CARY, NC – Can clear cutting in Cary finally and completely be stopped? Can the burden of paying for new open space, parks, and other government facilities because of growth be shifted from existing citizens to new development as it comes online? And will candidates for office in Cary have to reveal who is financing their effort, as they now do in Chapel Hill? Thanks to the efforts of several members of Cary’s legislative delegation, these issues will now be debated by the General Assembly as nearly a dozen bills to benefit Cary citizens have been submitted for consideration before the close of this year’s session.

Submitted to the Senate by Senators Wib Gulley and Jeanne Lucas as SB 618 and in the House by Representative Jennifer Weiss as HB 910, CARY CLEAR CUTTING authorizes the Town of Cary to enact an ordinance to prohibit the clear cutting of trees from property, including property zoned for residential use. The bill, which would require public hearings before such ordinances are adopted or amended, would help the Town protect the environment as well as the quality of urban development.

Even with the support of those who introduced the bill, Cary officials are concerned about its future, as homebuilders and developers have effectively lobbied lawmakers for its defeat in the past.

"It’s time for special interest groups to step aside on this one and listen to our citizens and our scientists who say that destroying the land has to stop," said Cary Mayor Glen Lang. "Prohibiting clear cutting improves protection of water quality by reducing runoff into streams and rivers and maintains natural habitats for wildlife and recreation, not to mention what it does to improves the appearance of the urban environment."

The trio of Gulley, Lucas, and Weiss also submitted a pair of bills designed to help boost Cary’s ability to pay for additional parks and open space. CARY OPEN SPACE IMPACT FEES (SB 616/HB 913) would authorize Cary to assess an impact fee on new development for the purpose of acquiring open space within the town limits. CARY PARKS IMPACT FEES (SB 619/HB 908) would allow the Town to properly and equitably assess new residents--including those in multifamily developments--for the cost of providing park facilities as opposed to using the current methodology of tying impact fees for parks to land value which caps the maximum fee at a value equal to only 1/35 of an acre.

Regarding his part in moving these issues forward, Senator Gulley, who represents part of northwest Cary, said that he’s "happy to introduce and work for these local legislative initiatives for the Cary community. In my judgment, state government must work in partnership with local government if we both are to serve the people we represent."

Gulley has also introduced the CARY ORDINANCES (SB 613) which would allow Cary to adopt ordinances authorized for any other municipality, and SB 671, CARY TOLL ROADS, which would allow Cary to construct and operate toll roads, something Cary leaders want on the table as an option for drivers who want to choose it, especially when commuting to the Research Triangle Park. While North Carolina has not generally allowed tolls, a pilot toll road was approved in the Mecklenberg County area in the last session of the legislature.

Another Cary roadway bill introduced by Gulley has already received a unanimous committee and Senate vote. CARY ROADWAY EXPENDITURES (SB 614), which authorizes Cary to expend funds on roadways outside corporate limits and ETJ, has been amended to include Charlotte and Concord. Representative Jennifer Weiss, along with Senator Sam Ellis, is moving this through the House as HB 907.

"This is obviously a very good bill, and I’m excited to work on behalf of the Town to move this forward," said Weiss, who has filed a total of seven bills in the House this session at Cary’s request.

One such important Weiss sponsorship is HB 912, CARY CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURES, which would allow Cary to require disclosure of names of contributors to Town election campaigns and to limit the amounts of such contributions. Such authority was recently granted by the general assembly to Chapel Hill and if received by Cary would be used with Cary’s new local program that provides for voluntary limits on campaign fundraising and expenditures in exchange for partial public matching funds to achieve much needed campaign finance reform.

"We’ve got to make sure that qualified citizens have a chance at being elected to serve in Cary, regardless of their income and without the backing of big spending special interests," said Mayor Lang. "This legislation seems to be helping in Chapel Hill, and it’s absolutely needed in Cary."

Other bills moving forward include:

• CARY RED LIGHT CAMERAS (SB 615--Gulley/HB 567--Ellis) would allow the Town of Cary to use video cameras for traffic signal enforcement at signalized intersections. SB 243 (another red light bill) passed the Senate on 3/21 and was amended on the floor to include Cary and other municipalities. It now goes to the House;
• CARY GENERAL GOVERNMENT FACILITIES FEES (SB 620--Gulley, Lucas/HB 911--Weiss) would authorize to charge a general government impact fee for capital costs for the construction of general government facilities, including but not limited to, police substations, public works facilities, and fire capital projects;
• CARY INCLUSIONARY ZONING (SB 669--Gulley/HB 909--Weiss) authorizes the Town to enact inclusionary zoning regulations to require that certain residential developments have a certain percentage of affordable housing;

Cary leaders first asked for the help from the legislators on February 28^th at a special appreciation dinner where they outlined their list of legislative needs. There, Town Manager Bill Coleman told the group that this year’s diverse legislative agenda was necessary for staff to be able to implement Council’s direction and to successfully complete work plans.

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