2011 - 04-18-2011 Reg. Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Boor 24 c 54 LEE COUNTY Committed Today for a Better Tomorrow RESOLUTION OPPOSING ANY ATTEMPT TO REDUCE COUNTY REVENUES FOR SCHOOL CAPITAL NEEDS OR TO SHIFT ADDITIONAL COSTS TO COUNTIES TO BALANCE THE STATE BUDGET WHEREAS, counties in North Carolina are statutorily responsible for providing public school facilities in North Carolina and contribute significant county funds for classroom expenses; and WHEREAS, counties spend more than $1.5 billion annually for public school capital needs and $2.5 billion for public school operating expenses; and WHEREAS, counties rely on local sales taxes, property taxes, the county share of lottery funds and the county share of the corporate income tax to help fund public school capital needs and have issued public debt based on these revenue streams; and WHEREAS, counties have lost more than a quarter billion dollars in lottery and corporate income tax school construction funds over the current biennium; and WHEREAS, the governor's budget proposal permanently eliminates the county share of the corporatize income tax and reduces the county lottery share by 75 percent, costing counties more than $200 million per year in revenues dedicated to public school construction needs; and WHEREAS, the budget proposal shifts responsibility to pay for replacement school buses to counties; and WHEREAS, the budget proposal also takes the unprecedented step of forcing counties to assume the workers' compensation costs for state -paid public school employees ($34.6 million per year) and community college employees ($1.7 million per year) and to fund school tort claims ($4.6 million per year; and WHEREAS, the budget proposal reflects an overall cost shift to counties of $345 million in 2011 -12 along, requiring counties to raise property taxes to manage a loss of magnitude; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Lee County Board of Commissioners, adamantly opposes the unfunded mandates and the loss of county revenues included in the governor's budget proposal; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to members of the North Carolina General Assembly to let them know of our opposition to these unprecedented changes in county responsibility and the use of county revenues to balance the stag budget. Adopted this 18 day of April 2011. i /,/ _ n /1 a � a A. Shook, Chairman County Board of Commissioners AT EST: ��ayhd M. Lee, Clerk