Fight over roads could still be brewing

Also see:
• Issue paper: Transportation funding and planning (PDF)

It would be tempting to think the battle over funding for secondary roads has ended before it has started. Over the past two months, Department of Transportation Secretary Gene Conti and Governor Beverly Perdue have each told us that they are not in favor of shifting any costs – either maintenance or construction – for secondary roads to counties.

The governor's remarks were made during a Jan. 20 meeting of the Local Government Advisory Council. Perdue told the executive officers of the NCACC and the N.C. League of Municipalities that the impetus for the discussions did not come from her office, echoing similar comments made by Secretary Conti at the Dec. 17 Board of Directors meeting.

"These movements toward local maintenance money did not come from our team," said Perdue. "They came from the General Assembly."

"That was a piece of legislation introduced by the two senators from Mecklenburg, and we did not support it," said Conti. "We are not about to abandon our responsibility for secondary roads and turn that over to you. That doesn't make common sense and is certainly not practical."

Case closed. Game over. Right?

Unfortunately, it is not that easy. And remember this: neither Governor Perdue nor Secretary Conti gets a vote in what decisions the General Assembly makes when they put together a balanced state budget for 2010-11, a point that Governor Perdue acknowledged when she said: "I can't control everything the General Assembly does."

S758 (Transfer Secondary Roads to Counties) was introduced by Sens. Dan Clodfelter and Bob Rucho of Mecklenburg County this past spring. Nothing happened to the bill during the long session, but with the state facing continuing budget difficulties, it is expected that the issue is not over.

The Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that monitors state and federal budgets, estimates that North Carolina faces a $4.4 billion budget shortfall for 2010-11. Clearly, the General Assembly faces a difficult task in trying to keep a balanced budget for 2010-11.

It is imperative that we continue to make sure that our legislators know the devastating impacts that would be felt by counties if the state were to shift responsibility for secondary road funding. In 2008-09, nearly $550 million was budgeted by the Department of Transportation for our secondary road system. If these costs are suddenly shifted to Anson County, it would require an increase in the property tax of 34.7 cents to generate the same amount of revenue. Bertie County would need an increase of 32.4 cents to make up the difference, and Greene County would need an increase of 32.0 cents.

The Association recently updated its spreadsheet that shows a county-by-county impact (visit www.ncacc.org/documents/transportationcosts_0408.pdf) if secondary road costs were dumped on counties.

While we certainly appreciate the sentiments expressed by Governor Perdue and Secretary Conti, we cannot take for granted this will not happen. I urge each of you to continue to discuss this issue with your state legislators and make sure they understand how shifting these costs could negatively impact their citizens.