NC State Legislature Usurping City and County Authority to the Detriment of Its Citizens
Wake County Commission Chairman Sig Hutchinson and Cary Town Council member Jennifer Robinson will address the New South Voices Meeting at Jordan Lake Brewing Company in downtown Cary on May 1st at 7:00 pm. Under discussion: the systematic stripping of authority from local governments.
Examples of this legislative overreach include:
HB2
The “bathroom bill” was a reaction to the City of Charlotte passing a non-discrimination law. This bill caused a loss of $3 billion to the state’s economy and irreparable damage to its reputation.
How did Western Wake County representatives vote on HB2?
Nelson Dollar – NC House District 36 – Western Wake County
Voted Yea March 23, 2016
Bill Passed - House (82 - 26)
Tamara Barringer – NC Senate District 17 – Western Wake County
Voted Yea March 23, 2016
Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 0)
HB2 was overturned in early April, but the replacement law leaves in place the injunction against local governments passing non-discrimination ordinances. The overreach of the state legislature once again restricts local authority. Dollar and Barringer both voted to strip the cities of the right to pass non-discrimination laws.
Gerrymandering
The primary issue in the 2014 Wake County Commissioner’s race was the incumbents’ decision to provide insufficient educational funding. The citizens of Wake County did not care for their elected officials’ choices and voted them out. The system worked.
However, the NC State Legislature did not care for Wake County citizens’ choices. The legislature decided if they could not win elected office with the voters they had, they would find better voters. They passed SB181 which required the redistricting of the Wake County Commissioners and School Board districts.
How did Western Wake County Representatives vote on the Wake county redistricting bill?
Nelson Dollar – NC House District 36 – Western Wake County
Voted Yea on SB 181 April 1, 2015
Bill Passed - House (66 - 47)
Tamara Barringer – NC Senate District 17 – Western Wake County
Voted Yea on SB 181 March 12, 2015
Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 16)
A Federal Appeals Court has ruled the law unconstitutional. Passing laws that are unconstitutional to further partisan politics should not be supported by the electorate.
New South Voices members must let their friends and neighbors know they should call or write these representatives and let them know they are disappointed in their attempt to gerrymander the Wake County Commission and the Wake County School Board.
Impact Fees for Cities
HB 436, which would strip cities of the right to impose impact fees to recover the costs of new development, was filed in the NC State Legislature the last week in March. This bill is supported by the development community and the Home Builders Association, presumably because it will shift to local taxpayers the costs of building the necessary water, sewer, and roads to support new development. This bill yield increased property taxes for citizens while increasing the profit margins of builders and developers.
Representative Dollar and Senator Barringer have not voted on the Impact Fees for Cities bill yet because it has not come up for votes.
We call on all members of New South Voices to urge their representatives to vote no on HB 436.
Tell your elected official that we do not want higher property taxes just so developers and builders can increase their profits!