All the world knows now about the Randy Parton Theatre (thanks to our own Don Carrington’s exclusive series) and how the taxpayers in Roanoke Rapids have been taken for a ride thanks to tax increment financing. As an editorial in the Shelby Star points out today, legislators paved the way for this bad idea in 2003 per Senate Bill 725 (Session Law 2003-403).
More importantly, legislators can undo it when they convene in May 2008 for the short session. Let the voters in North Carolina decide if they want to be taken on another ride. A consitutional amendment to undo tax increment financing could be on the ballot in November of 2008.
Here are the third reading votes on the legislation that enabled the consitutional amendment vote in 2003 (see all votes here):
Senate: 42 Ayes; 2 Noes
Ayes: Senator(s): Albertson; Allran; Apodaca; Ballantine; Basnight; Berger; Blake; Carpenter; Clodfelter; Dalton; Dannelly; Dorsett; Foxx; Garrou; Gulley; Hagan; Hargett; Hartsell; Horton; Hoyle; Jenkins; Kerr; Kinnaird; Lucas; Malone; Metcalf; Moore; Pittenger; Purcell; Queen; Rand; Reeves; Rucho; Shubert; Sloan; Smith; Soles; Stevens; Swindell; Thomas; Tillman; Weinstein
Noes: Senator(s): Brock; Webster
Exc. Absence: Senator(s): Bingham; Carrington; Forrester; Garwood; Holloman; Shaw
House: 86 Ayes; 23 Noes
Ayes: Representative(s): Adams; Alexander; Allen, B.; Allen, G.; Allen, L.; Baker; Barbee; Barnhart; Bell; Black; Blackwood; Blust; Bonner; Bowie; Brubaker; Carney; Church; Clary; Coates; Cole; Crawford; Culp; Daughtridge; Daughtry; Decker; Dickson; Earle; England; Fox; Frye; Gibson; Gillespie; Glazier; Goforth; Goodwin; Gorman; Hackney; Haire; Hall; Harrell; Hill; Hilton; Holliman; Hunter; Insko; Jeffus; Johnson, C.; Johnson, L.; Jones; Justus; LaRoque; Lucas; Luebke; McAllister; McCombs; McHenry; McLawhorn; McMahan; Michaux; Miller; Mitchell; Munford; Nye; Owens; Parmon; Preston; Rapp; Ray; Rayfield; Rhodes; Ross; Sauls; Saunders; Setzer; Sherrill; Stiller; Sutton; Tolson; Wainwright; Walker; Warren; Weiss; Williams, K.; Wilson, C.; Wright; Yongue
Noes: Representative(s): Allred; Capps; Creech; Dockham; Eddins; Ellis; Grady; Holmes; Howard; Justice; Kiser; Lewis; McComas; McGee; Moore; Morgan; Nesbitt; Pate; Sexton; Stam; West; Wilson, G.; Wood
Not Voting: Representative(s): Culpepper; Farmer-Butterfield; Miner; Williams, A.; Womble
Exc. Absence: Representative(s): Bordsen; Cunningham; Gulley; Starnes; Walend; Warner
