去年12月，共青团成员与顶级N.C. 环境官员，联合国.C. 环境质量部(DEQ)本周发布 第二份雨水指导文件 几周后. The agency guidance became necessary after the passage of several stormwater-related laws last year. 本周's guidance addressed conflicts between a 2015 legislative directive that delayed the Jordan Lake Rules -- and prohibited local governments from implementing the water quality rules -- and language in the state-issued stormwater permits that cities in the Jordan watershed must follow. 该指导意见是在 另一份解释性文件 上周发布了一项不同的2015年雨水法. 有关该问题的更多详细信息，请参阅DEQ Issues Stormwater Guidance After NCLM Presses 前 Agency Officials， 2016年1月，EcoLINC.
团员和工作人员会见了N.C. 环境质量部 部长唐纳德·范德法特 and other top agency officials last month to press for answers to outstanding questions about recent stormwater 立法. 莫里斯维尔的法律和技术专家, 夏洛特, and Durham laid out the challenges and unanswered questions that they have encountered in implementing some of the new laws, and they stressed the resulting uncertainty faced by the development community. 证券交易委员会. van der Vaart pledged to the group that his agency would assist communities statewide in determining how to comply with the new laws, resulting in the agency's interpretive statements released in the past two weeks.
参众两院最高领导人推进了一项计划研究 市政服务区(MSDs) 昨天，任命参众两院的议员 临时研究委员会(第3页). 森. 特鲁迪韦德 格林斯博罗和 代表. 泰德•戴维斯 威尔明顿的参议员将领导委员会, which may meet a total of four times before its report is due on April 15. The report may contain recommendations for 立法 in the upcoming legislative short session that begins April 25. 国家预算 包含本研究的指导.
具体地说, the MSD study will focus on whether district property owners should have the right to petition for removal from that district, even though current state law already sets up specific procedures for the complete elimination of an MSD. 虽然被授权用于各种目的, nearly all MSDs in the state exist to provide enhanced services to businesses in downtowns. 但是,随着 被多家媒体报道 去年夏天, the push behind this study likely came from disputes in several of Greensboro's historic district MSDs, 而不是市中心以商业为导向的地区. 10名研究委员会成员中有4人，包括联合主席麦凯恩. 韦德，代表格林斯博罗地区. The first meeting of this interim committee has not yet been announced, 而是一份委员会成员的完整名单 可以在这里找到. 联系人: 艾琳Wynia
在联合国取得基层成功的最佳途径是.C. General Assembly comes from building in-person relationships with legislators, leading budget-writer 代表. 查克•麦迪 周一对数十名团员说. Speaking to professionals gat在这里d in Burlington for a meeting of the 北卡罗来纳州雨水协会(SWANC), 365足彩下载的附属机构, 代表resentative McGrady suggested that meeting with legislators now during the interim offered the best opportunity to get to know those local leaders. Having a conversation prior to asking a representative or senator to vote a certain way helps build the trust necessary for a good working relationship, 他说. 同样重要的是, 他说, 小组成员应该努力感谢立法者的投票, 尤指在困难或分歧的问题上. The SWANC membership sincerely appreciates 代表resentative McGrady's efforts to drive from his home in Henderson County under difficult weather conditions to offer these insightful grassroots advocacy strategies and an overview of the 2015 legislative session.
SWANC counts both public- and private-sector stormwater professionals among its membership. The organization exists to foster professional stormwater management in North Carolina through influencing state policy and building networks between stormwater professionals and state policy experts. Membership is open to any municipality as well as private organizations; 电子邮件SWANC 了解更多关于加入小组的信息.
The latest state Debt Affordability Study shows additional debt capacity for the state's General Fund even if the $2 billion Connect NC bonds are approved by voters in March. 这项研究, 本周由州财政部长办公室发布, shows that the state General Fund would have an average debt capacity of $209 million per year over the next 10 years if the bond plan were approved. Those projections are based on debt payments from the General Fund never exceeding 4 percent.
Approval of the Connect NC bonds would lead to a peak in the debt-service-to-General-Fund-revenues ratio of 3.2019年76%. 在那一年之后，负债率将开始下降. 根据报告, all of North Carolina's debt ratios remain below median levels of a nine-state peer group, 所有这些享有aaa债券评级的州. 换句话说, among the most fiscally conservative and prudent states in the country, 北卡罗来纳州是财政上最保守的州之一.
The report also noted that the state's revenue picture overall is positive. "Our findings demonstrate that North Carolina has maintained a conservative posture on debt and has the ability to responsibly invest in its future -- and keep the 'AAA' bond ratings if the Connect NC bonds are approved,州财政部长Janet Cowell说. 找到完整的债务负担能力研究 在这里.
Electricity customers in 32 towns and cities are enjoying more of the fruits of the 2014 deal struck between Duke Power and the N.C. 东部市电力局，及后续 立法 巩固交易. 本周, the agency's Board of Commissioners approved a plan that is expected to freeze wholesale electricity rates through 2020. 冻结费率是基于天然气成本的降低. Municipal officials in the 32 cities and towns say lower and more stable rates should help improve the business climates in their municipalities and across the eastern part of the state.
The 2014 deal saw Duke Energy agree to buy back energy-producing assets that the agency, 代表城市行事, 是几十年前获得的. Saddled with high levels of debt because of higher-than-expected construction costs, 市政系统不得不提高利率来偿还债务. 阅读之前的联赛报道 在这里，并阅读媒体对最新利率冻结的报道 在这里.
