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Commissioners Brown, Fraley, Grant, Hovis, Keigher, Philbeck, Worley - Gaston County Board of Commissioners Legislative Request: Restoration to Counties of the Statutorily Authorized Appropriation of Lottery Funds
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STAFF CONTACT
Donna S. Buff, Clerk to the Board (704) 866-3196
BUDGET IMPACT
budget
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BUDGET ORDINANCE IMPACT
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BACKGROUND
Pursuant to Chapter 18C of the North Carolina General Statutes the “North Carolina State Lottery Act and the 2005 Appropriations Act was signed into law establishing the North Carolina Education Lottery. The act created the nine-member North Carolina Lottery Commission to initiate, supervise and administer the education lottery”, which was promoted and supported on the basis of proceeds enhancing local governments' ability to adequately provide for education expenses. The distribution to counties budgeted from proceeds in FY 2015-2016 has been drastically reduced to $100 million in contrast to $208 million at the previous statutory funding rate of 40%, which amounted to $2,121,473 in Gaston County in contrast to $4,412,662 at the 40% rate. Pursuant to state law, the lottery funds that are allocated to the counties can be used for education for capital outlay projects, including the planning, construction, enlargement, improvement, repair, or renovation of public school buildings and for the purchase of land for public school buildings or for equipment to implement a local school technology plan (NCGS115-546.2). It is extremely difficult for the Boards of Commissioners and Boards of Education across this State to plan for improvements in school buildings and for technology equipment with the reduction of lottery funds and the BOC requests the allocation to counties be restored to the statutory funding rate of 40% to be used for capital needs and technology.
POLICY IMPACT
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ATTACHMENTS
Resolution