League Bulletin

March 29, 2018

North Carolina Hearts Gigabit: An Interactive Exchange
League's Broadband Report Finds Wide Support
League Presents to Public Enterprises Committee
Committee Proposal Increases Financial Reporting For Inspections
State Launches 'Hometown Strong' Website
Brownfields Program Reauthorized in Federal Spending Bill

North Carolina Hearts Gigabit: An Interactive Exchange

Broadband access is a challenge faced by local governments of all sizes across North Carolina, 365足彩下载正在为您提供资源，以了解如何领导社区宽带倡议. First, read the League’s new broadband report. Then, register 参加365足彩下载主办的论坛，讨论如何将宽带网络带到你的社区，并使其更具经济弹性. 4月20日在罗利举行的活动邀请了包括NCLM宽带报告合著者在内的精英团体在州和国家演讲 Joanne Hovis, 他是CTC技术和能源公司的总裁，也是联邦政府公认的通讯政策专家, state, and local levels. Gov. Roy Cooper will open the daylong conference, former Gov. James B. Hunt will serve as the keynote speaker, and Rep. Craig Horn will discuss the importance of internet access in our schools. 与会者将听到一份可操作步骤的剧本，这些步骤是他们可以带回家推进当地宽带项目的.

League's Broadband Report Finds Wide Support

"Leaping the Digital Divide," the League's in-depth report on the importance of better broadband access across North Carolina, continued to garner attention this week. Media coverage of the report, 哪一个提供了具体的解决方案来缩小该州在获得足够网速方面的差距, included an editorial this week in the News & Observer that called its points "compelling" and its solutions "feasible.这份40页的出版物鼓励公私合作，将宽带带到没有服务选择的地区，并为服务不足的地区改善宽带, carrying huge ramifications for economic development, health, access to information, and quality of life. The League unveiled "Leaping the Digital Divide" during a press conference at the N.C. Legislative Building on March 21. 当时，“内部州政府新闻服务”(Insider State Government News Service)的报道获得了《365体育足彩》等全国性出版物的转载 Government Technology this week. Supportive editorials from the week of the unveiling have expanded to additional newspapers. The topic will be in focus again of the April 3 episode of Municipal Equation (preview), the League's biweekly podcast about cities and towns in the face of change.

In related news, the federal omnibus spending bill signed into law last week included $600 million in new funding for rural broadband infrastructure. 本月早些时候，全国城市365足彩下载(NLC)政策委员会的一位领导人在美国国会听证会上作证.S. Senate subcommittee about the importance of broadband investment in communities. Mayor Gary Resnick of Wilton Manors, Fla., chair of NLC's Information Technology and Communications Federal Advocacy Committee, 他告诉参议员，城市已经准备好通过扶持政策来帮助缩小美国各地的数字鸿沟. “国会必须维护地方权威，允许我们做我们最擅长的事情:为居民解决问题," Mayor Resnick said. His full testimony is available on the Senate Commerce Committee's website.

In other news, 本周由该州信息技术机构发布的“社区宽带手册”提供了模板, examples, ideas and other resources for communities to tailor their own broadband strategy. "The environment of demand for broadband is a moving target. 对于支持地方领导人来说，制定一份随着对更高速度和带宽的需求而增长和适应的剧本至关重要," Jeff Sural, director of the state's Broadband Infrastructure Office, said in a press release. You can find full information on the playbook and its applications at ncbroadband.gov/playbook.

League Presents to Public Enterprises Committee

The interim legislative committee 检查公共企业系统的财务和管理实践，周一听取了全州的挑战和成功故事, including those presented by League Associate Executive Director Rose Williams. Appearing before the committee, in a segment that also featured presentations by the N.C. Association of County Commissioners and the N.C. Rural Water Association (associated documents), Williams shared with the committee details about the League’s efforts to assist cities and towns that face water system challenges. She also stressed the substantial societal changes that have led to many of these challenges, including population shifts, demographic changes, and evolving operational demands placed on water and wastewater systems. 威廉姆斯还解释了影响水和污水服务区域化工作成功的因素. Under the right circumstances, regionalization can lead to efficiencies and can lower rates for the system’s customers. However, those positive outcomes depend upon the merging systems’ finances, the state of repair of their infrastructure, the ability of customers in both systems to pay their bills, and environmental regulations (such as the state’s interbasin transfer laws).

While not preparing legislative recommendations for the short session, 委员会通过听取州财政部门工作人员的介绍，继续进行有关水和废水系统的教育, which oversees local government financial practices. The committee also heard from representatives of private water systems, 是谁主张通过去年大会提出并审议的法案. 该委员会可能在5月开始的短期会议之前的几周内继续工作, and after the session ends. Previously, committee Co-Chair Rep. Chuck McGrady had indicated 该委员会旨在提出建议，供2019年立法会议审议. Contact: Erin Wynia

Committee Proposal Increases Financial Reporting For Inspections

An interim House committee on Wednesday considered a multitude of proposals that may affect building inspections, including potentially problematic concepts regarding local financial accounting practices. While the committee did not present actual statutory language, it reviewed suggestions submitted by the N.C. Department of Insurance (DOI), the N.C. Home Builders Association (NCHBA), and committee chair Rep. Mark Brody, who is a general contractor and home builder. In public comments on the proposals that would affect local finance practices, NCLM立法顾问Erin Wynia告诉立法者，虽然365足彩下载在委员会会议上第一次看到这些想法, 这些提议可能与地方政府必须遵守的基本会计准则相冲突. Her public comments added to those of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners, which expressed similar concerns. Both local government organizations suggested that, as part of examining these ideas further, 委员会成员与地方政府委员会的地方政府财政专家进行磋商, who were not present at the committee meeting.

The group of suggested changes to local government finance practices states:

-Increase annual accounting reports to include all departmental receipts, disbursements, and fund transfers and educational awareness of statutory requirements.

-要求检查部门产生的费用与普通基金分开放在一个基金中.

-明确可收取检查费的活动，进一步明确地方政府使用检查费的限制.

-允许为经济发展目的和救灾工作减免费用，但要求从司法管辖区的普通基金中报销与项目有关的检查相关费用.

The League encourages your feedback on these items; please contact Erin Wynia with your thoughts and concerns. At the same meeting, 委员会还审议了与当地建筑物检查业务有关的其他建议, 包括DOI为该部门提供额外技术援助职位的资金请求. The NCHBA suggestions focused on tweaks to existing statutory language, one of which appeared to raise concerns from DOI. In that case, NCHBA建议扩大工程师或建筑师可执行的检查范围. 365足彩下载将继续寻求对这些提案的反馈，并在委员会考虑对州法律的修改建议时向委员会提供意见. The committee will submit its recommendations to the N.C. General Assembly in the form of a bill introduced in the upcoming legislative short session, which begins May 16. Contact: Erin Wynia

State Launches 'Hometown Strong' Website

The governor's office has created a home on the web for its Hometown Strong initiative. Hometownstrong.nc.gov explains the mission and principles of the program, which got off the ground in February with a focus on local economies, infrastructure and other essentials specifically in rural North Carolina. The governor's office has been in communication with the League since the effort launched. “‘家乡强大’是一项前所未有的倡议，它重组了州政府解决北卡罗来纳州农村社区需求的方法," the website explains. “家乡坚强”在州机构和地方领导人之间建立了伙伴关系，以支持农村社区. The effort will leverage state and local resources, identify ongoing projects and community needs, and implement focused plans to boost the economy, improve infrastructure and strengthen North Carolina’s hometowns.促进者说，他们将在今年春天确定最初的县合作伙伴，并从那里扩展. Visit the website for more information.

Brownfields Program Reauthorized in Federal Spending Bill

The federal omnibus spending bill signed into law last Friday reauthorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Brownfields Program，使包括市政府在内的各方能够清理受污染的场地以供再利用. The National League of Cities (NLC), which organized support, 指出，它还带来了一些关键的变化，以帮助清理和重建“大”, complex brownfields sites." The omnibus bill reauthorizes the Brownfields Program through 2023. It also authorizes multipurpose grants up to $1 million, increases remediation grant funding to $500,000 (though the EPA may approve $650,000 per site with a waiver), 并允许地方政府有资格获得棕地评估或对1月11日之前获得的房产进行补救补助. 11, 2002. NLC applauded the White House and Congress for the bill's passage. "This legislation is a major victory for our communities, providing local officials not only with much-needed funding, 同时也能灵活地调整棕地重建，以满足城市的个性化需求, counties and regions," NLC said. There are more than 400,000 brownfield sites across the U.S. currently. 美国环境保护署表示，自2002年该项目启动以来，已有59,000多个棕地恢复了活力.