Paying for Growth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 20, 2008

Contact:

Karen Rindge, Chair, (919) 828-3833 – chair@wakeupwakecounty.com
Phil Poe, Treasurer, (919) 832-6777 – treasurer@wakeupwakecounty.com

(Raleigh) - “It is a sad day when elected officials act to remove citizens’ ability to vote on a referendum,” stateda Karen Rindge, chair of WakeUP Wake County, a group of citizens for managed growth and fair growth funding. On Thursday, the North Carolina Senate passed legislation repealing a local county option to raise a 0.4 percent land transfer tax by a vote of the people. The measure must pass the NC house in order to become law. We urge the NC House to leave this revenue-raising option in place.

SENATE VOTES TO REPEAL LAND TRANSFER TAX TODAY THIRD READING TOMORROW (THURSDAY)

PLEASE CALL AND EMAIL OPPOSITION RIGHT NOW!!!

This afternoon, Sen. David Hoyle (D-Gaston) ran his bill, SB 1951-REPEAL TRANSFER TAX on the Senate Floor. It passed 2^nd reading by an overwhelming 38/9. The bill is on the Senate calendar for 3^rd reading tomorrow, Thursday, June 19^th. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. so we don't have much time to call and email to oppose this bill.

We are grateful to the 9 Senators who voted NO: Sens. Albertson, Atwater, Basnight, Dannelly, Dorsett, Graham, Jones, Kinnaird and McKissick.

 Prepared for WakeUP Wake County by Paula A wolf, Paulatics LLC

Sen. David Hoyle (D-Gaston) led the charge in the Finance Committee last Wednesday with his bill, SB 1951-REPEAL TRANSFER TAX. The bill received a nearly-unanimous favorable report. It was placed on the Senate calendar for Thursday, but Sen. Hoyle removed it and re-calendared it for Tuesday, June 17th.

Some pundits are now reporting that the repeal language may be included in the Senate's tax package and be part of their budget, which is due out next week. Just like last year, when the option was included in the budget, Even Members who might be in favor of the local option will feel pressure to vote FOR the budget.

New census data ranking Wake County 7^th in growth in the nation is sobering. 38,841 people moved to our county in just one year...that's as if an entire town was built in Wake in twelve months. Each day, approximately 100 people move here. The Triangle grew 30.6 percent

WakeUP is fast developing a media presence through a variety of activities ranging form hosting candidate and issues forums to blogging in the local political sites. Please Scroll down to read or view any of our news archives.

Letter to Editor printed in Raleigh News&Observer May 13, 2008

The defeat Tuesday of a 0.4 percent land transfer tax in Orange County is another example of the rich manipulating the public. The ad campaign (of over $200,000 from N.C. real estate interests) said there is a better way to pay for schools and parks. But what way? The ever-popular remedy of increasing property taxes (the only real home tax)? More sales tax? A quarter-cent sales tax is not enough to pay for what is needed, and sales tax revenue doesn't keep up with growth. But the ads don't say that.

Ever wonder about rising construction costs and why it's so absurd to expect spending on infrastructure to stay within the limits of consumer inflation (CPI) while keeping up with growth?

After years of minimal cost increases, prices of many construction materials skyrocketed from 2004 to mid-2006. Since mid-2006, some input prices have moderated, while others have fallen. But the cumulative increase in the producer price index (PPI) for construction inputs since December 2003 (28 percent through August 2007) remains more than double the 13 percent increase in the most common measure of overall inflation, the consumer price index (CPI) for all urban consumers. Labor costs, in contrast, have risen at similar rates for construction and for the private sector as a whole.

North Carolina has fallen behind in making the necessary capital investments in schools, transportation, water and sewer systems, and basic housing, as well as protecting farms, forests and natural

Local governments need more local revenue tptions.