根据修订，北卡罗莱纳州的六个县将在2018年改变其经济等级 announced Wednesday by the N.C. Department of Commerce. 州的经济等级制度是由法律规定的，在一个社区是否有资格获得经济援助项目中起着重要作用, ranking each county on a scale of 1 to 3. (Tier 3 is considered to be the least economically distressed). 在新的数字下，勒努瓦县和佩基曼斯县将从2级转移到1级. Forsyth County will shift from Tier 3 to Tier 2. Beaufort and Caldwell counties are going from Tier 1 to Tier 2. And Granville County will graduate from Tier 2 to Tier 3.
层级指定决定了许多不同资助计划的资格.C. Commerce administers including building reuse, water and sewer infrastructure, and the downtown revitalization Main Street program," the press release explains. Many other public and private programs use the tiers as well.
There have been legislative efforts to modify or replace the tier system, 因为人们通常认为，北卡罗来纳州的社区在准确衡量痛苦方面存在问题. 例如，许多三级县包括具有一级特征的社区. The Department of Commerce's website includes a general information page about the current system.
While members of Congress were moving on federal tax reform (still in progress at the time of this writing), the U.S. House on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation 该法案将提供重要的经济发展资金，即《365体育足彩》, HR 3017. "We commend members of the U.S. 感谢众议院以两党合作的方式通过这项重要的立法. 这标志着在向地方官员提供所需资金方面迈出了关键一步, 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," the National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of Counties, and the National Association of Regional Councils said in a Friday statement.
"For many people, brownfields are just the neighborhood eyesore or the former industrial site, 但对于市长和其他地方官员来说，他们也代表着未实现的潜力," the statement continued. “我们认为棕地的再开发是一个将就业机会带回社区的机会, revitalize neighborhoods, increase our tax base, 以更可持续的方式重新利用和改善现有的基础设施.这些团体称赞众议院邀请地方官员作证，并在批准法案之前听取了他们的建议. There are more than 400,000 brownfield sites across the U.S.
Drone operators in North Carolina have new laws to observe as of Friday, Dec. 1. The following is from the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT):
House Bill 128 禁止在监狱、拘留所和任何其他矫正或收容设施附近使用无人机. “近”定义为水平距离为500英尺或垂直距离为250英尺. 设施周围将放置标志，提醒无人机使用者注意边界.
House Bill 337 revises existing state drone laws. 法律的语言已经改变，以澄清无人机法律现在将适用于模型飞机. Model aircraft users are still exempt from the state’s permitting requirements.
修订还放宽了对无人驾驶飞机系统使用的限制, or drones) in emergency management. 该法律允许应急管理机构在所有与应急管理有关的活动中使用无人机，并取消了对使用特殊成像技术的限制. 以前，热成像和红外等技术只允许用于科学目的. 取消限制使私营和商业经营者能够协助执法部门开展紧急情况管理工作，如搜索和救援行动.
NCDOT says it has updated its UAS Knowledge Test Study Guide to reflect the changes.
The National League of Cities (NLC) has announced its 2018 roster of leadership and Board of Directors members, and it includes Winston-Salem City Council Member Denise "D.D." Adams. It's a continuation of NLC service for Adams, appointed to the NLC Board of Directors for a two-year term following a previous role 该组织的财政、行政和政府间关系委员会. Adams, who joined the Winston-Salem City Council in 2009, also has a history of involvement with the N.C. League, including past service on its Board of Directors. Southern City, the League's bimonthly magazine, profiled Adams last year.
NLC's 2018 officers include Little Rock, Ark., Mayor Mark Stodola as president; Gary, Ind., Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson as first vice-president; Los Angeles City Council Member Joe Buscaino as second vice-president; and Cleveland City Council Member Matt Zone as immediate past president.
Time for a new episode of Municipal Equation. The focus? 这是一个全国性的问题，影响着各种规模的警察部门:缺乏良好的服务, qualified applicants when police chiefs seek to hire officers. Salary concerns, public scrutiny, the inherent dangers, 长时间的工作和需要全心全意的投入只是给这个职业带来压力的几个因素. And there's more. To get a handle on it, 我们与一位专家进行了交谈，并拜访了一些警察官员，他们最近明确改变了自己机构的招聘方式，以扭转局面. Did it work? Find out. (Oh, and after the serious talk, we have a few more names to add to our ongoing list of Best Fictional Mayors.)
Municipal Equation is the League's biweekly podcast about cities and towns in changing times. Subscribe for free on iTunes, Google Play or via your favorite podcast app. Have a good idea for an episode? Is your municipality doing something different that merits attention? Or do you see a new challenge on the horizon? Reach out to host/producer Ben Brown.
坎那波利斯市开始了市中心的复兴计划，五彩纸屑雨点般落下. Photo submitted by City of Kannapolis.
卡纳波利斯和牛顿是最新的城市，概述了增长愿景和里程碑在这里我们成长, the League's economic development storytelling tool. In its sixth contribution to herewegrownc.org, the City of Kannapolis details how hundreds of local officials, 商人和居民上周聚集在一起，庆祝该市市中心复兴项目的启动. "We are embarking on a journey which will bring new investments, 新的企业和新的机会，为我们的公民提供更好的生活质量,” said City Manager Mike Legg. “我们在市中心投资的每一美元，我们都希望私人投资的资金能增加三倍." In Newton, 市政府采取了一种创新的方式，向居民和游客展示其街景项目的“后”视图. 这是通过“一套尖端的互动效果图，让你感觉好像你正走在这个城市即将改善的街道上。," the city writes on herewegrownc.org, where you can find the full story and scores of others.
Here We Grow collects stories like these from around the state for a visual, cumulative representation -- by way of its story map -- of how local investments and innovations add up for North Carolina. It's about jobs, economic growth and quality of life. Here We Grow还提供了可定制的工具，用于传达您的城镇的经济成功. Have a story to contribute? No need to stay quiet. Join! Send an email to about@herewegrownc.org to request login credentials. And browse the story list for inspiration, if you need. As Here We Grow makes clear, when each of us does better, we all do better.
北卡罗来纳大学政府学院(SOG)邀请各城镇提交社区振兴项目，供研究生免费考虑. 关于该计划的信息是这样解释的:“参加社区振兴课程并与政府学院发展金融倡议合作的研究生是目前商业专业学位的学生, planning, and public administration, among others. Under the supervision of faculty and staff, students conduct market research, feasibility analysis, 以及金融模型，以帮助社区了解如何吸引私人投资进入北卡罗莱纳州的社区振兴项目. 在一个学期的课程中，学生们在多学科团队中工作，当地政府不收取任何费用." SOG offers a form to fill out and submit for consideration in the program. Direct questions to Christy Raulli at (919) 843-7736.
