Editor’s Note: This week’s Raleigh Report contains three paragraphs on the tax-free weekend, an event that has already ended at press time. Although we receive the Raleigh Report on Thursday or Friday, we usually hold it until Monday, mainly due to the fact that Monday is a news-poor day (hence the reason The Daily Dispatch does not publish on Monday). In any event, the fault is ours, not Rep. Wray’s, and we apologize for it
This week, Gov. Mike Easley signed into law a bill that is expected to help our state better manage its water resources, particularly during times of drought.
The bill is one of several items from this session intended to help the state protect our natural resources and our environment. We also continued our efforts to protect clean water and preserve open space and farmland. These initiatives are particularly important as our state grows and there is increasing development pressure.
Thank you for your support over this past session and in the months ahead. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact my office.
Drought Management
This week, the governor signed a bill to give the state’s chief executive more authority during a drought. The bill (H2499) gives the governor more ability during a drought to work with local governments to address water shortages and makes other changes to improve how we manage droughts. The new law also requires public water providers to develop drought and water shortage plans at least once every five years. Heavy water users will be subject to stricter reporting requirements. During the worst droughts, the state could require weekly reports from public water systems. The bill was the result of collaboration between many different interests, including municipalities, business, farmers and private residents. The law will be phased in between October 2008 and July 2009.
The state’s budget includes $2.1 million for agricultural drought response and a drought reserve. Most of the money, $1.5 million, will be used to help farmers recover from the damage caused by our ongoing drought. The state has budgeted $1.15 million for renovation of pastures destroyed by the lack of rain, $200,000 for drilling and repair of wells that were damaged or dried up during the drought and $150,000 to renovate or build farm ponds. The state’s Tobacco Trust Fund Commission has also awarded a grant of $6 million for this effort.
Energy Efficiency
The General Assembly has created a sales-tax holiday for the purchase of efficient appliances in hopes of helping people reduce their energy use. The exemption will apply to all Energy Star products. These products meet the energy efficient guidelines set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Energy. They include clothes washers, freezers and refrigerators, air conditioners, heat pumps, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers and programmable thermostats. The state estimates the holiday will save consumers $1.4 million in taxes. The three-day holiday will begin on the first Friday of November and run through the following Sunday.
Environmental Cleanup
North Carolina has improved its program for the monitoring and cleanup of underground petroleum tanks through a new law improved in the General Assembly this session. The bill (H2498) increases the fees paid by the owners and operators of these tanks to raise additional money for the assessment and clean up of leaks. It also requires better secondary protective measures for regulated underground tanks and requires the state to establish a pilot program that would evaluate the use of site-specific cleanup standards rather than the broader standards in use now. The results of the pilot study are due in September 2009. The bill also establishes time limits on some actions that can be taken by state environmental regulators.
Land Preservation
The General Assembly appropriated $50 million this year for the Land for Tomorrow initiative, for a total of $150 million this biennium. The Land for Tomorrow program was created to help preserve the state’s land, water and historic places and wants to help the state work toward its goal of conserving 1 million acres. The state also budgeted $4 million for farmland preservation. The Farmland Preservation Trust Fund was created to purchase agricultural conservation easements and conservation agreements that will allow the production of food and other agricultural products to continue. Since 2002, North Carolina has lost 6,000 farms and 300,000 acres of farmland, the most in the nation during that time span.
Clean Water
The state again dedicated $100 million to the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The fund was created to help local governments, state agencies and conservation non-profit groups finance projects to protect and restore water quality. Between 1997 and 2007, the fund gave out more than 1,100 grants worth more than $830 million. The money has been used to expand state parks and game lands, protect waterways and develop better agricultural practices. It has also leveraged more than $1.4 billion in private money.
Reminder
The state’s seventh-annual state and local sales tax holiday begins Friday, August 1 and runs through Sunday, August 3, and consumers can buy back-to-school items without having to pay sales taxes. The General Assembly created the holiday in 2001 and has expanded this year’s list of exempt items to include instructional materials, such as reference books, maps, globes, textbooks and workbooks with an individual cost of up to $300. The previous price limit for individual items was $100.
This weekend’s sales tax holiday will help North Carolina families better prepare their children for the start of school so they are able to enter the classroom ready to learn. Friday through Sunday will be a great opportunity for families to save some money on necessary back-to-school items, while also supporting our local businesses. I hope that all residents of Northampton, Vance and Warren Counties and all North Carolinians will take advantage of these savings.
During the tax holiday weekend, consumers will not pay sales tax on: clothes and footwear costing less than $100 each; school supplies such as pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, textbooks, book bags, lunch bags and calculators costing less than $100 each; sports and recreation equipment costing $50 or less each; computers costing less than $3,500 and computer supplies costing less than $250 each.
A complete list of eligible items is available at the NC Department of Revenue’s website.
Meetings/Events
My family and I are going to take a much needed vacation next week.
Please invite me to attend your county, city, community or civic, etc. meetings or events.
As I’ve said many times before, I hope you will continue to let me know how you feel about the issues that are being debated by the North Carolina Legislature and the challenges you and your family are facing each day.
By working together, we can make Northampton, Vance and Warren Counties and all regions of North Carolina a better place to live, work and raise a family.
For more information, please visit the General Assembly’s website.