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33 <br /> � r <br /> Support legislation to authorize alternatives to second primary elections that minimize excessive <br /> costs while protecting the integrity of the electoral process. The costs for second primary <br /> elections can be very high, especially when compared to voter turnout.New and expanded <br /> alternatives, similar to one-stop voting or limited early voting sites and schedules, should be <br /> explored and piloted for second primaries and run-off elections. <br /> IGR-3: Maintain current requirements for county commission approval of Extraterritorial <br /> Jurisdictions (ETJ) designations and expansions. <br /> Support legislation that maintains the current requirements for county approval of ETJ changes. <br /> With recently enacted changes to the annexation laws, ETJ will certainly be a focus of planning <br /> and growth. In certain jurisdictions with higher populations, current law calls for Board of <br /> County Commissioner approval for ETJs beyond any one-mile expansion. Counties would like <br /> to maintain that level of input and make sure that the county voice is included in further ETJ <br /> expansion. <br /> IGR-4: Implement combined motor vehicle registration and property tax collection system by <br /> July 1, 2013. <br /> Support legislation to ensure that the combined motor vehicle registration and property tax <br /> collection system be implemented by its statutory deadline of July 1, 2013. In 2005, the NCACC <br /> included this issue in our legislative goals and supported its passage. Implementation of the <br /> combined motor vehicle registration/property tax system has been delayed several times given <br /> the complex automation systems needed for operations, but the program is still important to <br /> county governments. North Carolina is the only state that continues to collect motor vehicle <br /> • property taxes in arrears of license plate registration and renewal. Property tax collection rates <br /> for motor vehicles alone are 10 percentage points below that of all other property. It is estimated <br /> that once this system is up and running, counties will reap more than $50 million annually in <br /> currently uncollected property taxes on motor vehicles. <br /> IGR-5:Allow county participation in the State Health Plan. <br /> Support continued legislative action aimed at allowing optional participation by counties in the <br /> State Health Plan(SHP). Proposed language would allow counties to participate on a short-term <br /> basis in order for the State to determine the impacts from the Federal Affordable Health Care <br /> Act. <br /> IGR-6: Support legislation to grant counties the option to provide notice of public hearings and <br /> other legal notices through electronic means in lieu of required publication in any newspaper. <br /> Seek legislation to provide counties with options for notice of public hearings, notice of <br /> delinquent taxpayers, and other legal notices, through electronic means. Current statutes require <br /> counties to purchase expensive ads in local newspapers when announcing various public <br /> hearings, meetings or other items. With many more citizens now getting their news online <br /> instead of from traditional newspapers, allowing counties to post these notices on their county- <br /> owned Web sites will save taxpayers money and make it easier on taxpayers to find the <br /> information at their demand. <br /> IGR-7: Increase informal let bid threshold for NCDOT local projects. <br /> • <br />