County officials urged to attend County Assembly Day, lobby for priority issues

• Registration form: Word document | PDF

The battle at the General Assembly is in full swing, and county priority issues of Medicaid relief and additional revenue options are among the major topics of debate. H1424, which would provide counties with Medicaid relief in the form of a permanent cap at 2005-06 levels and additional targeted relief for the hardest-hit counties, was introduced April 11. This is the most substantial piece of Medicaid legislation ever introduced due to the amount of relief it would provide counties and the number and stature of co-sponsors that are expected to endorse the legislation. Other bills have been introduced to grant counties a local-option land transfer tax or a local-option sales tax for public school capital needs.

But all the news is not good. Bills have been introduced that would impact a county’s ability to operate landfills or would provide new property tax exemptions that would reduce your county’s property tax base – and force you to raise property taxes to make up for the lost revenue.

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners needs all commissioners to make plans to attend the annual County Assembly Day/Legislative Reception on Wednesday, May 2. The Association will provide information and materials to county officials, who will then spend part of the day lobbying on behalf of all counties.

We are as close as we have ever been to obtaining significant Medicaid relief. It is imperative that all commissioners and other interested county officials attend this year’s event and join us in lobbying for these critical pieces of legislation.

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Quorum Center, which is located on Jones Street adjacent to the Albert Coates Local Government Center. At 9:30 a.m., Association staff will provide a brief legislative update and talking points on Medicaid and our push for the land transfer tax for infrastructure. Afterward, staff will escort county officials to the General Assembly to spend 3 1/2 hours educating legislators about our priority issues. In the afternoon, staff will provide an update on other legislative issues of interest and receive feedback from county officials on what they heard during their lobbying efforts. The event will end with our annual reception for members of the General Assembly, which will be held at the North Carolina Museum of History beginning at 5:30 p.m. Transportation will be provided to and from the various venues throughout the day.

Hotel information

We have acquired additional block of hotel rooms for our May 2 County Assembly Day/Legislative Reception. Both of the properties below have rooms available for May 1 and May 2 and will keep the rooms available through April 25. When making your reservation, please let them know you are with the NCACC.

Clarion Hotel State Capital
320 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC  27603-1786
Rate: $59.75 plus tax
Phone: 919-832-0501

The Days Inn
300 N Dawson St.
Raleigh, NC  27603
Rate: $59.75 plus tax
Phone: 919-828-9081

The Sheraton Capital Center is completely sold out for our room block.