2017 N.C. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
County, state
lawmakers meet
on legislative goals
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
Frictions between
urban and rural counties
and between cities and
counties were at the fore
front when county com
missioners met with state
lawmakers on Thursday,
•Jan 5.
Forsyth County com
missioners meet with the
Howard
local legislative delegation
before each session to dis
cuss legislative goals. The
state lawmakers in atten
dance were Sen. Paul
Lowe, Rep. Ed Hanes,
Rep. Evelyn Terry, Rep.
Julia Howard and Rep.
Debra Conrad.
Several lawmakers
remarked about the legisla
tive struggle between rural
and urban counties for dis
tribution of state tax
money.
“You better buckle up,
because the state is run by
the rural counties and the
rural centers,” said Hanes.
Hanes said that rural
lawmakers are often unre
ceptive to issues in urban
counties because they have
their own host of problems.
He said that became evi
dent on the repeal of HB 2,
when rural lawmakers -
including some Democrats
- didn’t support repeal. HB
2 is considered by many to
be a discriminatory state
law and has resulted in
businesses boycotting
North Carolina, which has
been felt in urbari counties.
Lawmakers are expected to
try to repeal it again after
failing to do so during a
special session last month.
Commissioners once
again included a stormwa
ter fee exemption for coun
ties in theirjequests to law
makers, which
Commissioner Walter
Marshall voiced concerns
about because of its poten
tial environmental impact.
Winston-Salem is one of
many cities that charges
fees on impervidus sur
faces like roofs and park
ing lots to fund programs
to prevent stormwater pol
lution, which are federally
mandated in larger cities.
The city and county
were at odds last year over
fees the Smith Reynolds
i Airport had to pay. The
county was considering de
annexing the airport to
avoid the fees until it came
to an agreement where
both the city and county
would give the airport
money for capital develop
ment. The local school
system, which is under the
county, paid $233391 in
stormwater fees in 2015,
which is the highest in the
city.
Hanes and Lowe both
said that stormwater fees is
a matter that needs to be
worked out on a local
level.
“You do not want to
bring that to Raleigh
because you don’t know
what it’s going to be,” said
Lowe.
Commissioner Ted
Kaplan proposed starting
small by simply giving
runways and taxiways at
airports the same exemp
tion from the fees that
roads are given. Conrad
thought that might be an
appealing idea to her col
leges and said she’d work
with him on it.
When The Chronicle
contacted the city for its
position on the proposal,
Assistant City Manager
Greg Turner said the city
doesn’t support an exemp
tion for runways and taxi
ways.
Other requests by the
county included public?"
policy initiatives supportA
ing the airport, increasing \
court facilities fees to help
with the cost of a new or
renovated courthouse, not
legislating county tax
appraisal standards and
various measures to clarify
Terry
county authority.
County Commissioner
Chair Dave Plyler said
he’d like to see the historic
tax credit restored to the
level it was before 2015.
There were also discus
sions about challenges
with educational funding.
Hanes lamented that there
are local schools that are
“failing” and not meeting
state standards.
“It’s our fault, because
it’s about our lack of care
for people and about our
lack of care for poor peo
ple, in general,” said Hanes
Howard cautioned
commissioners and her
colleagues to temper their
expectations in education
and other areas.
Bishop Todd Fulton
Annual MLK Noon
Hour Commemoration
moves to Union Baptist
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Bishop Todd Fulton, senior pastor of
Mount Moriah Outreach Center in
Kemersville, will be the keynote speaker
at the 37th annual Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. Noon Hour Commemoration on
Monday, Jan. 16 at noon. It is being moved
to Union Baptist Church, 1200 Trade
Street, NW in Winston-Salem.
The upper level of Benton Convention
Center is undergoing extensive renova
tions and the lower level is too inconven
ient and lacks sufficient access. Bishop Sir
Walter Mack Jr., pastor/teacher, consented
to the use of Union Baptist Church's facil
ities, for the oldest celebration in Winston
Salem North Carolina. It’s a mile away
from the convention center.
Since 1981, an observance has been
held annually at 12 noon to commemorate
the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The first five years before the national hol
iday were on Jan. 15, his birthday; howev
er, beginning in 1986, the event was
moved to the official holiday on the third
Monday of January. The initial six obser
vances were in three different locations but
have been held in the Benton Convention
Center since 1988.
Fulton is a native of Winston-Salem
and a magna cum laude graduate of Shaw
University with a B.A. degree in criminal
justice and a minor in the philosophy of
religion,.as well as a Master of Divinity
from Shaw University in 2008. He just
completed a two-year term as the president
i
of the Ministers Conference of Winston
Salem & Vicinity. He has been credited
with infusing new energy into this organi
zation.
Dr. King said, “When evil men plot,
good men must plan.” This thought serves
as the theme for his would-be 88th birth
day. Joycelyn Johnson, Former Winston
Salem council woman,1' community
activist, and Community Outreach
Coordinator at Wake Forest Baptist
Medical Center, joins the Who’s Who of
the scores honored with the MLK “Dare to
Make a Difference” Award throughout the
years in recognition of her efforts for
human and civil rights. A special reflec
tive video tribute to President Obama will
be shared as the ultimate example of
“Daring to Make a Difference.”
A special litany of commemoration and
inspirational music will round out the pro
gram. As a community service project, the
Phi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority Inc. in collaboration with the
MLK Noon Hour Commemoration will
provide a meal of soup, bread/crackers,
dessert and punch and will “serve” the
attendees including invited homeless indi
viduals from the Bethesda Center,
Samaritan Ministries and other homeless
shelters, after the program.
Doors open at 11 a.jn. to the public
without charge or reservation; however, an
offering will be lifted. The program will
conclude by 2 pm. *
I
S!
Photos by Todd Luck
State Rep. Ed Hanes and County Commissioner Ted Kaplan chat after a meeting
last week.
\\> Wake Forest*
y Baptist Health
BestHealth”
Pain in Your Hip or Knee?
Come to 'Meet the Docs Night'
At ''Meet the Docs Night," you can learn from our orthopaedic
surgeons about causes of knee and hip pain, and what treatment
options are available. They will also discuss the latest hip and knee
replacement procedures. Light refreshments will be served.
DATE: Thursday, January 19
TIME: 5:30 to 7 pm
COST: Free
LOCATION: Wake Forest Baptist Health Davie Medical Center,
329 NC Highway 801 N, Bermuda Run \ Plaza 2, 1st floor Atrium
Event registration is required. To register, call or visit:
336-713-BEST (2378) \ WakeHealth.edu/BestHealth
To schedule an appointment with a surgeon, call:
336-716-WAKE (9253).
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY: If Davie County Schools are closed due to weather,
BestHealth classes at Davie Medical Center will be cancelled.
Register in advance @ www.wsurban.org
Projact H-A Partnarihip of
The National Urban League
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc
Foie Information contact Patricia Sadler 336 725-5614
Saturday, January 14, 2017 1 lam - 2 pm
Winston-Salem Urban League ■ 201 West Fifth St.
Presenters
. City of Winston-Salem Homeownership Program
. Forsyth County First Time Homebuyer Program
. Center for Home Ownership
. Experiment In Self Reliance IDA
. Simon G. Atkins Community Development Corporation
HomeJBuyer
SEMINAR
CentM br ‘
HomeOwnenhip
Winston-Sal«m
Urban League
Winston-Salem Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Inc.
Winston-Salem Urban League
The Center for Home Ownership
\