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9 <br /> 12) Oppose any shift of state transportation responsibilities to counties— Oppose <br /> legislation to shift the state's responsibility for funding transportation construction and <br /> maintenance projects to counties. Counties cannot afford to assume costs for maintaining <br /> secondary roads and/or funding expansion projects; <br /> 13) Expansion of Protected Classes— Seek statewide legislative action to provide all North <br /> Carolina local governments with the authority to include sexual orientation and gender identity <br /> as protected classes in order to protect these classes from discrimination and discriminatory <br /> practices; and authorize complaints for discrimination to be brought in North Carolina Courts by <br /> any Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recognized protected class; <br /> 14) Eminent Domain —Oppose adding language to a constitutional amendment on eminent <br /> domain that extends any further preemption of county authority to regulate the placement of <br /> telecommunication towers; <br /> 15) Fees-In-Lieu — NCDOT as Additional Recipient— Support legislation amending North <br /> Carolina General Statute 153A-331 to add a provision allowing counties to transfer fees <br /> collected as part of subdivision development, and in lieu of required street construction, to be <br /> transferred to and held by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for the <br /> future construction of roads intended to be added to the State Maintained system. Presently <br /> there is no mechanism where a county can collect fees in lieu of transportation improvement <br /> construction based on conditions agreed to by both parties during a conditional zoning process. <br /> These fees may be for a developer fair share of a future comprehensive intersection <br /> improvement but would not be built by NCDOT until other funding could be assigned to do a <br /> complete improvement; <br /> 16) Bona Fide Farm Use — Support legislation clarifying that the farm use and agriculture <br /> exemption of 153A-340 that restricts local zoning authority applies only to property on which the <br /> production of crops or livestock is the primary use. Clarify that marketing and agri-tourism <br /> activities must be secondary uses of the property and do not qualify for the exemption in the <br /> absence of the production of crops or livestock; <br /> 17) Revenue Options for Local Government— Support efforts to preserve and expand the <br /> existing local revenue base of counties and authorize local option revenue sources already <br /> given to any other jurisdiction to all counties. Oppose efforts to divert to the state fees or taxes <br /> currently allocated to the counties or to erode existing county revenue streams; <br /> 18) E-911 Funds— Support protection and broader applications of the NC 9-1-1 Fund to be <br /> used primarily for assuring that 9-1-1 systems are able to upgrade existing performance levels <br /> in order to pay for 9-1-1 operations or 9-1-1 related upgrades such as the infrastructure needed <br /> to migrate to next-generation (NG911) technology. Orange County has appreciated past efforts <br /> and supports future initiatives to assure our citizens are provided continued access to <br /> emergency services from all sources; <br /> 19) Renewable Energy— Support renewable energy initiatives available to residential, <br /> commercial, industrial and agricultural activities to create a market for energy credits. This <br /> support will provide incentives to produce renewable energy, which will become increasingly <br /> important to preserving and strengthening the economy and infrastructure, and in the case of <br /> agriculture help maintain rural heritage and culture; <br />