The following editorial appeared in the June 2011 issue of Carolina Journal:

The level of government that’s closest to the people doesn’t always protect our rights. From busybody local planners to school board members enamored with nonsensical fads in education, countless examples of what libertarian litigator Clint Bolick has called “grass-roots tyranny” remain. City councils and county commissions continue to violate property rights and saddle residents with ruinous debt and high taxes. Thankfully, the Republican-led General Assembly has made several moves limiting the coercive powers of local governments.

Several key bills reining in grass-roots tyranny either have passed the General Assembly or appear to be headed in that direction. The issues include:

* Municipal broadband. House Bill 129 will, among other things, prevent city-owned high-speed Internet services from operating at a loss and issuing debt without getting voter approval. The measure should prevent a repeat of the debacle in Davidson-Mooresville, where the city cable system lost more than $5 million last year. The bill became law even though Gov. Bev Perdue refused to sign it.

* Involuntary annexation. House Bill 845 passed the House 107-9 and is now in the Senate. It would force cities seeking hostile annexation to provide water and sewer service at no charge, and allow homeowners in an area targeted for annexation to stop it if 60 percent sign a rejection petition.

* Land transfer tax. House Bill 92 repealed the statute allowing counties to put a 0.4 percent tax on the sale of homes or land. Perdue signed the law in March.

* Special elections. About the only way to pass a local tax increase is to schedule an unusual election date, when turnout will be low and tax hike supporters are more motivated to vote. House Bill 366 would allow special elections only on primary or general election dates. It passed the House 69-44 and is in the Senate.

* Billboards. Senate Bill 183 would expand “cut zones” — the perimeters limiting vegetation around billboards. Outdoor advertisers claim that local tree ordinances have obscured the views of one-fifth of the billboards in North Carolina. The latest version of S.B. 183 would maintain 250-foot cut zones on city streets and expand them to 340 feet on urban freeways and 380 feet on rural highways. The bill has passed the Senate and has been amended in the House. It awaits a floor vote there.

* Eminent domain. House Bill 8 is a proposed constitutional amendment barring cities from using eminent domain for economic development. This would prevent a government from seizing private property and giving it to another private owner. It passed the House 98-18 and needs at least 30 votes in the Senate to go before voters next year.

Advocates of limited government may worry that the General Assembly is trying to concentrate power in Raleigh. But the politician or bureaucrat taking away your freedom could be located in Washington, D.C., Raleigh, or just down the street. A government that’s close to home can still refuse to get off your lawn.