Agenda - 02-01-2011 - 6b - Laserfiche WebLink

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9 NCACC Intergovernmental Relations Policy Statement Basic Governmental Philosophy The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners affirms the following as its basic governmental philosophy: • Leave to private initiative the functions that citizens can perform privately while encouraging public-private partnerships and governmental entrepreneurship when these are in the interest of citizens and taxpayers. • Use the level of government closest to the people for most public functions, and provide local governments with the resources necessary to carry out these functions. • Utilize intergovernmental agreements where appropriate to attain efficient performance as determined by local elected officials. • Intergovernmental communication is vital. State government should communicate and seek input from any and all counties that are impacted by state regulations, especially when rules and regulations have direct impacts on property rights. • Reserve national action for those areas where state and local governments are not adequate and where continuing national involvement is necessary, e.g. national defense, provided resources are made available by the national government. The Intergovernmental System The Association believes strongly in flexibility of form, function and finance. Counties should be free to organize for the efficient and effective delivery of services as deemed appropriate by each county. They should be free to determine the scope and extent of governmental service they will render subject to the need for uniformity in delivery of services of national or statewide import; to this end, the Association will continue to oppose unfunded minimum service levels and maintenance of effort requirements. Counties should have the authority to employ a variety of means of financing county government. The state plays a vital role in the economic well being of the counties. In recognition of this partnership, the state should provide alternatives to enable counties to meet their basic infrastructure needs. By statute the counties of North Carolina are agents of the state; however, county governments are more than local branches of state government. As representatives of the local government that touches all the people, county commissioners accept responsibility for strengthening and improving county government and will continually strive to lead effectively. To provide equity among the counties, and to relieve counties of fiscal burdens that cannot adequately be funded by county revenue sources, services mandated by the federal government should be fully funded by the federal government, and those services mandated by the state should be fully funded by the state. The Association recognizes the kinship of cities and counties in the family of local government and urges member counties to act affirmatively to strengthen their partnerships with cities. Local general purpose governments are the building blocks for solving regional problems; therefore, any regional approach must be based on the need to strengthen and support local governments. The Association generally supports the policy positions established by the National Association of Counties, but retains the right to establish its own policy positions on specific issues as deemed appropriate by its membership.