Paying for Growth

Below is a listing of content related to this term.
  • WakeUP Op-Ed on Paying for Parks in the N&O- To help pay for the costs of growth and to ensure that there will parks and recreation for newcomers, Wake County requires subdivision developers to set aside land for recreational use or to pay a fee in lieu of a set-aside. This Recreation Land Dedication Ordinance, passed in 2002, has generated over $1.7 million for acquisition of recreational land in the county.

    Read the full article...

  • WakeUP Wake County Urges County Commission to Increase School Funding, Keep up with Growth- For Immediate Release
    Contact: Karen Rindge, WakeUP Wake County, 828-3833, karen@wakeupwakecounty.org
    Date: June 6, 2011

    Today, WakeUP Wake County, the citizens' voice for good growth planning and sustainable communities, urged the Wake Board of Commissioners to increase funding for Wake County Public Schools. Speaking at the public hearing on the 2012 budget, WakeUP's Executive Director, Karen Rindge, pointed out that the school budget has been flat-lined for the past three years. Meanwhile, student population has grown by 6,000 children over the past two years. "We need funding to sustain our growing population, and next year's student body will grow by more than 3,000 bringing us to a total of 147,000 students," stated Rindge.

  • Money Watch-
    TRIANGLE BUSINESS JOURNAL BUSINESS PULSE SURVEY:
    "Is the Wake County Schools diversity-policy controversy hurting the area's reputation as a good place to live and work?"
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    Sponsorships are an important source of funding for our special events, which are designed to educate the public and government officials about our efforts to develop transit solutions, protect drinking water supplies, and advocate for educational excellence.  There are no sponsorships for upcoming events at this time.

  • Triangle Supports Sales Tax for Transit-

    A poll released this week indicates that 58% of voters in Wake, Durham and Orange Counties are willing to pay a half-cent sales tax to fund a regional transit system of expanded bus and rail.  Voters also said that travel between the Triangle counties should be the highest priority for public transit, as well as travel to RTP.  The poll was conducted in March for the Regional Transportation Alliance.

     

  • Case against NC Realtor Association heard by NC Election Board-

    The State Board of Elections soundly rebuked the North Carolina Association of Realtors (NCAR) at a hearing March 4 on a complaint filed by Raleigh real estate agent Becky Harper. Harper was represented by attorney Michael Weisel who showed for the first time how the statewide Realtor organization spent $2.7 million in member dues to defeat the transfer tax in the 24 counties that tried to use this tax to fund local priorities such as schools and protection of open space. Weisel said the massive Realtor expenditures were a preview of what's to come now that limits on corporate campaign contributions have been eliminated by the US Supreme Court in the Citizens United case...

  • Paying for Growth-

     

    Fair Growth Funding involves tax policy and can get complicated. Here are some answers to many common questions in three basic categories:

  • 2007: The Good Old Days for Wake's Schools?- In 2007 everyone who wanted a job had one. Foreclosures were few and far between. The stock market had not crashed. Neither the State nor the County had a budget crisis. It was a good time. Yet in 2007, according to data just released by the U.S. Census, NC was ranked 44th out of 50 states in support per student for public schools. Further, in prosperous, high-tech Wake County, public expenditures by the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) were below the state average. The combined contribution of the State and County for the operating expenditures for education (largely classroom instruction) was in the bottom 30% of the State rankings.
  • PRESS RELEASE: Citizen Group Opposes Senate Repeal of Local Option Land Transfer Tax-

    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.

  • Action ALERT: Potential Repeal of Transfer Tax Option (update as of Wednesday, Jun 18, 9:30 PM)-

    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 2nd reading by an overwhelming 38/9. The bill is on the Senate calendar for 3rd reading tomorrow, Thursday, June 19th. 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.

  • Action ALERT: Stop Repeal of Transfer Tax Funding Option-
    PLEASE CONTACT MEMBERS OF THE SENATE THIS WEEKEND AND EXPRESS YOUR OPPOSITION TO THEIR PLANS TO REPEAL THE LAND TRANSFER TAX OPTION

     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.

  • Paying for Growth When 100 a Day Keep Coming-

    New census data ranking Wake County 7th 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

  • What Ads don't Say-

    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.

  • In the News-

    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.

  • Dear State Senator-

    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

  • Support the Transfer Tax-

    Local governments need more local revenue tptions.

  • Construction Inflation Exceeds CPI-

    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.