Local Government Referenda

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Local Government Referenda

Published: Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 @ 7:52 pm
By: John Locke Foundation ( More Entries )

Publisher's note: The author of this post is Sarah Curry, who is Director of Fiscal Policy Studies for the John Locke Foundation.

Today is Election Day for many local governments across North Carolina. While it is a big day, many of the races will be overlooked by major media outlets, despite the fact that they will actually affect citizens the most. Today, 92 counties are holding an elections of some sort, and many of them have bonds or tax increases on the ballot.

Today is the largest of the municipal elections, yet there have already been two prior election days for North Carolina local governments. In September, four counties held municipal elections that included Sanford city council, Lincolnton city council, Charlotte mayor and city council, and Albemarle city council elections. In October, 23 counties held elections, which included Burlington city council, Durham mayor and city council, Elizabeth City mayor and city council, Rocky Mount mayor, Sharpsburg commissioner, Cary mayor and town council, and Raleigh city council.

Since many North Carolina counties are home to several municipalities, having more than one Election Day means these county boards of elections are hosting multiple elections. Here is a map of the counties participating in today's election.

Not including the property tax increase on the ballot in Drexel, citizens in 5 counties will be voting on $147.45 million in bonds. Even though many of the bonds are not tied to tax increases, citizens need to be aware than anytime a municipality takes on additional debt there is a chance a tax increase will be necessary to pay for the bond in upcoming years.

Here are the bond and tax referenda on ballots today across North Carolina: