Purpose & History

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is the official voice of all 100 counties on issues considered by the General Assembly, Congress and federal and state agencies. The Association provides expertise to counties in the areas of advocacy, research, risk management and education and leadership training.

NCACC Core Values

The Association recognizes counties’ critical partnership with the state of North Carolina and promotes strategies that enhance state and county collaboration, communication and cooperation.

Counties are an integral part of a strong intergovernmental system, along with municipalities, school boards, the state and the federal government. Cooperation and communication between all levels of government are essential in order to provide the best and most efficient services to citizens. Counties are the level of government closest to the people.

The Association promotes strengthening of local decision-making to respond to local needs. Counties should be free to organize as appropriate for efficient and effective delivery of services. Flexibility of form, function and finance is critical. A proper balance of service responsibility and revenue generating authority is imperative.

Essential services should be financed through state or federal revenues to ensure statewide availability and consistency. State mandated services should be funded from state revenue sources; federally mandated services should be financed from federal revenue sources.

Policy changes affecting counties should be preceded by fair and equitable negotiations.

New initiatives should allow adequate lead time for implementation within the county budget schedule. The state should consider the resource limitations of counties when implementing new state and federal programs.

The Association will be proactive in providing information to the NC General Assembly, US Congress and the public to assist in the passage of sound legislation beneficial to the administration of county government affairs and will oppose legislation injurious thereto.

NCACC Vision Statement

“Empowering 100 counties to work together for the betterment of one state.”

NCACC Mission Statement

“Our Association supports and promotes the well-being of all North Carolina counties through advocacy, education, research, and member services.”

History

August 9-10, 1908, county commissioners from across North Carolina convened in Carteret County’s Morehead City for the first meeting of the State Association of County Commissioners of North Carolina – a name that would stick until the late 1950s. Craven County Chairman C.E. Foy, who organized the meeting, is elected president. Guilford County’s J.A. Davidson is elected vice president, and Craven’s G.V. Richardson takes office as secretary and treasurer.

Commissioner Foy was first elected as a Craven County commissioner in 1903, and it was during his second and final term that he first conceived the idea for a state association of county governments. On March 8, 1909, the North Carolina General Assembly ratified S.L. 1909, Chapter 870, “An Act to Create the State Association of County Commissioners.”

Today, all 100 of North Carolina’s counties are members of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.

C E Foy
C.E. Foy

NCACC Constitution

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) was founded in 1908 and while the Association had many previous versions of a constitution, the current constitution was adopted in 1978 and amended many times thereafter. The NCACC Constitution contains 13 articles that serve as the governing principles of the organization. The official text of the NCACC Constitution was approved by the NCACC at its annual meeting in Guilford County on August 24, 2019. Amendments were previously adopted at the NCACC annual meetings in 1978, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2006, 2013 and 2019.