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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 03-24-2003 - 7a ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: .March 24, ,2003 Action Agenda Item No. ~- ;-~ SUBJECT: Public Hearing on Orange County's 2003 Legislative Agenda DEPARTMENT: County Commissioners PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) Yes ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Commissioner Steve Halkiotis Public Hearing Notice Commissioner Barry Jacobs Three Resolutions -Introduction and Support TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Resolution - Positions on Legislation. Hillsborough 732-8181 w/Exhibits A, B, & C Chapel Hill 968-4501 Draft Letter to Orange County Durham 688-7331 Legislative Delegation Mebane 336-227-2031 Information from National Association of Counties (NACo) PURPOSE: To hold a public hearing on potential items for inclusion in Orange County's legislative agenda package for the 2003 North Carolina General Assembly Session and to consider approval of draft resolutions for presentation to Orange County's legislative delegation. BACKGROUND: In past years, the BOCC has developed a package of legislative items to pursue for North Carolina General Assembly sessions. A list of potential legislative items for the 2003 Session has been developed by the Legislative Issues Task Force and is attached to this abstract. The Board needs to hold the public hearing on the potential legislative items in preparation for presenting its proposals to Orange County's legislative delegation for consideration during the 2003 General Assembly. Session. After the public hearing, the Board will need to review and consider approval as necessary of the attached resolutions and associated materials as developed by staff and the County Attorney. Those materials consist of four resolutions. The first resolution, with an attached draft bill, requests that Orange County's legislative delegation introduce a local legislative bill regarding bikeway funding authority. The second resolution with its attachment relates to authorization to levy an impact tax on land development to pay a portion of the costs of school capital facilities. The third resolution and materials concern cities' and counties' authority to enact ordinances prohibiting discrimination. With the North Carolina Senate's local bill introduction deadline of March 19, 2003 and the House's deadline of March 26, 2003, the County Attorney (at the Board's direction) requested that Orange County's legislative delegation introduce two blank bills in both the North Carolina ~. 2 House and North Carolina Senate. These blank bill introductions did occur. Staff will work with the legislative delegation to have the bikeway and other items added to an existing "blank" bill or some other existing local bill that would allow their consideration during the 2003 session. Two other legislative deadlines of note are the Senate's deadline for any introduction of public bills on April 2, 2003 and the Senate's April 24, 2003 deadline for bills to "cross-over" from the House. The fourth resolution requests that Orange County's legislative delegation take certain positions on various legislative matters. It includes as an attachment an amended version of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners 2003-2004 Legislative Goals with additional comments to clarify Orange County's positions in several areas. It also includes the Triangle J Council of Governments 2003 Regional Legislative Agenda as an attachment. It should also be noted that additional information from staff may be forthcoming on several items in this resolution, and those items are noted as appropriate. The second to last attachment to this abstract is a draft letter to Orange County's legislative delegation expressing the Board's appreciation for past efforts on legislative items and transmitting to them the Board's 2003 legislative package. The last attachment to this abstract is some legislative information from the National Association of Counties (NACo) and relates to its 2003 legislative priorities and one specific position regarding mental health. It should be noted that the work of the Legislative Issues Task Force to this point is based on the current information available and the outlook for the 2003 General Assembly Session. The issues addressed by the Task Force and incorporated into the draft resolutions may evolve and change over-the session and require additional attention by the Task Force and Board of Commissioners. New issues may also arise necessitating additional review. FINANCIAL IMPACT:. None at this time. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board conduct the public hearing on potential items for inclusion in Orange County's legislative agenda package for the 2003 North Carolina General Assembly Session and consider approval of the four resolutions. ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE FOR MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2003 AT 7:30 P.M. A public hearing will be held on the following list of potential legislative items for the 2003 North Cazolina General Assembly Session: • Cigazette Tax and Alcohol Tax Increase • Closing of Tax Loopholes • Local School System Utility Costs • Local Revenue Options • Reinstatement of the Public School Capital Building Fund • State Reimbursements to Local Govemments • Billboazd Advertisements on Interstate 40 • .Funding for Rural Planning Organizations • Unpaved Roads in Post-1975 Subdivisions • Social Services Funding • County Financial Responsibility for Children Needing Residential Mental Health Treatment • Criminal Justice Paztnership and Dispute Settlement Centers Funding • Mental Health Reform Funding and De-institutionalization Costs • In-Home Services for Seniors Funding • Reform of Medical Prescription System • Smart Start Funding • Funding for UNC Pharmacy School and Dental Clinic • Funding for NC Poison Control Center • Bottle Deposit Legislation • Advance Fee for Cathode Ray Tube Recycling • White Goods Recycling • Reduced Class Size and Associated Need for Capital and Other Funding • "More at Four" and Associated Need for Capital and Other Funding • Funding for UNC School of Govemment • ABC System Changes • Soil and Water Shazed Employee Funding • Utility Eminent Domain • Local Government Property Transfers • Annexation & Local Planning and Revenue Option Incentives to Control Growth • Broaden Local Government Authority to Enact Laws to Protect Public Health, Safety & Welfare • Impact Tax to Replace Impact Fee • Funding Authority for Bikeways and Trails The Board will also consider expressing support for, with some possible revisions and additional comments, the North Cazolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) 2003-2004 Legislative Goals and the Triangle J Council of Governments 2003 Regional Legislative Agenda. A copy of the NCACC 2003-2004 Legislative Goals is available at http://www. ncacc. org/legislativeinfo. htm and a copy of the Triangle J information is available at the contact information below. The Orange County Boazd of Commissioners welcomes all comments on these and any other items as may be introduced or addressed at the public hearing. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom in the New Courthouse in Hillsborough beginning at 7:30 p.m. If you need additional information, please call Greg Wilder at 245-2314.