02 NCAC 59H .0103. ALLOCATION GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES

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(a) The Commission shall allocate the cost share funds to the districts in the designated program areas. To receive fund allocations, each district designated eligible by the commission shall submit an annual strategy plan to the commission at the beginning of each fiscal year. Funds may be allocated to each district and the Division for any or all of the following purposes:

(1) Cost share and cost share incentive payments,

(2) technical assistance and administrative assistance, and

(3) statewide or local education and outreach activities.

(b) The Commission shall consider the relative needs of the program for BMP implementation, local technical assistance, and education to determine the proportion of available funds to be allocated for each eligible purpose prior to allocating funds to districts and the Division.

(c) Funds for cost share and cost share incentive payments shall be allocated to the districts at the beginning of the fiscal year and whenever the Commission determines that sufficient funds are available to justify a reallocation. Districts shall be allocated monies based on the identified level of nonpoint source pollution problems and the respective district's BMP installation goals as demonstrated in the district annual strategy plan. The allocation method used for disbursement of funds is based on the score of each respective district for those parameters approved by the Commission pursuant to Subparagraph (9) of this Paragraph. The points each district scores on each parameter are totaled and proportioned to the total dollars available under the current program year funding according to the following formula:

(1) Sum of Parameter Points = Total Points

(2) Percentage Total x Total Dollars = Dollars Available

Points Each District Available to Each District

(3) The minimum allocated to a particular district shall be one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) per program year, unless the district requests less than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500).

(4) If a district requests less than the dollars available to that district in Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph, then the excess funds beyond those requested by the district shall be allocated to the districts who did not receive their full requested allocation using the same methodology described in Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph.

(5) 95 percent of the total program funding shall be allocated to the district accounts in the initial allocation. The Division shall retain five percent of the total funding in a contingency fund to be used to respond to an emergency or natural disaster. If the funds are not needed to respond to an emergency, then the contingency fund shall be allocated at the March meeting of the Commission.

(6) The Commission may recall funds allocated to a district during a fiscal year that have not been encumbered to an agreement at any time if it determines the recalled funds are needed to respond to an emergency or natural disaster.

(7) At any time a district may submit a revised strategy plan and apply to the Commission for additional funds.

(8) CPOs that encumber funds under the current year must be submitted to the Division by 5:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday in June.

(9) Districts shall be allocated funds based on their respective data for each of the following parameters:

(A) Relative rank of the number of miles of stream identified as less than fully supporting due to nonpoint source pollution as reported in the North Carolina Water Quality Assessment and Impaired Waters List and the most recent Basinwide Water Quality Plan for each river basin, where the source of pollution is not solely due to agriculture. (20 percent) The North Carolina Water Quality Assessment and Impaired Waters list and the Basinwide Water Quality Plans are produced by the Division of Water Quality.

(B) Relative rank of the percentage of the county draining to waters classified as Outstanding Resource Waters, High Quality Waters, Trout, or Shellfishing (open) on the current schedule of Water Quality Standards and Classifications. (20 percent)

(D) Relative rank of population density for the county. (20 percent)

(E) Relative rank of the percentage of a county's land area that is located within drinking water assessment areas, as delineated by the Public Water Supply Section of the Division of Environmental Health. (20 percent)

(d) The funds available for technical and administrative assistance shall be allocated by the Commission based on the needs as expressed by the district and needs to accelerate the installation of BMPs in the respective district. Each district may use these monies to fund new positions or to accelerate present technical assistance. Districts must provide an itemized budget to the division in order to qualify for technical assistance funds. N.C. Community Conservation Assistance Program technical assistance funds may be used for technical assistance with the district matching at least 50 percent of the total. Each district to which funds are allocated for technical assistance shall demonstrate to the Commission that matching funds are available prior to any expenditure of funds. The allocation method used for disbursement of funds is based on the score of each respective district for those parameters approved by the Commission pursuant to Subparagraph (4) of this Paragraph. The points each district scores for each parameter are totaled and proportioned to the total dollars available under the current program year funding according to the following formula:

(1) Sum of Parameter Points = Total Points

(2) Percentage Total x Total Dollars = Dollars Available

Points Each District Available to Each District

(3) If a district requests less than the dollars available to that district in Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph, then the excess funds beyond those requested by the district shall be allocated to the districts who did not receive their full requested allocation using the same methodology described in Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph.

(4) Priority for funding shall be based upon the following parameters:

(A) Whether the position is presently funded by Community Conservation Assistance Program technical assistance funds. (25 percent)

(B) The proportion of Community Conservation Assistance Program funds for cost share and cost share incentive allocated to districts served by this technical assistance request (normalized to 1 to 100 scale by multiplying each district's score by a factor such that the product of the highest score for this parameter is 100) (50 percent), and

(C) The amount of additional funds leveraged by grants and other funds committed to districts served by this technical assistance request (normalized to 1 to 100 scale by multiplying each district's score by a factor such that the product of the highest score for this parameter is 100). (25 percent)

(5) Subject to availability of funds and local match, provide support for technical assistance for every district.

(6) 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.

(7) Funds, if available, may 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.

(e) The funds available for the education and outreach purpose shall be allocated by the Commission based on the needs as expressed by the district and needs to accelerate the installation of BMPs in that respective district. Districts and the Division may use these funds for holding workshops for potential applicants and for developing, duplicating, and distributing outreach materials or signs. Districts must provide an itemized budget to the Division in order to qualify for education and outreach funds. Education and outreach funds shall be allocated to each district in accordance with the following formula:

(1) Each district shall receive the lesser of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or the result of the following equation:

Total Dollars Available

Total Dollars Requested by Each District

Total Dollars Requested by All Districts

Dollars Available to Each District

(2) If more funds are available for allocation than are requested by districts or the Division, then the excess funds shall be added to the funds to be allocated for cost share and cost share incentive payments.

History Note: Authority G.S. 106-840; 106-860; 139‑4; 139‑8;

Eff. January 1, 2008;

Transferred from 15A NCAC 06I .0103 Eff. May 1, 2012.

                    
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