2011/03/01 RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE LOSS OF COUNTY SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION DOLLARS & THE SHIFT OF STATE SCHOOL FUNDING RESPONSIBILITIES TO COUNTIESHarnett
C O U N T Y
NORTH CAROLINA
www.harnett.org
RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE LOSS OF COUNTY SCHOOL
CONSTRUCTION DOLLARS AND THE SHIFT OF STATE SCHOOL
FUNDING RESPONSIBILITIES TO COUNTIES
WHEREAS, counties in North Carolina are statutorily responsible for providing public school facilities
in North Carolina and contribute significant county funds for classroom expenses; and
WHEREAS, counties spend more than $1.5 billion annually for public school capital needs and $2.5
billion for public school operating expenses; and
WHEREAS, counties rely on local sales taxes, property taxes, the county share of lottery funds and the
county share of the corporate income tax to help fund public school capital needs and have issued public debt
based on these revenue streams; and
WHEREAS, counties have lost more than a quarter billion dollars in lottery and corporate income tax
school construction funds over the current biennium; and
WHEREAS, the Governor's budget proposal permanently eliminates the county share of the corporate
income tax and reduces the county lottery share by 75 percent, costing counties more than $200 million per year
in revenues dedicated to public school construction needs; and
WHEREAS, the budget proposal shifts responsibility to pay for replacement school buses ($56.9 million
per year) to counties; and
WHEREAS, the budget proposal also takes the unprecedented step of forcing counties to assume the
workers' compensation costs for state -paid public school employees ($34.6 million per year) and community
college employees ($1.7 million per year) and to fund school tort claims ($4.6 million per year); and
WHEREAS, the budget proposal reflects an overall cost shift to counties of $345 million in 2011 -12
alone, requiring counties to raise property taxes to manage a loss of this magnitude;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Harnett County Board of Commissioners adamantly
opposes the unfunded mandates and the loss of county revenues included in the Governor's budget proposal; and
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be transmitted to the members of the
General Assembly to let them know of our opposition to these unprecedented changes in county responsibility
and the use of county revenues to balance the state budget.
Adopted by the Harnett County Board of Commissioners in special session, this I st day of March 2011.
HARNETT COUNTY BOARD OF
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_?eatrice B. Hill, Vice Chair
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Gary
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