WHAT HAPPENED: A fairly light week as expected at the legislature, with leadership keeping a calm pace for the early days of the 2019 long session. The Senate saw 24 new bills filed; the House, 26.
WHAT IT MEANS: A few of the latest proposals are of interest to cities and towns. They're described in this Bulletin and followed by
our easy-to-use Bill Tracker. As committees fire up, bill-business will accelerate, and still ahead is the rollout of state budget plans. Gov. Roy Cooper's State of the State address, in which he will discuss his budget priorities, is set for Feb. 25.
ON TAP: A little nearer is our fun and effective
Town & State Dinner, bringing together municipal and legislative officials on Feb. 20 for an intimate evening of food, conversation and guest speakers following informative afternoon sessions on hot topics for our members.
THE SKINNY: The Town & State Dinner is about advocacy and partnership, and it's the best organized way for the leaders of our cities and towns to convey priorities and teamwork-spirit to their delegation in the General Assembly. The registration deadline falls on Monday. More details follow in this Bulletin.
In a presentation to the funding appropriations strategies committee of the N.C. Board of Transportation on Wednesday, the League focused on the considerations city officials are making now to ensure that transportation systems several decades in the future meet the needs of North Carolinians. Because city officials must work so closely with state transportation staff and leaders, the priorities of both groups benefit from being aligned. The League urged the state policymakers on this committee to broaden their thinking about what constituted a transportation system to include modes of travel beyond cars and trucks. The League also focused on broadband connectivity and data security as two unavoidable components of future transportation systems. Contact: Erin Wynia
Infrastructure was the word of the day as League Executive Director Paul Meyer and President Michael Lazzara, the mayor pro-tem of Jacksonville,
visited Capitol Hill to discuss increasingly pressing needs with Congress. The trip was part of an advocacy effort
arranged by the National League of Cities (NLC) to connect municipal leaders with federal decision-makers on the topic. Infrastructure is NLC's top legislative priority this year. During the visit, Meyer and Lazzara met with federal officials and members of Congress,
including North Carolina's Rep. David Price, to push for better and reimagined infrastructure. While transportation, healthy water and sewer systems and so on were of continued focus, Meyer and Lazzara also emphasized the need for adequate broadband service, which has
moved into the definition of essential infrastructure. Municipal leaders from elsewhere in the country emphasized the same, according to NLC.
“As local leaders, we see firsthand what policies work and the solutions our residents need from all levels of government,” NLC Immediate Past President Matt Zone, councilmember from Cleveland, Ohio, said in a press release. “We’ll need to work together to address our nation’s toughest challenges, including rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure. Building strong federal-local partnerships can result in solutions for our residents that will strengthen local economies for generations to come."
The time is now to register for the best municipal-legislative networking event around. Sign up by 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 11 to reserve your seat at the 2019 Town & State Dinner, a prized gathering that will bring local officials and lawmakers together to build relationships and discuss teamwork. The dinner, to include special guest speakers, is scheduled for Feb. 20 in Raleigh, and seats are filling quickly. Attention municipal officials: be sure to personally invite your legislator. Last year's dinner was a resounding success for bringing city and town leaders together with their delegation and creating opportunities for new relationships. Prior to dinnertime, informative afternoon sessions for attendees will cover affordable housing, broadband access and an update on legislative matters. Wait no longer; register now for the 2019 Town & State Dinner.
A program to fix up homes damaged by Hurricane Florence has a new, extended deadline for participation. According to a press release from the governor's office, Sunday will be the last day for eligible homeowners to fill out the forms required for the Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP) program for partial home repairs done at no cost to the homeowner. "Getting people back in safe, livable homes in their own communities is key to recovering from Hurricane Florence and the STEP program can help," said Gov. Roy Cooper. Click here for complete information.
