SB 706 restores funding for counties to address scrap tire disposal by increasing the portion of tax revenue allocated to local governments from 50% to 75%. It directs the Department of Environmental Quality to use these funds to grant counties assistance for cleaning up scrap tire disposal sites and managing tire-related waste, prioritizing areas with severe disposal problems and financial need. The bill requires counties to demonstrate higher disposal costs than prior tax reimbursements to qualify for grants and mandates annual reporting on fund usage. This directly affects North Carolina counties struggling with scrap tire accumulation, particularly those with limited resources for waste management.
HB 459 modifies North Carolina's income tax rate reduction trigger to lower the revenue threshold that could lead to future tax cuts. It adjusts the required General Fund revenue levels (e.g., $34.76 billion for FY 2027-2028) that would trigger a tax rate decrease below 4.25% starting in 2029. This change affects all individual taxpayers in North Carolina by making it easier for tax rates to decrease if state revenue meets the new lower thresholds. The bill does not change current tax rates but alters the conditions under which future reductions might occur. The modification follows the state's recovery needs after major hurricanes, though the summary focuses solely on the policy mechanism.
SB 615, the Property Tax Rate Transparency Act, requires local governments in North Carolina to hold a vote on whether to use a revenue-neutral tax rate during years when they conduct a general property reappraisal. This affects counties, cities, and other local governments that reappraise property values. The bill mandates that governing boards vote on adopting a tax rate calculated to maintain the same total tax revenue as the previous year (after accounting for new property values), rather than automatically adjusting rates based on reappraised values. If approved by a majority, the local government must use this revenue-neutral rate in its budget; otherwise, it follows standard tax levy procedures. This changes how local tax rates are set during reappraisal cycles, making the rate decision subject to a formal vote.
HB 539 requires North Carolina local governments (like counties and cities) to set property tax rates at a revenue-neutral level following a general property reappraisal. Specifically, it mandates that tax rates for the year after a reappraisal must produce the same total revenue as the previous year, preventing increased tax revenue simply due to higher property values. This applies directly to local governments conducting a general reappraisal, ensuring their tax rates don't automatically rise when property values change. The bill amends existing law to enforce this requirement in the budget ordinance adopted after a reappraisal. It does not change tax rates for years without a reappraisal.
HB 683 expands North Carolina's property tax exclusion for disabled veterans by removing the $45,000 cap and excluding the **entire appraised value** of a qualifying veteran's primary residence from property taxes. It directly affects **disabled veterans** (with VA-certified service-connected disabilities) and their **unremarried surviving spouses**, who previously could only exclude the first $45,000 of their home's value. The bill requires the state to **reimburse local governments** for lost tax revenue through a "hold harmless amount" calculated by multiplying the excluded value by the local tax rate, with counties reporting this by September 1 and receiving funds by December 31 annually. This change takes effect for taxes due in 2026 and ensures no net revenue loss for local governments.
HB 937 allocates $11 million annually from North Carolina's sports betting tax revenue to provide salary supplements for public school athletic coaches. It requires eligible public school units to ensure each full-time coach receives a combined total of at least $3,000 per year in state and local funds, with schools maintaining prior non-state funding levels for coaches. Schools that replace state funds with local money forfeit future state allocations, and unspent funds flow to the North Carolina YMCA Alliance for youth sports programs. The bill applies to all public school athletic coaches meeting specific eligibility criteria and takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year.
HB 954 creates a State Critical Infrastructure and Construction Resiliency Fund to support disaster recovery and preparedness. It requires counties that experienced a Governor-declared Type I, II, or III disaster in the past three years to redirect 5% of their annual highway use tax revenue into the fund. The Governor can use these funds for new infrastructure projects and resiliency efforts in disaster-affected areas, as well as for state/local response activities following a federal disaster declaration under the Stafford Act. This directly affects eligible counties and their residents by providing dedicated resources for rebuilding and preventing future disaster impacts.
SB 657, the "Keeping Our Coaches Act," allocates $11 million annually from sports betting tax revenue to provide salary supplements for athletic coaches in North Carolina public schools. It directly affects eligible public school athletic coaches who currently receive non-state funds totaling less than $3,000 per year for coaching duties. The bill requires school units to maintain prior non-state funding levels for coaches, prohibits using state funds to replace those non-state contributions, and directs unspent funds to YMCA youth sports programs. This policy change becomes effective for the 2025-2026 school year.
HB 332 modifies Nash County's occupancy tax by allowing the county to add a 2% tax on top of the existing 3% tax for hotel/motel stays. This affects hotels, motels, and similar accommodations in Nash County (excluding nonprofits) and directs the new tax revenue to two entities: two-thirds to the Nash Tourism Development Authority for tourism promotion, and one-third to the City of Rocky Mount for approved tourism projects. The bill specifies that all funds must be spent exclusively on tourism-related activities like marketing, convention centers, or promoting travel within Nash County. It requires the county to first implement the base 3% tax before adding the additional 2% levy.
