Rowan County’s legislative delegation wants to hear what folks think about education, roads, farmland preservation and whatever else Raleigh controls.
There are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of issues coming before the General Assembly. Legislators want to know how residents feel about health-care issues. They want to feel the pulse of Rowan voters and find out what their priorities are.
Rowan County commissioners will host a reception and listening session Thursday at the County Administrative Offices at 130 W. Innes St. The session will start at 6:30 p.m. in the second-floor J. Newton Cohen Sr. Meeting Room.
Rep. Lorene Coates, Rep. Eugene McCombs, Sen. Cal Cunningham, Sen. Stan Bingham and Sen. Fletcher Hartsell have been invited. Coates and McCombs arranged the session.
“We what to know what they have on their minds,” said Coates.
Legislators have already gotten an earful from county officials on the 1-cent sales tax. Coates and McCombs have introduced a bill that would allow the public to vote on the imposition of an additional tax, with the money going for school construction only. Similar bills have failed in previous sessions of the General Assembly.
The N.C. Association of County Commissioners is backing a bill that would allow more flexibility. Under that proposal, counties could opt to impose the tax without a referendum, and the money could be used for any capital needs.
Coates noted that while schools and education draw great interest, there are many other critical issues for Rowan residents. She noted that the legislative delegation is working to get more money for roads and to help clear bureaucratic obstacles to get water to drought-plagued south Rowan.
Legislators are also working to prevent the state from taking inventory tax money normally sent to the counties. The state has held up paying Rowan more than $800,000 because of a $700 million state budget shortfall.
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