Fall 2014
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15
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S.L. 2014-108:
An Act to Make Various Changes to Laws Affecting
the DOT and the DMV:
A very beneficial law for our members that are
Sanitary Districts.
Section 3.(a) amends NCGS 20-84(b) by adding
that the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) may issue permanent plates for
motor vehicles that are owned and operated by Sanitary Districts and
by federally recognized tribes. NCRWA worked on this issue early in
the Session and was excited when late in the Session, the provision was
added in Committee. Sanitary Districts lost their access to permanent
plates during a change in the laws in 2012.
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S.L. 2014-94:
An Act Relating to Zoning Provisions for Temporary
Healthcare Structures:
While this law mostly affects zoning regulations
for temporary healthcare structures, there is a provision added under
NCGS 160A-383.5(f) that provides: “any temporary family health
care structure installed under this section may be required to connect to
any water, sewer, and electric utilities serving the property,” which was
supported by NCRWA.
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S.L. 2014-14:
An Act to Broaden the Permitted Use of Stormwater Fees:
This law only applies to counties with a population of 910,000 or greater.
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S.L. 2014-98:
An Act to Authorize the Town of Spindale and the Cape
Fear Public Utility Authority to Attach Personal Property, Garnish Wages,
and Place Liens on Certain Real Property to Collect Unpaid Fees for Sewer
Availability:
This new law only affected 2 systems in North Carolina.
However, with the increasing use of water and sewer availability fees being
used by our members, NCRWA’s Legislative Committee will be evaluating
this matter for a statewide bill for the next Session.
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S.L. 2014-113:
An Act to Designate Reclaimed Water as a Source
Water Under Certain Conditions:
This law provides the opportunity for
systems to use reclaimed water as a supplement to their supply of raw
water given a list of conditions that must be met.
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S.L. 2014-59:
An Act to Adjust the Utility Regulatory Fee to Reflect the
Changing Regulatory Climate for the Telecommunications Industry, as
Recommended by the LRC Committee on the Assessment of Regulated
and Non-Regulated Industry Utility Fees:
This law only affects those water
and wastewater systems regulated by the Public Utilities Commission
(PUC) such as for-profit systems and non-profit water corporations. The law
should only have a minimal effect on the fees imposed on these utilities by
the PUC, and the fees were fairly imposed on all utilities.
•
S.L. 2014-100:
An Act to Make Base Budget Appropriations for
Current Operations of State Departments, Institutions, and Agencies,
and for Other Purposes:
The budget amendments for the state
government provide several items of interest for our members including
the following:
– SECTION 14.8.(a)
re-wrote NCGS. 113A-251, which designates
the purpose of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund as
projects that “enhance or restore degraded surface waters; protect
and conserve surface waters, including drinking supplies, and
contribute toward a network of riparian buffers and greenways for
environmental, educational, and recreational benefits; provide buffers
around military bases to protect the military mission; acquire land that
represent the ecological diversity of North Carolina; and acquire land
that contributes to the development of a balanced State program of
historic properties.”
– SECTION 14.15.(g)
revised the eligibility criteria for the Community
Block Development Grant Infrastructure activities to include “projects
and associated connections to the new lines located on private
property of eligible homeowners.” This was to conform with federal law.
– SECTION 14.16.
directed The NCDENR Division of Water
Infrastructure and the State Water Infrastructure Authority to give
priority to loan and grant applications received from any local
government meeting all of the following criteria:
1. The local government is located in a development tier one area.
2. The application seeks funding for a project that is required to be
completed due to an EPA administrative order.
3. The application is deemed complete by the Division of Water
Infrastructure and meets the minimum requirements for the
program from which it is seeking funding.
