NCACC Intergovernmental Relations policy statement

Basic Governmental Philosophy

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners affirms the following as its basic governmental philosophy:

• Leave to private initiative the functions that citizens can perform privately while encouraging public-private partnerships and governmental entrepreneurship when these are in the interest of citizens and taxpayers.
• Use the level of government closest to the people for all the public functions possible, and provide local governments with the resources necessary to carry out these functions.
• Utilize intergovernmental agreements where appropriate to attain efficient performance as determined by local elected officials.
• Reserve national action for those areas where state and local governments are not adequate and where continuing national involvement is necessary, e.g. national defense, provided resources are made available by the national government.

The Intergovernmental System

The state plays a vital role in the economic well-being of the counties. In recognition of this partnership, the state should provide alternatives to enable the counties to meet their basic infrastructure needs.

By statute the counties of North Carolina are agents of the state; however, county governments are more than local branches of state government. As representatives of the local government that touches all the people, county commissioners accept responsibility for strengthening and improving county government and will continually strive to lead effectively.

The Association believes strongly in flexibility of form, function and finance. Counties should be free to organize for the efficient and effective delivery of services as deemed appropriate by each county. They should be free to determine the scope and extent of governmental service they will render subject to the need for uniformity in delivery of services of national or statewide import; to this end, the Association will continue to oppose unfunded minimum service levels and maintenance of effort requirements. Counties should have the authority to employ a variety of means of financing county government.

To provide equity among the counties, and to relieve counties of fiscal burdens that cannot adequately be funded by county revenue sources, services mandated by the federal government should be fully funded by the federal government, and those services mandated by the state should be fully funded by the state.

The Association recognizes the kinship of cities and counties in the family of local government and urges member counties to act affirmatively to strengthen their partnerships with cities. There must be recognition of issues that cross city and county lines. These issues must be dealt with cooperatively. Local general purpose governments are the building blocks for solving regional problems; therefore, any regional approach must be based on the need to strengthen and support local governments.

The Association generally supports the policy positions established by the National Association of Counties, but retains the right to establish its own policy positions on specific issues as deemed appropriate by its membership.

The Importance of Unity

The constitutional purpose of the Association is "to provide the legislature and the public with information necessary for the passage of sound legislation beneficial to the administration of county affairs and to oppose legislation injurious thereto." The Association affirms that its resources will not be utilized on behalf of individual counties seeking legislative remedy for problems that are not statewide in nature. Its lobbying efforts will be directed toward the support of sound legislation beneficial to the administration of all counties' affairs, and to the opposition of legislation injurious to the counties as a body.