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04: <br />ASS+C7cixriON OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />Top Five Goals for 2013 -14 <br />I. Oppose shift of state transportation responsibilities to counties <br />2. Reinstate ADM and lottery funds for school construction. <br />3. Oppose unfunded mandates and shifts of state responsibilities to counties. <br />4. Ensure adequate mental health funding. <br />5. Preserve the existing local revenue base. <br />Agriculture Legislative Goals <br />AG -1: Adequately fund agricultural research and extension services. <br />Support legislation to fund the agricultural and research extension offices through the University <br />of North Carolina system, principally at N.C. State University and N.C. A &T State University. <br />Extension offices are located throughout the state and facilitate programs that assist residents in a <br />wide variety of programs focused on agricultural economic development. Adequate funding of <br />these programs benefits the agriculture economy in every county. <br />AG -2: Support and promote conservation of working lands and farmland preservation. <br />Support legislation to promote and preserve working farmlands by including these lands in the <br />state tourism plan, by retaining the current authority for the present use value system, by <br />maintaining funding for the Ag Development and Farmland Preservation Trust, and by exploring <br />the impacts of transfer of development rights. <br />Environment Legislative Goals <br />ENV -1: Restore state funding and responsibility for river basin monitoring, streamline <br />rulemaking, and enhance regional cooperation. <br />Support legislation to enhance monitoring for all river basins in North Carolina and review the <br />rule- making process to enhance regional cooperation. Increased monitoring would allow <br />jurisdictions to better assess compliance with water quality rules and, over time, allow the <br />Division of Water Quality to make better decisions regarding future promulgation of water - <br />quality rule making. <br />Seek legislation to streamline local water supply reservoir permitting without sacrificing the <br />scientific rigor of Environmental Impact Assessment and ensure adequate opportunities for <br />public and local official comment. North Carolina is a fast - growing state that has already <br />experienced drought - related challenges to its water supply, impacting both quantity and quality. <br />It is likely that many new sources of drinking water will be needed to meet future demand, yet <br />the timetable to bring a new water reservoir on line can take years, even decades, to satisfy all <br />the environmental permitting requirements mandated by the state. <br />