Playing with the box
You parents know what I'm talking about. You get your kid a bright, shiny new toy and after a few minutes of play, it gets tossed aside in favor of the packaging.
Well, I don't know what kind of wrapper a new law comes in, but according to this news release from the county commissioners association officials in the Triad are doing the equivalent of playing with the packaging:
Counties across North Carolina are moving quickly to put on the November ballot one or both of the new revenue options included in the state budget passed by the General Assembly last month. The budget included two revenue options for counties - a 0.25 percent increase in the sales tax or a 0.4 percent land transfer tax. A county can only enact one of the two options, and whichever one they enact must first be approved by voters in a referendum.As of Aug. 30, 11 counties (Brunwsick, Chatham, Gates, Henderson, Hoke, Macon, Moore, Pender, Polk, Swain and Union) had decided to put the 0.4 percent land transfer tax option on the November ballot, nine counties (Columbus, Greene, Hertford, Lenoir, Martin, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson and Surry) were pursuing the sales tax option, and three counties (Davie, Harnett and Johnston) had decided to put both options in front of voters. In addition, four counties (Caswell, Duplin, Onslow and Pamlico) have already announced plans to pursue one of the options in next May's primary election.
Now, we already knew the Guilford County commissioners weren't high on the idea but it doesn't look like any local county is diving into a bid to use the new authority. Of course, they could just be waiting until next year to see what their budgets look like.
And after all that bother lawmakers had to go through to get this thing done.
More from the Associated Press:
County commissioners were given the authority to seek the tax increases under a bill approved by the state Legislature this year. About three-quarters of the state's 100 counties have either declined or not yet decided whether to pursue the tax options in 2007. Officials in four counties plan to pursue one option next spring, according the association.David Young, a Buncombe County commissioner and president of the association, said counties need more revenue sources to fund school construction and build water and sewer systems.
"We cannot keep relying on the property tax to fund all of these needs," he said.
Commissioners in 11 counties decided to put the land transfer tax option on the ballot in November, while nine counties plan a sales tax referendum. Three counties _ Davie, Harnett and Johnston _ will seek both tax hikes, but only one could be implemented, according to the association.
If approved, the sales tax would increase by a quarter-penny in counties pursuing that option increase the rate most consumers pay from 6.75 percent to 7 percent. The real-estate transfer tax would rise from 0.2 percent to 0.6 percent.
"If you're a high-growth county, at some point in time, we've all looked at these options," said Terry Bralley, Davie County manager. "The right thing to do was to take both issues to the people."
The N.C. Association of Realtors vigorously opposed the land transfer tax option at the General Assembly and spent $600,000 on its campaign. The lobbying organization plans to take its opposition efforts to counties.
"There will be an organized public-education effort in the local communities, as there was at the state level," said Julie Woodson, a spokeswoman for the association.