This week the Joint Transportation Appropriations Committee will be looking at the $78 million in public transportation grants. At the Committee’s request NCDOT will offer varying levels of cuts to the grants and the impacts of those cuts. The Committee will walk through a similar process for aviation, ferry, rail, and the bike/ped divisions as well. The Committee will also be discussing the Mobility Fund, specifically, hearing a presentation on the Intermodal Bill (HB 148) as it is referenced in the Mobility Fund formula (as required by statute). Lastly, if they have time left, they will spend time discussing the various transfers from the Highway Fund and Highway Trust Fund to operations outside the NCDOT.
Thank you to the City of Raleigh for passing a resolution against the transfer of state roads to locals. If you community has passed a similar resolution please be sure to send me a copy. WRAL did a story on the issue late last week in which House Majority Leader Skip Stam said, “”I haven’t heard from a single person that that’s a good idea, but I should caution you, I don’t hear everything.”
Gov. Bev Perdue announced Friday that several Urban Loop projects (Charlotte, Greensboro and Wilmington) scheduled to begin between 2014 and 2019 will begin earlier, due to available cash and cost savings from a favorable construction environment. While no additional money exists to add new Loop projects to the construction schedule, the N.C. Department of Transportation expects to see additional savings of about $50 million by being able to take advantage of today’s lower real estate and construction costs, which could move forward other Loops in their priority order.
SB 183 Selective Vegetation Removal/State Highways was introduced last week by Sens. Brown, Jenkinks, Rucho, Tillman, and Walters. It will override the ability of communities to regulate the location and appearance of digital billboards along major roads, and would dramatically expand the area where trees could be cleared in public rights of way in front of billboards. The Metro Mayors oppose the bill. There were a few articles written about the issue this weekend you can see in the News Clips section below. Chairman Bell was quoted in one story saying,
SB 170 Clarify Nuisance Abatement Laws was introduced last week by Sen. Hartsell and was sent to Judiciary 2. The bill amends GS 19-1(a) to clarify that the erection, establishment, continuance, maintenance, use, ownership or leasing of any building or place wherein or whereon repeated acts (was, for the purpose) of an illegal activity, as listed, occurs will constitute a nuisance. Makes a conforming change to GS 19-1.2(6) (concerning types of nuisances). Effective August 1, 2011 and applies to offenses or nuisances occurring on or after that date. If you have a senator from your area on Judiciary 2 please let them know of your support for the bill.
The broadband bill (HB 129) was heard in House Public Utilities last week where it was pushed through without exceptions for cities already in the broadband business. The League and the Coalition are trying to amend the bill to include exclusions for those currently in the business and to allow public private partnerships in the future. Salisbury Mayor Kluttz testified before the Committee and is asking for your help. If you have a representative on the House Finance Committee please call and ask them to support the League’s efforts.
SB 27 Involuntary Annexation Moratorium is on the calendar for the Senate’s final vote tonight. The moratorium would last until July 1, 2012. Local deannexation bills have passed through the House and more have been introduced.
The other big news last week was the release of the census numbers. The coverage focused on the explosive growth in our urban centers and noted that Wake and Mecklenburg stand to be the biggest beneficiaries. “It tells us once again that political power is increasingly concentrating in our big metro areas, with particular emphasis on the Research Triangle and Mecklenburg areas,” said Ferrel Guillory, a UNC Chapel Hill political analyst told the Charlotte Observer. We are working our way through the data and will bring you more on the likely effects on the General Assembly over the next few weeks.
