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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrange County 2026 Priority Legislative Issues Attachment 1 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 2026 PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES Alignment between North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) 2025-2026 Legislative Advocacy Goals and Orange County's Strategic Plan FY 2025-2029 TOP 6 PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES AGRICULTURE (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL — Seek legislation to protect and expand farmland preservation programs. GENERAL GOVERNMENT (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL — Seek legislation to increase funding for preserving and repairing existing affordable housing. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL — Seek legislation to expand behavioral health treatment resources and crisis system capacity. JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL— Seek legislation expanding state funding for essential medical, mental health, substance use, and social services for people incarcerated in local detention facilities. PUBLIC EDUCATION (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL — Support legislation that invests in school operational and capital needs. TAX AND FINANCE (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL — Support legislation that preserves County funding and taxing authority and instead funds potential expanded exemptions through the state budget. Attachment 2 2 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 2026 PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES Alignment between North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) 2025-2026 Legislative Advocacy Goals and Orange County's Strategic Plan FY 2025-2029 AGRICULTURE (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL — Seek legislation to protect and expand farmland preservation programs. (NCACC Agriculture Top Priority Legislative Goal; Strategic Plan Priority 1, Objective 4; ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) ENVIRONMENT (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL — Support legislation to protect clean and safe water supply and watersheds. (Strategic Plan Priority 1, Objective 6) • GOAL — Seek legislation to expand state funding for disaster mitigation and storm resilience. • GOAL — Seek funding to expand access to water and sewer infrastructure in underserved and rural areas. • GOAL — Support legislation to maintain local or regional authority over water transfer agreements and interbasin transfers. • GOAL — Support statewide funding to research and combat invasive species. GENERAL GOVERNMENT (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL — Seek legislation to increase funding for preserving and repairing existing affordable housing. (Strategic Plan Priority 3, Objective 8, ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) • GOAL—Seek legislation to expand workforce housing programs for public employees. (Strategic Plan Priority 3, Objective 6) • GOAL — Seek legislation to increase funding for affordable rental units, including low barrier and supportive housing. (Strategic Plan Priority 3, Objectives 2 & 3) • GOAL — Maintain or increase direct funding to rural and smaller transportation agencies. • GOAL— Maintain or increase support for programs providing transportation to elderly and disabled residents that allow them to participate in community life, such as senior nutrition and supportive employment. • GOAL — Support legislation allowing stand alone bicycle and pedestrian projects to receive NCDOT administration and maintenance funding. • GOAL — Support legislation to establish a process for an independent, non-partisan redistricting process after each United States Census for the election of representatives from North Carolina to the United States House of Representatives, the North Carolina House, and the North Carolina Senate. 3 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL — Seek legislation to expand behavioral health treatment resources and crisis system capacity. (Strategic Plan Priority 2, Objectives 1 & 2; ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) • GOAL — Support legislation to establish a Medicaid code to reimburse behavioral health urgent care (BHUC) services at a sustainable rate. • GOAL — Support legislation to increase innovation waiver slots more aggressively to meet the Olmstead Act requirements to serve members of the public with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (IDD) (current waiting list of approximately 17,000). • GOAL — Seek legislation to consistently fund treatment and diversion programs that reduce incarceration. (Strategic Plan Priority 2, Objectives 1 & 4) • GOAL — Seek legislation and ongoing funding to support youth in foster care and those transitioning to adulthood. (Strategic Plan Priority 2, Objective 3) JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL— Seek legislation expanding state funding for essential medical, mental health, substance use, and social services for people incarcerated in local detention facilities. (NCACC Justice & Public Safety Top Priority Legislative Goal; ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) PUBLIC EDUCATION (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL — Support legislation that invests in school operational and capital needs. (Strategic Plan Priority 5, Objectives 4 & 5, ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) • GOAL — Seek funding that promotes workforce development, continuing education, and college/career readiness. (Strategic Plan Priorities 5 & 6, Objectives 3 & 6) • GOAL — Support legislation to modernize public school funding formulas. • GOAL — Support legislation to improve teacher and classified staff recruitment and retention, including increased state salary schedules. (NCACC Public Education Top Priority Legislative Goal) • GOAL — Seek funding for community college—high school partnerships that expand experiential learning. • GOAL— Seek full funding for public Pre-K education which benefits both students and the general public through improved life-long health/mental health, achievement; and other benefits. • GOAL — Support legislation to reduce funding and limit eligibility for/availability of private school vouchers (especially reversing the availability of funding for non-low income families), as vouchers constrain available funding for public education statewide, encourage students to leave public education, and limit services and educational opportunities for all remaining public school students. TAX AND FINANCE (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) • GOAL — Support legislation that preserves County funding and taxing authority and instead funds potential expanded exemptions through the state budget. (ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) Attachment 3 4 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 2026 PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES Alignment between North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) 2025-2026 Legislative Advocacy Goals and Orange County's Strategic Plan FY 2025-2029 TALKING POINTS FOR TOP 6 PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES AGRICULTURE (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) Orange County is losing farmland faster than it can protect it, threatening our local food system, rural economy, and climate goals. • GOAL — Seek legislation to protect and expand farmland preservation programs. (NCACC Agriculture Top Priority Legislative Goal; Strategic Plan Priority 1, Objective 4, ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • According to data generated by the USDA Census of Agriculture, Orange County is indeed experiencing an accelerating loss of farm acreage, with a significant decrease showing up over the most recent five-year census period, from 2017 to 2022, when the County experienced a loss of approximately 16,777 acres or 24% during that period. Here is a sampling of the USDA data from past reporting years to provide some context: • 1959: 145,960 • 1969: 110,740 • 1982: 90,575 • 2017: 69,908 • 2022: 53,068 (The USDA Census of Agriculture is carried out every five years nationwide, so the County receives data in five-year increments) The NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has projected that the state is in danger of losing about 20% of its farmland between now and 2040; that's on a statewide average basis, with those counties in or near rapidly growing metro areas projected to greatly exceed that percentage (like Orange and Wake), while the very rural counties in the far west or northeast may lose relatively little farmland. • Preserving farmland strengthens local food system resilience and supports the County's Climate Action Plan. • Agriculture remains central to the County's economy, rural character, and heritage. • Working lands protect water quality, reduce runoff, and support watershed health. • Conservation easements are a cost-effective tool to permanently protect land while keeping it in agricultural production. • Established in 2000 to work with willing farmers, other landowners and other partners to protect and conserve the County's most important natural and cultural resource lands before they are damaged or destroyed, Orange County's Lands Legacy Program has led to the acquisition of land for eight new parks, preserved all or portions of 28 active farms (2,329 acres), and conserved over 1 ,500 acres of natural open 5 space in the Eno River, Cane Creek, Little River, and New Hope Creek watersheds upstream of public water supply intakes. • The County has also partnered with state and federal agencies, other local governments and non-profits that awarded over $6.1 million in grants for park acquisition/construction and for conserving farms and open space. • $1.44 million in State funding for farm easements in FY 25 will turn into $3 million of land protected for future farm use. GENERAL GOVERNMENT (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) Orange County faces rising housing costs, aging homes, and shrinking affordability, pushing workers and families out of the community. • GOAL — Seek legislation to increase funding for preserving and repairing existing affordable housing. (Strategic Plan Priority 3, Objective 8, ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • The HOME 2025-2029 Plan and community groups identify home repair as a top community priority. • The Home Preservation Coalition reports a $2 million shortfall to clear the backlog of urgent repairs. The Orange County Home Preservation Coalition is a collaborative of organizations (county departments, towns, non-profits) that provide home repairs and modifications to Orange County residents. Urgent Repairs are defined as repairs that are imminent threats to health and safety, or to provide accessibility modifications. The Urgent repair Program is for emergency, urgent and critical repairs only. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) Orange County lacks the behavioral health capacity needed to keep people out of crisis, out of jail, and safely in the community. • GOAL — Seek legislation to expand behavioral health treatment resources and crisis system capacity. (Strategic Plan Priority 2, Objectives 1 & 2, ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) TALKING POINTS • Sequential Intercept Mapping identifies major gaps: no youth crisis facility, long waits for Central Regional beds, limited residential and outpatient services. • The County is constructing a Crisis Diversion Facility with no committed state funding. • PORT and CARE Teams rely on grant funding ending June 30, 2026. • Behavioral Health Urgent Care is not fully reimbursable: Medicaid is reimbursed by both Standard and Tailored plans; Uninsured/IPRS is dependent on the LME/MCO if they have state funds available to pay; Private/3rd Party/Commercial insurance does not pay at this time. This is true for children and adults. 6 LOCALIMPACT • Total CARE Team responses in FY 24-25: 1,040 (529 mobile responses to calls; 489 outreach or follow-up responses; 22 call diversions); Number of unique individuals served by CARE Team response: 349 • PORT Responses in FY 24-25: There were 106 unique individuals served in total when taking into account any degree of Opioid Use Disorder-related services. If total PORT Medication for OUD administrations, there were 50 in that FY. Orange County EMS Patients - - atth Concerns by Year 31 3H 200 "20255 is projected ba dam activity from January 1-August 31. 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) Orange County bears the full cost of providing medical and behavioral health care in the jail, despite rising needs and limited resources. • GOAL— Seek legislation expanding state funding for essential medical, mental health, substance use, and social services for people incarcerated in local detention facilities. (NCACC Justice & Public Safety Top Priority Legislative Goal, ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • The Sheriff's Office contracts for medical, psychological, and psychiatric services, all funded by the County. • Additional costs include safekeeping, community medical appointments, and CJRD clinicians. PUBLIC EDUCATION (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) Orange County's schools face significant operational, capital, and workforce pressures that local funding alone cannot meet. • GOAL — Support legislation that invests in school operational and capital needs. (Strategic Plan Priority 5, Objectives 4 & 5, ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) 7 TAX AND FINANCE (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) Orange County's ability to fund essential services is threatened by expanding tax exemptions and caps. • GOAL — Support legislation that preserves County funding and taxing authority and instead funds potential expanded exemptions through the state budget. (ORANGE COUNTY TOP 6 GOAL) TALKING POINTS/IMPACT: • See attached graphic from the UNC School of Government. 8 TALKING POINTS FOR OTHER 21 PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES ENVIRONMENT (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) Orange County's water systems and stormwater infrastructure are increasingly strained by contamination risks and heavier rainfall. • GOAL — Support legislation to protect clean and safe water supply and watersheds. (Strategic Plan Priority 1, Objective 6) TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • Clean surface and groundwater are essential to agriculture, rural communities, and public health. • Preventing contamination avoids costly treatment upgrades, including PFAS mitigation. • Watershed protections reduce runoff and erosion during heavy rain events. • The Town of Pittsboro underwent some costly treatment and significant investments recently to address PFAS and other contaminants in its drinking water supply. The town installed a granular activated carbon (GAC)filtration system costing roughly$3.5 million to reduce contaminant levels and has indicated that long-term treatment solutions could exceed $20 million. In addition to infrastructure upgrades, Pittsboro has pursued legal action against companies including Chemours, DuPont, and 3M to recover costs associated with upstream contamination. See additional information at this link. • The impact on local wells of biosolids spread on local farmlands is under study but not yet understood. However, there is a growing body of research on PFAS in land- applied biosolids. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) has been studying this issue in various parts of the state. While PFAS persistence in soil is well documented, the specific impacts are still under study and not yet fully understood, particularly at the county level. See additional information on NCDEQ's study ., • GOAL — Seek legislation to expand state funding for disaster mitigation and storm resilience. TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • Orange County's experience during Tropical Depression Chantal showed that current infrastructure cannot handle today's rainfall intensity. • 448 homes were impacted at an estimated cost of $24,164,394; 116 businesses were impacted at an estimated cost of$26,935,228; and Public Assistance Needs were estimated at a cost of $24,549,616. Emergency Services does not have an accurate count of the number of people displaced due to property damage, but the Orange County Department of Social Services reports that the number of individuals that were supported in hotels by the County and Town of Chapel Hill is 56. • State funding is needed for resilience hubs, backup power, flood mitigation, and drainage improvements. • Low income and rural residents face disproportionate vulnerability to flooding, property damage, and septic failure. 9 • Advocate for continued Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) funds. These are federal funds that pass through the state. Annually, Orange County receives approximately $55,000 to build and sustain local capabilities, emergency planning and training and equipment. Due to a lack of funding for NCEM, the state will likely have to use more of these funds and reduce the local contribution. • There are more than 300 (or 1% of the total) residential properties in Orange County located in a special flood hazard area (high risk). Census numbers indicate that more than 1,249 adults, 154 seniors, and 49 children are at risk. In addition, FEMA flood maps underrepresent the risk as approximately 22% of the properties that flooded during Chantal were in a low-risk area. • GOAL — Seek funding to expand access to water and sewer infrastructure in underserved and rural areas. TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • Lack of water/sewer access is a documented barrier to small business development, a key Strategic Plan objective. • Infrastructure investments improve environmental protection, public health, and rural economic stability. • Economic Development potential is currently constrained in Orange County; that can adjust over time. • 84% of the land area of the county is currently under land use restrictions that limit water and sewer access. • Currently municipalities (13% of county land area) and Economic Development Zones (3%), including Buckhorn/Mebane are available for consideration. • Some of those restrictions can be negotiated in a strategic, targeted way across the joint planning jurisdictions as part of WASMPBA and the Land Use 2050 initiative. C As examples: o Morinaga America Foods' recent factory expansion will provide 204 additional new full-time jobs, and approximately $4,506,628 in property tax revenue during the first 10 years of operation. In year #11 and thereafter, that factory expansion will continue to generate approximately $600,000 annually in property tax revenue. This is in addition to the company currently generating $171,742 in annual property tax revenue on the first factory operation. o CITEL will provide 79 new full-time jobs, and approximately $162,880 in property tax revenue during the first 10 years of operation. In year #11 and thereafter, the company will generate approximately $80,000 annually in property tax revenue. • GOAL — Support legislation to maintain local or regional authority over water transfer agreements and interbasin transfers. TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • Local input ensures water resource decisions align with land use plans, economic development and Climate Action Plan priorities. • Orange County has numerous water transfer agreements with neighboring counties, and local / regional engagement is crucial for these to be effective. 10 • GOAL — Support statewide funding to research and combat invasive species. TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • Native, natural ecosystems are important to Orange County's environmental, social and economic quality. Orange County's native plants and ecosystems provide ecological benefits including wildlife habitat and forage, erosion control, nutrient reduction/uptake, carbon sequestration, and water and air filtration. • The primary threat to the native flora of Orange County and the greater central Piedmont region is non-native, invasive plants. This is in large part due to deliberate or accidental introduction of these non-native species in development projects and landscaping (residential, commercial, utilities and roads). The patterns of population growth and development have helped increase the amount of non-native, invasive species in Orange County landscapes. These species can quickly overwhelm the landscape and often form a monoculture, devoid of species diversity and unable to support the local wildlife and other major benefits of the natural ecosystems. • Invasive species in Orange County threaten local ecosystems by choking out native plants and harming wildlife, with major offenders including Privet (Asian Varieties), Autumn Olive, English Ivy, Wisteria (Asia Varieties), Japanese Stiltgrass, and Japanese Knotweed. • Aquatic areas are threatened by hydrilla, while Tree-of-Heaven and Porcelain Berry are common in residential and wooded areas. • The costs of removing these invasive species are borne by the County and towns. GENERAL GOVERNMENT (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) Orange County faces rising housing costs, aging homes, and shrinking affordability, pushing workers and families out of the community. • GOAL—Seek legislation to expand workforce housing programs for public employees. (Strategic Plan Priority 3, Objective 6) TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • Many County employees live outside Orange County due to high housing costs. • The County has never operated a homebuyer or downpayment assistance program. • GOAL — Seek legislation to increase funding for affordable rental units, including low barrier and supportive housing. (Strategic Plan Priority 3, Objectives 2 & 3) TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • Federal cuts will reduce rental assistance, increasing homelessness risk. • Permanent Supportive Housing is an evidence-based model facing significant federal funding reductions. • GOAL — Maintain or increase direct funding to rural and smaller transportation agencies. 11 TALKING POINTS • Some of the current formulas and distributions favor larger systems. These systems also have lobbyists. • GOAL— Maintain or increase support for programs providing transportation to elderly and disabled residents that allow them to participate in community life, such as senior nutrition and supportive employment. TALKING POINTS • Increased funding would help the County: • Serve more seniors with nutrition • Do more one-on-one passenger training to help people plan their routes to use the fixed routes • Process applications within the 21-day requirement — the County sometimes has difficulty meeting this timeframe. o Under ADA regulations, the County has 21 days to review applications for complementary services. This applies to demand response clients as well. If not determined in that timeframe, applicants get presumptive eligibility until a decision is made. Staff's processing goal is 15 days so onboarding efforts can occur and the County can be ready to serve clients on day 22. • GOAL — Support legislation allowing stand-alone bicycle and pedestrian projects to receive NCDOT administration and maintenance funding. TALKING POINTS • Local funds are insufficient to maintain these projects despite strong community interest. • GOAL — Support legislation to establish a process for an independent, non-partisan redistricting process after each United States Census for the election of representatives from North Carolina to the United States House of Representatives, the North Carolina House, and the North Carolina Senate. TALKING POINTS • Non-partisan redistricting processes enhance democratic fairness by removing map- drawing power from self-interested politicians and reducing partisan gerrymandering. • Non-partisan redistricting processes increase electoral competition. Independent commissions are more likely to create competitive districts, reducing the number of "safe seats" where the outcome is predetermined. • Non-partisan redistricting processes reduce partisan bias. Separating map-drawing from legislators prevents the majority party from creating biased maps that favor their own candidates. • Non-partisan redistricting processes increase voter confidence and transparency. Non-partisan processes generally require public hearings, open data, and, in many cases, non-elected official-led commissions, which fosters trust. • Non-partisan redistricting processes may provide protection of communities of interest. Districts created through non-partisan redistricting processes are more likely to keep cohesive communities, such as neighborhoods or shared-interest groups, together. 12 • Non-partisan redistricting processes provide the opportunity to focus on fair criteria. Commissions are often required to follow strict, neutral criteria, such as promoting political competition and creating compact, contiguous, and fair districts. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) Orange County lacks the behavioral health capacity needed to keep people out of crisis, out of jail, and safely in the community. • GOAL — Support legislation to establish a Medicaid code to reimburse behavioral health urgent care (BHUC) services at a sustainable rate. TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • Orange County is starting construction on a behavioral health crisis facility that includes a BHUC unit with 12 bays. Without a Medicaid code for reimbursement for this care, the County will be required to largely fund this critical and cost-effective care for youth and adults. The county funds necessary for this care could be up to $4 million per year. • Crisis stabilization at a BHUC reduces unnecessary emergency room utilization and incarceration. • GOAL — Support legislation to increase innovation waiver slots more aggressively to meet the Olmstead Act requirements to serve members of the public with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (IDD) (current waiting list of approximately 17,000). TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT: • Additional waiver slots would help residents that have care needs eligible for supports and services in the community. There are currently very few supportive housing and residential options available through Medicaid. Innovation Waivers provide funding for individuals with I/DD to receive these levels of care. The Waiver also provides community supports, home and vehicle modifications that enable more independent living, and funding for respite to support caregivers. • There are 353 Orange County residents on the waitlist, which is referred to as the Registry of Unmet Needs. • GOAL — Seek legislation to consistently fund treatment and diversion programs that reduce incarceration. (Strategic Plan Priority 2, Objectives 1 & 4) TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT: • 75% of pre-trial detainees self-report behavioral health needs. • Four County diversion programs rely entirely on county funding. • GOAL — Seek legislation and ongoing funding to support youth in foster care and those transitioning to adulthood. (Strategic Plan Priority 2, Objective 3) 13 TALKING POINTS/LOCAL IMPACT • Orange County currently has 79 children in foster care. • Youth aging out face limited housing and support options. PUBLIC EDUCATION (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) Orange County's schools face significant operational, capital, and workforce pressures that local funding alone cannot meet. • GOAL — Seek funding that promotes workforce development, continuing education, and college/career readiness. (Strategic Plan Priorities 5 & 6, Objectives 3 & 6) • GOAL — Support legislation to modernize public school funding formulas. • GOAL — Support legislation to improve teacher and classified staff recruitment and retention, including increased state salary schedules. (NCACC Public Education Top Priority Legislative Goal) • GOAL — Seek funding for community college—high school partnerships that expand experiential learning. TALKING POINTS • School district operating funding is a state function; however, the lack of adequate funding has put a significant burden on county budgets and resident tax bills when they attempt to fund the budget gap. • Orange County has been committed to covering that gap as much as possible. Despite this: • Orange County is not even in NC's Top 10 for its property tax rate. Notably, Orange County also held its property tax rate to only 1.19 cents over the revenue neutral rate in the last revaluation. • Even so, 34.84 cents of Orange County's 63.83 cent tax rate is directly attributed to k-12 operating spending. • For residents in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District that has its own special district tax, 49.63 cents of the 78.62 cent tax burden is due to k-12 operating budgets. • On resident tax bills, the proportion dedicated to schools operating spending is 55% in Orange County and 63% in the city school district, respectively. • It is important to note that Municipalities set their own tax rates, and many municipalities across our region, including our own, have implemented significant increases over revenue-neutral tax rates to address their residents' needs. • In state-level legislative committee meetings, there has been significant mention of the burden of property tax on residents, especially the elderly and those with low income. The best mechanism that the state has for alleviating property tax burdens is to supplant local funding on K-12 operating education. 14 • Because the state's budget is primarily income tax, the property tax burden on elderly and low income would be significantly reduced if the state budget funded k-12 properly, not counties. • In Orange County, the cost of education operating expenses is $1,393 for a resident with a $400,000 home, and $1,985 for a resident in the city school district. • For capital funding, it is worth noting that Lottery funding has not been a meaningful supplemental source for supporting county funding. The county only anticipates getting 3% of its 10-year capital expenses from lottery proceeds. • The County recently voted for a capital education bond to modernize a portion of aging school facilities. • GOAL—Seek full funding for public Pre-K education which benefits both students and the general public through improved life-long health/mental health, achievement; and other benefits. TALKING POINTS • Full funding for NC Pre-K, a high-quality program for at-risk four-year-olds, offers significant benefits. Pre-K provides a return on investment with improved literacy, math, and social-emotional skills that last through elementary school and increased workforce participation for parents. It also allows for improved teacher compensation, and expansion of slots in underserved areas. • Full funding for Pre-K will improve student outcomes. Participating children show increased literacy, math, and social-emotional skills upon entering kindergarten. • Pre-K funds enhance teacher compensation and retention. They support better compensation for teachers in private centers, aiming for parity with public school salaries. • Full Pre-K funding support for working families by stabilizing the childcare workforce, allowing parents to work. • GOAL — Support legislation to reduce funding and limit eligibility for/availability of private school vouchers (especially reversing the availability of funding for non-low income families), as vouchers constrain available funding for public education statewide, encourage students to leave public education, and limit services and educational opportunities for all remaining public school students. TALKING POINTS • School vouchers (Opportunity Scholarships) negatively impact public education by draining hundreds of millions in state funding to private, often unregulated schools. These programs primarily benefit wealthier families with children already in private school, lack academic accountability, and allow discrimination in admissions based on religion, sexual orientation, and ability. • The expansion of vouchers redirects significant state funds away from public schools. If fully expanded, this could siphon nearly $100 million in state funding from public education. • Data shows that the majority of voucher recipients were already enrolled in private schools, rather than transferring from public schools, thereby benefiting wealthy/private school families:. In 2024-25, only 6,710 out of 80,470 vouchers went 15 to students previously in public schools, indicating the program acts as a subsidy for existing private school families. • Private schools receiving voucher funds lack accountability and standards since they are not required to hire licensed teachers. There is a lack of transparency regarding how these taxpayer funds are spent. • Private schools that accept vouchers are permitted to discriminate in admissions based on gender, sexual orientation, and religion. They are not required to provide services for students with disabilities. • Vouchers can exacerbate inequality and can contribute to the "racial sorting" of students, as 64% of voucher recipients in 2023-24 were white. Mandated Elections Register of Deeds Sheriff Courts Public Health County Social Services Mental Health Medical Examiner Community Functions Colleges EMS Emergency Management Public Schools Property Assessment Building Code Enforcement Jails Juvenile Detention Soil and Water Conservation Optional Cooperative Extension County Home County Functions Libraries Solid Waste Public Transportation Hospitals EMS Airports Sewer Ambulance Fire/Rescue Water Parking Hospitals Regulatory Powers Parks and Recreation Optional Stormwater Watershed Drainage Public Housing Municipal Community & Economic Development Land Regulation Parking Functions , — I Street ig ting Cable/IBroadb Natural Gas Police Cemeteries EMS Downtown Development/Redevelopment Mandated Municipal - Building Code Inspection Functions