News

Exempt Builders’ Inventory Bill Could Lead to Revenue Loss to Counties, Creating De Facto Unfunded Mandate

June 17, 2015 | Comments Off on Exempt Builders’ Inventory Bill Could Lead to Revenue Loss to Counties, Creating De Facto Unfunded Mandate

The item below was just distributed by the N.C. Association of County Commissioners.  I sent a note to several members of the House about this issue; my note is included at the bottom of this post. From the NCACC: The House Finance Committee yesterday passed H168 Exempt Builders’ Inventory, and it is scheduled to be heard by the full House this afternoon. While improved from the original version, the legislation still causes significant revenue loss…

Read More

A Few Comments on the Budget Process

June 17, 2015 | Comments Off on A Few Comments on the Budget Process

Following the recent passage of our county’s budget for Fiscal Year 2015-16, I was contacted by a constituent who was unhappy about an item that was not funded in the budget. As I stated during the meeting at which the budget was adopted, there is a reason we have a board of commissioners.  No one commissioner drives our budget process. An individual commissioner has no power; a majority of the board, acting in a meeting,…

Read More

Brunswick County budget maintains revenue neutral tax rate

June 16, 2015 | Comments Off on Brunswick County budget maintains revenue neutral tax rate

BOLIVIA,  N.C. — The fiscal year 2015-16 budget, unanimously approved by the Brunswick County Commissioners on Monday, June 15, maintains a revenue neutral tax rate. Every four years, Brunswick County conducts a property revaluation, adjusting property values to reflect current market conditions. In these years, the county calculates a revenue neutral tax rate. The revenue neutral rate is a rate adjustment, which does not generate any additional tax revenue. Instead, it is calculated to generate…

Read More

NC Senate gives counties more time to update voting machines

June 12, 2015 | Comments Off on NC Senate gives counties more time to update voting machines

From the N.C. Association of County Commissioners — June 12, 2015 — The Senate Rules Committee turned H836 (Elections Modifications), a House regulatory reform bill, into elections changes (while another committee simultaneously turned a different House bill into the regulatory reform replacement). The revised legislation gives county boards of elections the option to submit lists of executed absentee ballots electronically to the State Board of Elections instead of sending them by mail. It also allows the…

Read More

NC Senate unveils latest plan to distribute county sales taxes

June 12, 2015 | Comments Off on NC Senate unveils latest plan to distribute county sales taxes

From the N.C. Association of County Commissioners — June 12, 2015 — After several days of waiting, the N.C. Senate rolled out its latest plan to redistribute county-adopted sales tax revenues on Wednesday. The Senate plan was only presented in the Commerce Committee and is rumored to be included in the Senate budget that will be unveiled next week. The Senate plan is comprehensive legislation that makes significant changes to the state’s personal income taxes, corporate…

Read More