. . . . and attempting to privatize them???

Asheville Airport
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20120611/ARTICLES/120619974?p=1&tc=pg
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/03/04/3888973/in-asheville-airport-deal-had.html
Basically the state transferred the Asheville airport to a regional authority board that includes more representation of neighboring Henderson county. Asheville says it needs to remain in control or be compensated for the transfer since they have been the main source of capital for improvements. The other problem is that the NCGA now controls who makes up the board, and could theoretically change the boards makeup to whomever they want

Charlotte Douglas Airport
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/02/06/3835670/push-for-airport-authority-worries.html
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/02/07/3837103/rucho-pushing-airport-authority.html
Also being transferred to a regional authority, under nearly the same circumstances.
In typical fashion, Charlotteans are convinced its them dang lawmakers up in Raleigh trying to take something else from them (convinced its an attempt to make RDU a more important hub than CLT)

Asheville Water supply
http://www.carolinapublicpress.org/9225/state-water-committee-to-asheville-find-a-local-solution-or-well-act
Op-Ed - http://www.news-record.com/opinion/773640-94/op-ed-municipal-water-systems-in

Asheville has been fighting it tooth and nail, attempting to slow the transfer in any way. A frustrated Rep Tim Moffitt (of anti-topless lady bill fame), the main sponsor of the bill posted this on his website:

http://nchouse116.com/how-local-government-works/

Quote :

" Thus, if the General Assembly wants to create a city, county, or other local governmental unit, it is free to do so. If it wishes to abolish a local government, or to merge it with another, or to impose particular obligations on it, it has almost unlimited power to do as it chooses. In sum, North Carolina is not a “home rule” state, as that term is commonly understood. Its local governments exist by legislative benevolence, not by constitutional mandate."

Is that a threat???? So much for small government republicans


Lots of municipalities are taking this pretty seriously and have passed this resolution or something in similar form http://www.nclm.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Legislative/Water%20Resolution%20-%20Oppose%20Forced%20Taking%20of%20Municipal%20Water%20System.pdf
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/108366839/League%20Letter.pdf
Towns that so far have placed the League resolution on the agenda and/or passed it:
Albemarle NC, Asheville NC, Banner Elk NC, Bessemer City NC, Bladenboro NC, Black Mountain NC, Blowing Rock NC, Burgaw NC, Butner NC, Carrboro NC, Carthage NC, Chadbourne NC, Chapel Hill NC, Claremont NC, Concord NC, Conover NC, Elkin NC, Foxfire Village NC, Franklin NC, Goldsboro NC, Havelock NC, Haw River NC, Henderson NC, Hendersonville NC, Jacksonville NC, Kannapolis NC, Kill Devil Hills NC, King NC, Kure Beach NC, Lexington NC, Maggie Valley NC, Maiden NC, Matthews NC, Montreat NC, Mooresville NC, Newton NC, North Wilkesboro NC, Ocean Isle Beach NC, Oxford NC, Rutherford College NC. Seven Devils NC, Smithfield NC, Spindale NC, Statesville NC, Tarboro NC, Troutman NC, Topsail Beach NC


---------
ALEC has modeled legislation for "Public – Private Partnerships" (aka P3), which basically leads to the privatization of infrastructure and has been pushing it hard in states

Rep Tim Moffitt (R-Buncombe), Rep Chuck McGrady (R- Henderson), and Rep William Brawley (R-Mecklenburg) were all major sponsors to the above bills

They are also responsible for the formation of the new “Joint Legislative Public Infrastructure Oversight Commission” whose stated goal is to:

Quote :

" The purpose of this Commission is to inventory the assessments conducted by State agencies, local governments, and other entities, to develop a comprehensive statewide policy that includes both short-term and long-term solutions for meeting critical infrastructure needs, and to identify dedicated sources of funding and methods to leverage private capital , including the creation of an infrastructure bank , to finance those needs."

Activists allege this commission is where they will craft and introduce their ALEC P3 related legislation. Why? Because the commission has already entertained P3 related lobbyists, and Fred Steen, McCrory’s Chief Legislative Counsel, and a current ALEC board Member also sits on the Commission.

Other bills this group has sponsored:

-Modify NC current eminent Domain laws to benefit private condemners
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2013&BillID=H8

-A bill that would allow the state to seize any locally controlled water/sewer systems that may (or may not be) in fiscal trouble
http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2013/Bills/House/PDF/H238v1.pdf

-A bill that limits local municipalities from certain zoning rules and possibly from annexing new land
http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2013/Bills/House/PDF/H150v2.pdf



no matter your take on the privatization of infrastructure (which could be a thread on its own), it still stands that municipal assets are being taken with little to no compensation and seemingly no good reason. In some cases these cities have poured millions into the operation, maintenance, and improvement of these assets and they are being turned over to unelected authorities (that usually lower the main investors oversight) and could potentially be turned over to companies for private profit (admittedly remains to be seen). I would love for someone out there to help me take my tinfoil hat off on this, especially the idea that the regional authorities are just placeholders for the eventual privatization of these utilities.

3/15/2013 11:51:56 AM

Well, when it comes to the Asheville airport it makes some sense because it is in fact located in Henderson Co.

3/15/2013 12:10:55 PM

I thought it was on the line between Henderson and Buncombe, with a majority in Buncombe.





doesn't really change the fact that Asheville has been the primary financier

3/15/2013 12:14:39 PM

Correct, but I believe the issue at hand is that they are now trying to annex additional land in Henderson Co. while there is pretty much no one speaking for the residents of Henderson Co.

I couldn't care less, but it makes sense that as it continues to expand that the folks where it is located should have some control over how and where.

3/15/2013 12:17:54 PM

in order for the city (or current airport authority) to annex new land in Henderson county wouldn't it have to be approved by the Henderson Co. board?

[Edited on March 15, 2013 at 12:30 PM. Reason : I know there are some urban/regional planners around here, help us out]

3/15/2013 12:29:54 PM

It doesn't sound like it. Kelo vs. City of New London SCOTUS decision set some god awful precedent around how and why land can be acquired for "public use".

Quote :

"The bill would also stop the airport authority from using eminent domain to acquire property or from being able to acquire property in the adjacent Ferncliff Industrial park unless required for aviation purposes by a federal agency. In addition to setting up the regional authority, the legislature is also examining land ownership at the WNC Ag Center. "About 20 years ago, the Department of Agriculture purchased the Ag Center and it was structured as a lease agreement with Asheville," McGrady said. "The thought was that Asheville would pass the ownership back to the Department of Agriculture. Under the bill, the Ag Center will no longer be owned by the city of Asheville and will be a part of the Department of Agriculture.""

Where it's located and the way the county line runs makes it really weird. The airport itself is in henderson county (I'm pretty sure) but I think some of the runways and outbuildings I believe cross into Buncombe co. Also, the Ag center is right there and I think might be in Buncombe co. so it causes some real confusion over who has the rights to the land. Honestly, an independent board is probably the best option to keep Henderson Co. from getting screwed completely.

3/15/2013 12:36:27 PM

^^^My dad has been on several airport boards over the years. Many of these airports originally were started by local towns, but were often times located outside of said towns borders and operated solely by the city. Therefore decisions made by that town were affecting people in the surrounding towns/county that had no voice on what was happening in their backyard and had no way to elect officials to speak for them. A lot of them have already been forced to change over the years, but some like Charlotte and Asheville have remained solely under the purview of the town.

Airport boards that encompass voices from all of the surrounding area are a good idea. There is no reason that the citizens of Asheville should have the only say in what happens to the airport neighbors in Henderson County. That is stupid. Let me guess though, this is sponsored by a Republican legislature, so you were automatically against it, right?

[Edited on March 15, 2013 at 12:40 PM. Reason : ]

3/15/2013 12:40:02 PM

actually I was against it because the legislature has removed some of Asheville's say in the authority, even though the city has pretty much been the only entity to provide any capital for improvement of the facility. They did so with no compensation to the city.



The reality is I could care less about the airports, however, their seizure set the precedent for the seizure of Asheville's water/sewer system, which IMO is a much bigger deal. Basically, Asheville will be forced to subsidize Henderson Co. water use just because the NCGA said so.


and obviously the crux of my concern is the possible privatization motivations by the NCGA

[Edited on March 15, 2013 at 1:02 PM. Reason : google maps is showing Asheville Regional mostly in Buncombe county]

3/15/2013 12:58:15 PM

Well sure, if you don't consider land to be capital. Do you think that if I pony up the cash to build the house that I should be able to plop it down in your back yard?

I don't think anyone in Henderson Co. is anti-airport, rather I think they probably want some input in how it expands. It literally can't expand towards Buncombe co. because of the interstate that it sits right next to, it has to expand even more into Henderson co.

Again, I don't live there anymore nor do I really care, but if you're going to annex land in another county they ought to have some say in where.

3/15/2013 1:03:13 PM

^like with the Henderson Co. Board of Commissioners?

[Edited on March 15, 2013 at 1:09 PM. Reason : asheville paid for a majority of the land as well]

3/15/2013 1:08:21 PM

Right, who they currently don't have to consult because of eminent domain laws. Under this new proposal it looks like there would be 3 people from henderson co. on the board as opposed to no representation now.

Hmm, interesting, just looked at some maps and it appears that the airport is basically surrounded on 3 sides by Henderson co. I guess that's why I thought it was mostly in henderson as opposed to Buncombe.

[Edited on March 15, 2013 at 1:18 PM. Reason : sdfsdf]

3/15/2013 1:10:01 PM

so Henderson Co. will get just as much say in other airport issues, even though they didn't help to finance it? Still seems like a raw deal. A simpler solution is Henderson Co. saying no eminent domain projects can be completed without the County Boards approval.

But like I said, the airports are just precedents for the water utilities, which is what I'd rather this thread focus on.

3/15/2013 1:24:53 PM

I agree, that would be simpler, but that's not the way the law works. Blame the supreme court for that awful Kelo decision.

I completely understand independent airport authorities, they make sense. I will agree with you that I see very little reason to take away municipal authority from municipal water systems.

[Edited on March 15, 2013 at 2:12 PM. Reason : sdfsdf]

3/15/2013 2:06:13 PM

http://www.wral.com/state-cities-battle-for-power/12228208/

I think the renegotiation of the Dix property sucks, but somewhat understandable. Again, the Asheville water/sewer issue is by far the most egregious, but this article highlights a general theme between the NCGA and NC towns and cities.

3/17/2013 2:32:46 AM

Why so opaque?

http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/local/Sen-Rucho-Refuses-Transparency-On-Airport-Takeover-195779681.html

Quote :

"In a phone interview Wednesday afternoon, Rucho told FOX Charlotte a private law firm hired by his office would resolve any issues raised by "opponents" of his legislation. He is pushing for a state takeover of the city's airport. But when asked - which firm has been hired; who's paying for the legal advice; and why hide the identity of those who don't want the City of Charlotte to manage its airport? - Rucho said he doesn't have to answer."

$900 million in bonds issued by Charlotte will now be transferred to the state (assuming Rucho's lawyers can make that seem legal). Their best justification is that "Business leaders wanted it," which is barely a justification IMO


more on the phantom businessmen supporters:

http://www.wbtv.com/story/21526957/mccrory-says-unidentified-charlotte-business-leaders-drove-airport-bill

Quote :

""That legislation is being pushed by people from Charlotte, and there seems to be a conflict between the city political leaders and the city business leaders," McCrory says, "and I just ask them to start talking to each other." The problem with that? City officials say they haven't a clue who these business leaders are. McCrory says he doesn't know either. "We don't know where it's coming from," says City Council member Andy Dulin. Dulin has traveled to Raleigh repeatedly to try to find out. It hasn't been easy. So far, all he knows, "is it's secret business people that have asked [Senator Bob] Rucho to do this." Rucho is sponsoring the bill. He says he was first approached with the idea for it a few months ago. But he won't say who approached him. Says McCrory, "I suppose members of the business community who have yet to be identified." "

[Edited on March 19, 2013 at 9:43 AM. Reason : trust us, they're there and they're real]

3/19/2013 9:16:28 AM

"Guys, we swear these dudes are real and its not at all just an idea from a national group. Pinkie swear!"

3/19/2013 10:50:31 AM

3/19/2013 12:48:10 PM

You know if it was Obama or a democrat doing this, there would be comparisons to Chavez.

3/19/2013 6:19:12 PM

Jim Goodman, NC businessman and a member of the Dix Visionaries rips the senate appropriations committee of the NCGA a new one over reneging on the Dix lease

http://blog.wataugawatch.net/2013/03/this-is-not-honorable.html

Quote :

"Who would ever want to do business with the state ever again?"

3/25/2013 9:11:52 AM

Looks like the CLT fiasco has lead to some pretty significant legal questions

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2013/03/clt-authority-fight-shifts-to-dueling.html

also, NC Towns and Cities are worried that the CLT and Dix situations are going to lead to higher borrowing costs for them.

[Edited on March 28, 2013 at 4:37 PM. Reason : moffitt just introduced a bill to merge Asheville parks with Buncombe county parks too]

3/28/2013 4:22:37 PM

seems like there is a similar article to this one about every week in the N&O

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/03/30/2790796/new-nc-legislature-targets-arrogant.html

the movement against cities in this GA is more far reaching than just the examples in the OP. The uncertainty its creating should have a chilling effect on anyone that does business in a NC town or city.






In P3 news, Moffitt and company continue to claim its not a motivation for these bills. After They just arrived back from a P3 convention in Turkey.

http://www.partnershipsbulletin.com/conferences/view/8
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=2&ei=DgpWUZGQJImA0AHitYCgBQ&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3DAhmet%2B%25C3%2596ks%25C3%25BCzkaya%2BMoffitt%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26gl%3Dus&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=tr&u=http://www.bugun.com.tr/son-dakika/milletvekili-ahmet-oksuzkaya-amerikali-milletvekilleri-kabul-etti-haberi-120499&usg=ALkJrhhAC5J1DjpfGk7oDvmZ1kRM6XbzdA

3/31/2013 10:10:29 AM

HB488 (asheville water seizure) was supposed to be on the agenda today, haven't heard what happened though. Interestingly, Asheville is not mentioned in the bill, instead it targets:

Quote :

"a subdivision of the State and body politic that serves a population greater than one hundred twenty thousand (120,000) people, according to data submitted pursuant to G.S. 143-355(l) for the year 2011, "

No one is exactly sure who that includes, but it rightly caused all the Reps from large cities to balk.

http://www.wral.com/asheville-water-bill-on-house-floor-wednesday-/12323630/

Quote :

"he vagueness of the language troubled Wake County lawmakers, Republican and Democrat, who expressed concern that the bill could force Wake County municipalities to cede ownership of their water systems, too. "I wouldn’t agree to turn over the assets of Apex and Cary to Raleigh," said Rep. Paul "Skip" Stam, R-Wake. "It’s really a local bill, but it’s phrased generally to attempt to get around the (state) constitution," Stam said, adding that he would introduce an amendment on the House floor to remove Wake County from the bill's purview. Rep, Deborah Ross, D-Wake, asked committee leaders to send the measure to a Judiciary Committee to work through the legal issues. “There’s no rush,” she said. “We should do it the right way, even though I’m not sure it’s the world’s greatest idea. But please, let’s take care of Wake County.”"

Looks like "theotherbarry" in this thread is the most informed I've found so far:
http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2013/03/31/its-more-like-somebody-casing-a-bank/comment-page-1/#comment-92861


Update:
The best I got is this audio snippet of the clerk reading the agenda, after he mentions HB 488 he pauses, then says "the court will not be reading HB488" then audible laughter . . . . . . . . .

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/108366839/130410_001_2_1.mp3

[Edited on April 10, 2013 at 7:24 PM. Reason : not sure what to make of that]

[Edited on April 10, 2013 at 7:25 PM. Reason : spell0r]

4/10/2013 6:58:41 PM

Quote :

"From today’s Hendersonville newspaper, a little more detail emerges: “State groundwater experts say dieldrin, once used as a pesticide in row crops in the 50s, is hydrophobic in nature.” The substance poisoning Henderson County wells, and possibly becoming a factor in the Henderson takeover of Buncombe’s water supply can literally be referred to as… “Having a Fear of Water”."

uh, it is hydrophobic

4/10/2013 7:46:15 PM

Yea I never said the guy was an expert chemist or env. scientist.


But the Henderson Co. groundwater situation is an interesting motivation I haven't really investigated. My gut tells me it's nothing and totally unrelated. But who can really know when none of the bill sponsors can give us a solid explanation of why the bill is needed.

4/10/2013 8:32:17 PM

"House votes to take Asheville's water system"
http://www.wral.com/house-votes-to-take-asheville-s-water-system-/12332379/

Quote :

"The bill doesn't just apply to Asheville. Its broadly drawn qualifications could force water system handovers in several municipal areas across the state. More than 60 cities have passed resolutions opposing the measure. "This is not about Asheville," Fisher said. "Cities will see the same legislation coming to their towns." "

Quote :

"The final House vote on the measure is scheduled for Monday night. After that, it moves to the Senate."

Small government local control at it's finest.

4/11/2013 8:25:26 PM

There goes the neighborhood city

4/12/2013 8:49:31 AM

Another person in the know, stands up and says: "wait a minute, I'm not sure this is legal" in regards to the Charlotte Airport deal:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/04/17/3988176/state-treasurer-warns-against.html

Quote :

"State Treasurer Janet Cowell added her voice Wednesday to those concerned that transferring control of Charlotte Douglas International Airport to an independent authority could create massive problems with its debt. She said transferring control would be an unprecedented move that would be widely watched by the financial world because of the hundreds of millions of dollars involved. This would also mark the first time, she said, that state legislators deliberately altered public debt in a way certain to spark lawsuits. “You are going into uncharted territory when you proceed with this,” Cowell, a Democrat, told the Observer. “As the treasurer and the protector of the public debt markets, I view this with some trepidation. I personally would not want to be dealing with all of this litigation.”"

4/18/2013 11:54:51 AM

The whole "Asheville vs Moffitt/McGrady" is just turning into a blatant dick measuring contest.

It'd be funny if it wasn't so childish and didn't royally screw the citizens of Asheville:

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20130419/NEWS/304190009/Bill-would-remove-airport-from-Asheville

4/19/2013 10:17:30 AM

More Charlotte Airport news:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/04/21/3994154/emotions-high-over-airport-authority.html

Charlotte considered withdrawing their support of major road improvements that reach out to surrounding counties (counties they think are betraying them)


http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/04/22/3997889/in-heated-meeting-city-council.html

At a City Council meeting representatives from the Airport advisory board refuse to answer questions about who started the lobbying, etc. Apparently it got pretty heated.

quote of the day:

Quote :

"“It’s rolling downhill, and the turd is getting bigger and bigger, collecting grass and dirt,” Barnes said of the bill. "

4/23/2013 10:32:16 AM

Here's a potentially entertaining wrinkle: apparently Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx has just been nominated by the White House to be the next Secretary of Transportation.

4/29/2013 12:04:01 PM

^^
Update: Dorsch just got canned by the city council after that debacle.

The Council, with the approval of a supermajority of the current Airport advisory board (5-2 or 5-3, depending how you count), unanimously dismissed him from their service today, because he did not serve faithfully. Instead, he called commissioners in other counties, selling the Authority idea, and passed on their needs to the lawmakers backing the bill, thus acting as a lobbyist in its favor. All the while deceiving Charlotte's council, to whom he reported.

4/29/2013 12:32:55 PM

^^to be honest, I think he is going to leave this chapter behind him, and quickly. Can't say that I blame him. The Obama administration doesn't want to get into any tiny local pissing matches, I'm sure they will instruct him to just leave it alone.

^'bout time. They shoulda canned him the day that they met with him.


*****

As if on cue, the metropolitan sewer district, the authority that will eventually take over Asheville's water, just had a sewer overflow that spilled millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the French Broad River. These are the people that are supposed to manage the water/sewer better than the city can. wow.
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20130501/NEWS/305010057/Raw-sewage-gushes-into-French-Broad-River?nclick_check=1

5/1/2013 9:27:41 AM

I think the Asheville water bill will become law early next week unless Pat! vetoes it. He hasn't shown a spine yet, so I don't think anyone is holding their breath. That basically leaves Asheville with its last option - the courts.

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20130508/NEWS/305080030/Asheville-will-sue-over-water-merger-bill

[Edited on May 8, 2013 at 12:24 PM. Reason : seems like they have a pretty good legal footing for a case as well according to the article]

5/8/2013 12:23:20 PM

Pat! has refused to sign or veto the bill, which means it will become law sometime next week. His reasoning? He wants to "see what happens in the courts."

The guy is fucking spineless. He is so afraid he is going to offend some slack jawed state reps. It's basically telling me we can't expect him to question any of the shit bills that are working their way through the GA.

5/9/2013 8:55:56 AM

^ amen

5/9/2013 10:34:46 AM

The whole Brawley/Tillis spat has overall been pretty stupid and boring, but in Brawley's now infamous resignation letter he acknowledges that the GA has knowingly been stomping all over Asheville and Buncombe County and that the GA leadership recognizes that they were locally directed bills, which aren't allowed. (Brawley was pissed his locally directed bill wasn't allowed out of committee).

5/24/2013 11:59:28 AM

nm

[Edited on May 24, 2013 at 1:54 PM. Reason : misread ]

5/24/2013 1:53:18 PM

Behaving like children . . . . . .again

http://www.mountainx.com/article/51854/Rep.-Moffitt-We-stopped-Asheville-from-joining-rec-authority-in-retaliation-for-water-lawsuit

Quote :

"A video clip sent to Xpress by activist Barry Summers, an opponent of the water legislation, shows an exchange between Asheville City Council member Chris Pelly and Moffitt at the event. Pelly asks Moffitt that if the city wanted to join the recreation authority, "Does the current legislation allow that to occur?" "No, we took that away from you," Moffitt replied. "You filed your lawsuit, OK, so we’re not going to let you file the lawsuit on this side and sue the state and charge your taxpayers money but at the same time be the benefactor of this, because it’s going to cost people outside the city some of their hard-earned money. So until the lawsuit is settled, we took the authority away from the city.""

So because Asheville sued the state to halt the seizure of their water system, the state decided not to allow them to join the county recreation authority. I'm embarrassed for everyone involved.

8/12/2013 6:33:52 PM

so, this isn't really important, but why did you feel the need to put "NC" after every city in that list of cities in the OP? Wasn't that kind of assumed by talking about the NCGA?
[/troll]

8/12/2013 10:44:33 PM

Copy and paste, b.

8/13/2013 7:36:16 AM

And now the NCGA just blew a hole in most NC cities' budgets by restricting their ability to charge business taxes. Across the state it adds up to $60 millionish.

They just can't stop meddling in the primary economic engines of this state. If it ain't broke, don't "fix" it.

5/30/2014 11:04:05 AM

I didn't realize that business taxes were the primary economic engines of the state. Not saying I agree with what they did, but it's a bit ironic for a liberal to complain that anyone is messing with how economies work...

5/31/2014 4:33:41 PM

Uh, wat

5/31/2014 5:15:05 PM

May not have been clear:

Business taxes aren't the economic engines, CITIES and towns are the engines of our state, currently. Its why NC cities are constantly being ranked as some of the fastest growing (in both population and wealth) in the country. Contrast that with the rural counties in our state, the vast majority of which are losing population.

And some may not agree with the balance many of the cities are achieving between public goods and private investment, but the proof is in the growth. Right now people WANT to live here, and a lot of these people, whom can choose where they want to live, demand certain things from their cities like decent schools, green space, certain zoning laws, and fun cultural shit. Providing that takes taxes - why not allow local control and allow cities to decide the best way for them to raise revenues and then what to spend that on? Haven't really heard a convincing argument against it.

So now we have this general trend of anti-city sentiment in the NCGA with no explanation except maybe vindictiveness or perhaps because ALEC said so. Its so shortsighted, and if they continue it will backfire and sink the little growth that our state has been able to achieve.

[Edited on June 1, 2014 at 1:08 PM. Reason : also I think $60 mil number I mentioned is wrong, more like $20-30 mil??? Still a lot]

6/1/2014 1:06:44 PM

Local governments are always the most petty and dangerous. Anything that limits the scourge of municipalities and constrains them to their role as a provider of basic services is welcome.

6/3/2014 12:58:01 AM

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2016/05/17/nc-supreme-court-hears-asheville-water-case/84461988/

3 years later, we at the NC Supreme Court. NCGA is still as anti-city as ever though

5/19/2016 8:26:32 AM

Another edict from on-high soon to enter debate (or just get rolled into a larger bill with no debate), dabbling in local issues again. It is definitely a trend now, that if a developer can't drop their cookie cutter build wherever and however the fuck they want, they can go whine to the local GOP house member who will dutifully redraw borders, nix environmental laws, or drop building codes to meet their needs.

http://www.coastalreview.org/2016/06/14664/

6/3/2016 7:33:05 AM

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2016/07/02/ethics-concerns-sank-asheville-council-districts-bill/86624036/

Well god damn, I'm amazed.

7/3/2016 9:59:17 AM

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2016/12/21/asheville-keeps-control-water-system-court-rules/95702990/


NCGOP LOSES IN COURT AGAIN. PLZ JUST FUCK OFF AND LEAVE CITIES ALONE.

12/21/2016 4:50:11 PM