The state budget approved by the General Assembly will have a profound impact on issues critical to growing counties like Wake. North Carolina legislators have finalized the budget, which includes a pay raise for teachers, but limits passenger rail funding and delays scheduled steps to clean the county’s water reservoirs. We are deeply concerned that legislators are not considering the rapid growth of Wake County’s population and the essential needs of its citizens. Here are some key points included in the legislation:
Transit:
- No commuter rail or light-rail project would receive more than 10 percent of its total funding from the state.
The proposed Durham-Orange Light Rail, a 17-mile light-rail line between UNC Hospitals and Alston Avenue, just east of downtown Durham, currently relies on 25 percent state funding. This project already successfully competed against other projects for funding, but will have to re-compete under the new legislation. Wake County’s new transit plan includes planning for a commuter rail line, but the financial models used in creating the plan only include about 1% state funding, so it is unclear exactly what impact the new legislation will have.
Water:
A new public process to rewrite the rules protecting the watersheds will begin this December. However, in the meantime the legislation will delay the current clean-up plans until 2019 and 2022, despite their never being fully implemented. It also earmarks money to study in-lake clean-up options, despite a state environmental agency report stating in-lake techniques are unlikely to be effective.
Public Schools:
- The budget allocates more money to voucher programs, but does provide pay raises for teachers.
Under the new budget, public school teachers would get an average 4.7% pay raise. However, more state money will go to fund voucher programs, which help parents pay to move their children to private schools. More information at greatschoolsinwake.org