Clock Runs Out on Current Red Line Finance Plan

Six weeks ago after the crossover deadline aShortChronicle reported on some quiet last minute help for the Red Line Regional Rail project from the NC Legislature  That help came in the form of S103 which would have extended the sunset provision on legislation critical to the Red Line, legislation that would allow Special Assessment Districts to fund a significant portion of the project.  See Red Line project gets quiet boost from Raleigh. More to come? for the details.

S103 barely met the deadline at crossover but appears to have come up shy in the NC House.  After an interesting series of events last Thursday evening, it now appears the sunset provision will trigger and the SAD legislation will expire as scheduled on July 1, 2013.

In the second reading of the bill on the House floor Thursday afternoon, the bill passed 95-14 at 4:59pm.  That would have possibly set the bill up for a third reading and final passage the following Monday, July 1st - the deadline date.  However, after what appears to be a flurry of activity, a motion to reconsider the second reading was brought to the floor and passed at 6:55pm by a vote of 74-14.  The bill was then sent back to the Finance Committee which effectively meant there would be no third reading by the deadline date.  However, when Speaker Tillis put the NC House "on ice" next week for all other business so the legislature can focus on the budget, that sealed the deal (or put the nail in the coffin) on S103 passing before the deadline.

As part of that flurry of activity which lead up to the reconsidering of the 2nd reading, aShortChronicle has learned from a source in Raleigh, that many legislators were informed Thursday of the impacts of passing this legislation with regards to the Red Line.  Many apparently were not aware that if this sunset provision were extended, one of its first uses would be to fund the Red Line, a project requiring a huge additional chunk of State money.  As a way to validate what this source was saying, aShortChronicle can confirm that the story from this site linked above received over 3 dozen page views between the hours of 5-7 PM Thursday evening - at exactly the time this bill was being debated.

While we're glad this site could help spread the word on what this legislation would really do and we're glad the legislature stalled it for the time being, we hope those same legislators won't let this same bill slip through in some other fashion.  Even if  S103 is now incapable of extending the sunset for these Special Assessment Districts, the same law could be reinstated as an amendment to some other bill during this legislature.

Lawmakers need to remain vigilant to ensure that does not happen.