Raleigh

It’s time for the state to put the brakes on funding for public transit systems across North Carolina. That’s a major recommendation in a new Policy Report prepared for…

At a public hearing on April 4 the Raleigh city council will receive public input on a proposed across-the-board 72 percent increase in the city’s impact fee schedule (from $682 to $1,172 for single-family homes).1 Unfortunately, the consultant’s report that serves as the basis for an increase is flawed. In fact, Raleigh has collected impact fees for nearly twenty years without ever considering sound economic research. As the word “impact” implies, new housing generates both increased demand for public services and increased tax revenues. Surprisingly, the city council has not demanded that city staff and highly paid consultants produce reports that provide balanced and complete economic analysis. It is not too late; the council should not change the impact fee until proper economic analysis is conducted.

RALEIGH – The Raleigh City Council wants to raise impact fees on construction by 72 percent. But the city’s consultants failed to account for positive impacts of new construction, a…

RALEIGH – Local taxes and fees in Durham totaled nearly $1,778 per resident in 2004, ranking the city 4th out of 26 major North Carolina cities for local government costs,…