Dear Friends,
Wake County Commissioners will consider repealing an impact fee for parks -- the Recreation Land Dedication Ordinance (RLDO) -- at their next meeting onMonday August 1, 2011. If you think new development should pay its fair share of the costs of growth, now is your chance to speak up!
Special interests are already working hard to eliminate this small, fair fee, so your voice is needed!The RLDO requires new developments to set aside land, or pay a fee in-lieu of, for future parks, open space, and recreation. Setting aside land for recreation is critical as development occurs. If we don't, we undermine our access to healthy living, a quality environment and higher property values.
Public Hearing on Raleigh Light Rail Routes
The Raleigh City Council will hold a public hearing on Monday August 1, 2011, at 7:00 pm on proposed light rail routes for downtown Raleigh. This is a prime opportunity to offer comments on the latest proposal for train travel through Raleigh, a critical link in the regional transit plan being developed by Wake, Durham, and Orange Counties.
Raleigh's Passenger Rail Task Force recently announced its recommended route through downtown, known as D6a, which is a hybrid of two alternatives studied by Triangle Transit. "There is no one route that balances every need and overcomes every challenge," said Will Allen III of Raleigh, co-chair of the Task Force. The group's recommendation will be discussed at the public hearing.
Read more...
See the City's Public Hearing website for the meeting location and agenda.
Legislative Update: Senate Overturns Governor's Vetoes
The NC Senate returned to session last week and voted to overturn Governor Perdue's vetoes of two harmful environmental bills: S781 and S709. S781 (the Regulatory Reform Act of 2011) would prevent North Carolina from passing air and water regulations stricter than the minimum federal standards. S709 (Energy Jobs Act) would promote offshore drilling and move forward plans for hydrofracking, while ignoring renewable sources of energy.
The NC House is scheduled to consider these bills and a potential override on Monday July 25. However, the timing of the vote is almost entirely within the discretion of the House majority leadership, which may decide to hold the bills until they believe the votes are there to override them.
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