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5 <br />5. Rural Transportation Panning arganlzatlons ~- Support legislation providing <br />continued funding of rural transportation planning organizations ~RP~s}, enabling <br />increased participation in transportation planning for the state's non-urban areas by local <br />governments. Long-range transportation plans drafted by RP4s or MPOs should be <br />submitted to member boards of county commissioners for review and comment prior to <br />being submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. <br />b. Second Primary -Seek legislation to eliminate second primary elections. <br />7. Transfer .of development Rights ~- Support legislation to allow a county to implement <br />TDRs as another tool to promote good land-use policy. <br />S. Retired County Commissioner Health Benefits Support legislation to provide that <br />former county commissioners are eligible to participate in health care benef is provided <br />by county government. <br />Agriculture <br />1. .Fund Agricultural Research and Extension Servaces -Support legislation to increase <br />funding for Agricultural research and E~ctension services offered through North Carolina <br />State University and, North Carolina A&T State University and to assure that existing <br />research stations are maintained at the current level of service. <br />2. Support Conservation of Working Lands and Farmland Preservation -Support <br />efforts to' promote and conserve working lands, including 1) legislation that includes <br />horticulture, forestry and farmland as part of the state recreation and tourism plan, with <br />emphasis on the protection and support of private working lands; 2) legislation that <br />retains the present use value tax break for working agricultural, horticultural and forestry <br />lands but does not further dilute its status by expanding the tax break to non-agricultural, <br />non-working lands including non-working conservation properties; and 3) legislation to <br />expand funding of the Agricultural Development and Farm Land Preservation Trust Fund <br />and to create a dedicated revenue source to assure continued and stable fund <br />maintenance. <br />Orange County supports a conservation option under the Use <br />Value Program. <br />Orange County also supports a revision to the revenue and <br />acreage requirements of the Use Value Program. Many <br />operations can easily meet the revenue requirements but do not <br />meet the minimum ten acres threshold for agricultural <br />operations. It is suggested that a pilot program be established for <br />several counties including Orange that reduces the acreage <br />requirement and raises the revenue requirement from X1,000 to <br />$5,000. The results from a pilot program could then be evaluated <br />for implementation statewide. <br />