News

High-speed access effort to continue under new statute
Three years after approving groundbreaking legislation aimed at boosting high-speed Internet access in North Carolina, the General Assembly voted to keep the effort alive under a new name and statute. The work of the Rural Internet Access Authority, due to sunset later this year, will move forward as the E-NC Authority with a similar mission and governing rules. The new authority will continue to focus primarily on expanding North Carolinians’ access to broadband technology, particularly in rural and low-wealth communities. The Rural Center will also continue to administer and staff the privately funded authority, now set to conclude in late 2006. The Rural Internet Access Authority is widely believed to be the most ambitious statewide effort to boost access to Internet technology in the nation, administering more than $19 million in grant funding to date. Among the authority’s many milestones are a statewide inventory of telecommunications infrastructure and a detailed registry of Internet Service Providers. To read the full text of House Bill 1194, visit the N.C. General Assembly website at www.ncga.state.nc.us.

Home Grown Jobs: Center’s 2003 Rural Partners Forum to focus on entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurs are a crucial segment of the North Carolina rural economy. For decades, the state has concentrated its business development efforts on the industrial sector, but as more and more of those traditional industries close their doors and leave the state for good, the stage is set for small business growth and innovation to fill the void in North Carolina’s economy. Creating an environment that allows entrepreneurs to thrive and create jobs for themselves and their communities is essential to North Carolina’s future. The center’s 12th annual Rural Partners Forum, “Home Grown Jobs: Fostering the Entrepreneurial Spirit in Rural North Carolina,” will examine the challenges facing entrepreneurs and the resources available to them, as well as compelling new research on entrepreneurship in rural North Carolina. The forum will be held Oct. 22 and 23 at the North Raleigh Hilton. The cost of the two-day event is $100. To register, visit the center’s website at www.ncruralcenter.org/forum2003/index.asp, or call Kelly Griffin at (919) 250-4314.

N.C. legislature approves new financing tool for local governments
As early as next year, local governments in North Carolina will have a new financing tool at their disposal to attract private investment, one expected to encourage new economic development initiatives in struggling rural and urban communities without raising property taxes to pay off bond debt. The N.C. General Assembly passed the tax increment financing measure, Senate Bill 725, one day before adjourning the 2003 session. Governor Easley is expected to sign the legislation, which would allow local governments to secure bonds for publicly owned projects without a voter referendum, pledging future property tax revenue generated from the projects to pay off the bonds. Special development districts would be created to pay off the public portion of the investment through increased collections from higher property tax values. Voters would first have to change the state constitution in a statewide referendum next year before the local option financing tool could be used. To read the full text of the bill at the N.C. General Assembly website click here.

Legislation offers greater flexibility in multi-county development projects
Legislation to ease the legal hassle that often accompanies multiple-county economic development projects was approved last month in the N.C. General Assembly. House Bill 1301 would allow local governments that have a shared interest in a particular project, such as a business or industrial park, convention or civic center, to write their own contracts on shared financing, expenditures and revenue. The county in which the project is built can, as a term of the contract, set aside a portion of the resulting tax revenue for other counties that invested in the project through the establishment of a common fund or a non-profit entity. To read the full text of House Bill 1301, visit the N.C. General Assembly website at www.ncga.state.nc.us.

Center calls on N.C. Congressional delegation to approve tobacco buyout, Southeast Crescent
Concerned by the continuing economic distress in North Carolina’s 85 rural counties, Rural Center President Billy Ray Hall – spurred on by members of the center’s board of directors and corporate partners group – wrote to the North Carolina Congressional delegation earlier this month urging passage of two significant pieces of rural legislation. Hall wrote in favor of ending the nation’s tobacco quota system through a federal buyout program, allowing farmers to better compete in world markets and bringing an estimated $6 billion to state coffers over the next five years. House and Senate lawmakers are working on consensus language for a tobacco buyout. To see the working drafts of each chamber’s version of the bill, click here: http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/a/abbrown/tobacco_econ/Buyout.html. Hall also called for the passage of the Southeast Crescent Authority, North Carolina Rep. Mike McIntyre’s bill to create a partnership among local, state and federal entities that would focus exclusively on accessing funding for programs and initiatives in distressed rural counties in the Southeast. To read the bill summary, click here.

Unemployment again on the rise; research shows rehired workers taking low-paying jobs
Bad news crept back into the North Carolina economy in June, bringing a sharp increase in the unemployment rate for both rural and urban counties after a promising four-month drop. The rural county jobless rate increased from 6.7 percent in May to 7.4 percent in June, leaving an additional 17,000 rural North Carolinians out of work. There are now 16 rural counties with unemployment rates of more than 10 percent, a substantial increase over May when just five rural counties fell into that category. Urban counties did not fare much better in June, as the unemployment rate rose from 5.5 percent in May to 6.1 percent in June. For many of the displaced manufacturing workers that are able to find new jobs, going back to work often means accepting low wages, according to new data from the Corporation for Enterprise Development and the N.C. Justice and Community Development Center, which found the average wage of rehired manufacturing workers to be little more than half that of their previous salary. For more information on rural unemployment, check the center’s new quarterly economic fact sheet, the N.C. Rural Economy, by visiting the center’s website at www.ncruralcenter.org/pubs/NCRfactsheet.htm.

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Reports and Research

Study finds entrepreneurship integral to strong communities
According to the Milken Institute’s report Best Performing Cities in America, the strongest cities and communities across the nation are those that make entrepreneurial growth a top priority. Other necessary factors include access to capital, creative human capital, capacity for innovation and globalization/international business integration. The ranking is based on an index that looks at job, wage and salary, and technology growth. Urban Raleigh-Durham ranked in the report’s top 20 best performing cities. To access the rankings and the full report, visit the Milken Institute website at www.nasvf.org.

Access to affordable, quality child care in the South the subject of new report
At the Southern Institute on Children and Families forum last month in Washington, D.C., the institute released a report on expanding access to quality, affordable child care in the South. In the report, “Moving Forward: Southern States Take Action to Improve Access to Quality, Affordable Child Care,” the institute and the Southern Regional Task Force on Child Care address important child care issues in the region and offer a series of recommendations. To access the pdf report, click here. In a related report, the Southern Regional Education Board spotlights state-supported pre-kindergarten programs in the South. To access that report, click here.

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Meetings and Events

10th annual Latino festival comes to Raleigh Sept. 6-7
Latinos are now the fastest-growing minority in the state, making the need for community building strategies more crucial than ever. El Pueblo, a statewide organization dedicated to strengthening the Latino community, is hosting the 10th Annual La Fiesta del Pueblo on Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7. The largest Latin American festival in the state, La Fiesta is expected to draw thousands to the N.C. fairgrounds in Raleigh to celebrate Latino culture. The two-day event aims to build bridges among Latinos and non-Latinos through cultural exchanges. For more information on the festival, contact Joy Turner at (919) 835-1525 or joy@elpueblo.org. If you or your organization is interested in volunteering, complete the online volunteer form at http://elpueblo.org/events/fiestavolunteerform.html.

Planners to gather Sept. 10-12 in Winston-Salem for annual conference
The North Carolina chapter of the American Planning Association will hold its annual conference Sept.10-12 in Winston-Salem at the Adams Mark Hotel. The conference features an opening session plenary address by Dr. Robert H. Freilich, one of the nation's prominent land use lawyers and the architect of growth management policies in place throughout the country. The conference will also feature sessions on issues facing city and planners today, including rural planning strategies, growth management, transportation, housing, youth education, design issues, ethics and professional skills. Discounted registration fees are available until August 27. For more information, contact Lisa Strader at the Institute of Government at strader@iogmail.iog.unc.edu. Click here for a printable conference brochure.

Building public service skills the focus of local government workshops this summer, fall
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute of Government will host a series of three workshops around the state on helping local government officials work with the public more effectively. The workshops begin August 18th and continue through December 11th. Workshop I: Public Disputes: Situation Assessment and Negotiation Skills, is a one-day session offered at four different locations in August and September. It focuses on individual negotiation and problem solving. Workshop II: Collaboration and Tools for Handling Contentious Stakeholder Groups, two days in length, develops group collaboration skills, especially for working with diverse stakeholders on a policy or program. Workshop II will be held in Chapel Hill in October and in Charlotte in November. Workshop III, a one-day session, to be held in Chapel Hill and Charlotte in December, is Managing High Emotion and Contention in Public Hearings and Meetings. Detailed information on dates, fees and registration is available at www.iog.unc.edu. For questions, contact Casey Christian at (919) 962-9754 or christian@iogmail.iog.unc.edu.

International Economic Development Council holds annual conference Sept. 14-17
Economic developers from across the nation will gather in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 14-17 for IEDC’s annual conference. This year’s conference, “Succeeding in Challenging Times,” will take a look at how economic development professionals can take advantage of burgeoning opportunities. Nearly a hundred presenters will talk about new development strategies as well as new state and national laws adopted to help communities deal with job losses and a decline in business recruitment. The event will be held at the adjoining Cincinnati Hilton Netherlands Hotel, the Hyatt Hotel and the Sabin Convention Center. For non-members, the registration fee is $695 before Aug. 10, and $845 afterwards. Members receive the discounted rate of $595 before Aug. 10, $745 afterwards. To register online, go to www.iedconline.org. For questions, contact the council through their website at www.iedconline.org/AnnualConference/index.html.

Entrepreneurship the focus of center’s 2003 Rural Partners Forum Oct. 22-23
The center’s 12th annual Rural Partners Forum, “Home Grown Jobs: Fostering the Entrepreneurial Spirit in Rural North Carolina,” will examine the challenges facing entrepreneurs and the resources available to them, as well as compelling new research on entrepreneurship in rural North Carolina. The forum will be held Oct. 22 and 23 at the North Raleigh Hilton. The cost of the two-day event is $100. To register, visit the center’s website at www.ncruralcenter.org/forum2003/index.asp, or call Kelly Griffin at (919) 250-4314.

Enterprise Foundation to hold annual conference on community development Nov. 5-7
The Enterprise Foundation is holding its annual conference Nov. 5-7 in Baltimore at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel. The theme of the conference is “Re-inventing Community Development” and will feature an American town meeting on community development and experts in the field who will offer alternative approaches, as well several workshops on key areas. Save $100 off the $625 registration fee by signing up prior to Sept. 19; members receive an additional $75 savings. Membership to the Enterprise Foundation is free at www.enterprisefoundation.org. To register for the conference, click here. For general information, call 410.772.2418 or email networkconference@enterprisefoundation.org.

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At the Rural Center

Rural Internet Access Authority awards grants to offset high-speed service costs, promote distance learning
The center’s Rural Internet Access Authority recently awarded three grants to fund high-speed projects across the state. The authority’s governing commission voted to award Internet service provider ALLTEL a $100,000 grant to make DSL Internet service more widely available in Anson County. The funds will be used to reduce the initial cost of the service for new DSL customers throughout the county. Tri-County Community College will receive a $50,000 grant for a distance learning program at public access Internet sites in Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties. The funds also will establish a wireless connection between the college campuses in Murphy and Robbinsville and high schools in Andrews and Hayesville. Lastly, the commission awarded $22,000 to Internet service provider NCEZ.net to help provide high-speed access to residents and businesses in Fair Bluff. The Columbus County town was selected to participate in the first phase of the authority’s Local E-government Utilization Program or LEG-UP, a $1.5 million program designed to improve the delivery of public services through the use of technology.

From the N.C. Press

Raleigh News and Observer: Hispanics become largest minority
In a historic shift, Hispanics have surpassed blacks to become the nation’s largest minority group, the Census Bureau reported last week, because the Hispanic population grew at nearly four times the rate of the U.S. population during the past two years. Hispanics numbered 38.8 million as of July 2002, an increase of nearly 10 percent or 3.5 million since April 2000, Census estimates show. The national population rose 2.5 percent during the same period to more than 288 million. The non-Hispanic black population rose 3 percent in the 27-month span to 36.6 million.

High Point Enterprise: If it comes, plant could add 250 jobs
Sites in Thomasville and High Point are among several being considered for the location of a new manufacturing plant with a five-year plan to create 250 jobs. Local officials are competing with New Orleans, Danbury, Conn., and Dexter, Mo., for a facility that would build plastic composite panels. The product has existing markets and applications, including the furniture industry, medium-duty transportation and construction, according to Darryl Heffline, executive vice-president of Innovative Materials and Technology, a company formed to facilitate the merger of Millenium/A.R. Haire of Thomasville with Phelps Engineered Plastics of Danbury, Conn.

Fayetteville Observer: Farmer makes money from manure
Billy Carter spent the winter looking for a good deal on bat manure. Carter has grown organic tobacco on his farm in Eagle Springs in Moore County for seven years. This year, to comply with the new federal organic regulations, Carter must use only organic fertilizers and other natural substances on his transplants as well as his plants in the field. The manure of bats and seabirds fits the bill, but he has yet to perfect the system. To do that, Carter is working closely with agronomists from the N.C. Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who are interested in whether those fertilizers could be used in other organic ventures. According to USDA statistics, the number of organic farmers is increasing by about 12 percent per year. There are now 12,200 organic farms around the country.

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Copyright by N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, Inc. 2002. We encourage you to share this UPDATE with interested individuals, organizations, or agencies. Material may be reproduced in electronic or print form. We ask that you please cite the Rural Center as the source.

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The mission of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center is to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies that improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians, with a special focus on individuals with low to moderate incomes and communities with limited resources.

N.C. Rural Economic Development Center
Michelle Taylor, UPDATE editor
Kelly Tucker Griffin, UPDATE production manager
Elaine Matthews, vice president for communications and development
4021 Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610
(919) 250-4314 Fax: (919) 250-4325
www.ncruralcenter.org