Monday night I (Cary Mayor Weinbrecht) attended the Mayors Association meeting. This meeting marked the completion of my term as President. The President set the agenda and guests for the meetings. One accomplishment I am proud of in my term was the first meeting of the Wake County School Board and the Wake County Mayors. I hope there will be more of these meetings in the future. I am also proud of the fact that mayors are now presenting legislative agendas.
The new President will be Mayor Killen of Knightdale. Mayor Killen is a great guy and I am sure he will do a great job. Other meeting business included setting our Legislative Agenda for the 2011 session. The items we unanimously agreed upon were:
1.Protect our local government revenue stream including sales tax.
2.We do not support takeover of road maintenance from the state.
3.Lift cap on Charter Schools.
4.Do not increase any tax rates.
5.Eliminate the quasi-judicial process but all municipalities to maintain the ability to attach conditions of special use permits
6.Give all Wake municipalities the same authority to collect impact fees. We are all growing municipalities and face many of the same growing issues.
7.Support Dix as a state park but give financial support for a mental facility in Wake County. Allow some of Dix property to be used for mental health.
8.Allow Wake municipalities to join Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Asheville and Winston-Salem to enter into leases for the siting and operation of a renewable energy facility for 20 years instead of 10 years.
9.Allow farmland to be taken into municipalities to not have permitting requirements for changes (contact Mayor Killen for details).
10.Allow liens to be placed on properties if stormwater fees are not paid. (contact Mayor Matheny for details)
11.Give all Wake municipalities the authority for enterprise fees. See chapter 608 house bill 840, Session Law 2005-441 House Bill 1029. (Contact Mayor Matheny for details).
11/21/10
