The Rutan v. Republican Party U.S. Supreme Court decision held that any employment action based on political party affiliation violates the First Amendment. Allred discusses this decision's implications for local governments in NC.
The News and Observer Publishing Co. v. Poole court case forced the North Carolina Supreme Court to take its first extended look at the public records statute.
The Elkin Tribune, Inc. v. Yadkin County Board of County Commissioners case ended with the North Carolina Supreme Court ruling that applications for employment are personnel records and thus confidential.
The issue is the extent to which individual elected local government officials can be held liable for voting for or approving an illegal or improper expenditure of public funds in North Carolina.
A law passed in 1994 by the N.C. General Assembly authorizes local governments to enter into contracts for energy-saving improvements on existing buildings if the contractor guarantees that the savings will pay for the cost of improvement.
Dillon's Rule is a principle used by North Carolina courts to determine whether a local government has the authority to engage in a specific activity. Bell analyzes two 1994 cases in which this rule was invoked.
Although the state's General Statute 14-399 makes littering a crime, control of this unlawful disposal of solid waste is difficult because litterbugs are rarely caught and because lawmen and prosecutors do not view it as a high priority crime.
The General Assembly, through Chapter 388 of the 1995 Session Laws (SB 426), sought to answer questions on accessing and copying public records, which previous legislation did not satisfactorily answer.
Cities are required by statute to provide utilities to annexed areas. However, they have the discretion to consider factors like remoteness of a person asking for service and cost of service extension when granting or refusing service requests.
Cities and counties are authorized by the General Assembly to grant licenses and franchises to private firms that provide solid waste management services.
The 1996 General Assembly short session made significant advancement in solid waste management through extensive revision of the Solid Waste Management Act of 1989. The revisions are effective October 1, 1996.
1997 General Assembly legislation makes changes to the open meetings law and the public's access to government records. Effective October 1, 1997, public bodies meeting in closed session must keep a general account of what transpired, for those not there.
Laws governing the purchase and disposal of property by local governments have been revised by the General Assembly effective July 1, 1997. Changes include raising formal bid limits on certain items from $20,000 to $30,000.