Voters Embrace Bond Referendums, Taxes Not So Much

Nov. 6 turned out to be a good day — mostly — for supporters of local bond referendums throughout North Carolina. Supporters of local sales tax increases across the state met with less success.

Voters in Wilmington decided not to put themselves on the hook to build a $37 million riverfront minor league baseball stadium, one that would have been used by the Atlanta Braves Class A team. That bond referendum, which would have increased city property tax rates by 2.5 cents per $100, went down to defeat by a 70 percent to 30 percent vote. The defeat likely ends the efforts to bring minor league baseball to the Port City in the near future.

“As far as baseball, no the city is not planning on doing anything else at this point,” said Malissa Talbert, a spokeswoman for the city. “We are not exploring any other options.”

Other bond issues fared much better. Voters in Alamance and Wake counties approved giving their county commissioners borrowing power to pay for additions to local community colleges.

Wake County voters approved $200 million in bonds for Wake County Community College, with the money to be used for three new instruction buildings on the Northern Wake Campus. Some of the money also is earmarked for expanding the Public Safety Education Campus and providing renovations and repairs to the main campus and starting construction of a new RTP Campus in Morrisville.

In Alamance County, voters approved a $15 million bond referendum for Alamance Community College for an applied technology center. And yet they soundly rejected a quarter-cent sales tax increase, part of which would pay for the new college structure. Commissioners had adopted a resolution saying that the community college bonds would not be issued unless a source other than property tax increases could be found to pay off the bonds.

Sales tax increases passed in Edgecombe, Greene, and Orange counties.

In Orange County, the half-cent per dollar increase is earmarked for public transit. It passed by a 59 percent to 41 percent margin.

In Edgecombe County, voters approved a quarter-cent per dollar increase by a slim 51 percent to 49 percent vote. Local officials plan to use the money for a technology center at the Rocky Mount campus of Edgecombe Community College and a work force training and development center on the campus in Tarboro.

In Greene County, the quarter-cent tax increase passed by a 57 percent to 43 percent margin. The sale tax was touted as a fairer revenue-raising alternative to a property tax increase.

In addition to Alamance County, the following counties turned down sales tax increase referendums:

• Harnett County, where 65 percent said no; 35 percent said yes.

• Lenoir County, where 62 percent said no.

• Pasquotank County, where 64 percent said no.

• Scotland County, where 64 percent said no.

• Swain County, where 74 percent said no.

Other bond issues generally fared well in November:

• The town of Cary overwhelmingly approved three bond measures, totaling $80 million. Those bonds will provide money to build and equip fire station facilities, build a new park while expanding others, and provide nearly $58 million in transportation funds.

• The Mecklenburg County town of Huntersville approved by nearly 2-1 votes three bond referendums totaling $30 million. One provides money for street construction and improvements, one for public facilities improvements, and one for recreation and parks facilities.

• Voters in the Union County town of Indian Trail approved $8.5 million in bonds to construct two parks.

• Knightdale voters, by a 79 percent to 21 percent vote, approved a $3 million parks and recreation bond referendum.

• Morrisville voters overwhelmingly approved two bond referendums. One was a parks and recreational bonds and the other was for street improvement bonds.

In other ballot measures:

• Voters in Asheville turned down a proposal providing for the sale or lease of its water system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District.

• Clay County voters, by a 62 percent to 38 percent vote, approved a referendum increasing the number of members of its board of commissioners from three to five.

• Greene County residents, by a 3-1 margin, approved a referendum changing the residency requirement for county commissioners.

• Wrightsville Beach residents approved, by a 65-35 vote, a referendum banning smoking on town property along the beach.

• Swain County citizens, by a 60-40 vote, approved a new method of electing their commissioners.

Barry Smith is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.