, 2005; November 1, 1997;

Transferred from 15A NCAC 06E .0106 Eff. May 1, 2012.