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Wake County, lobbyists and League advise Raleigh council: prioritize housing, seek targeted state help
Summary
A panel including Wake County staff, the city’s lobbyist and the North Carolina League of Municipalities urged Raleigh councilors to limit their formal asks to a few achievable priorities and to coordinate with the county and peer cities — with housing affordability, foster‑care supports and transportation funding among the suggested focus areas.
Representatives from Wake County, the city’s state lobbyist and the North Carolina League of Municipalities urged Raleigh councilors on Monday to keep any formal legislative requests narrow and practical, and to align city asks with county priorities for the coming legislative session.
Ben Canada, chief of staff for the Wake County manager, said Wake’s approach groups priorities into (1) short, defensible guidance for staff and lobbyists, (2) a top‑three list the board will defend publicly, and (3) a longer “opportunity” list of items staff will watch for and support when they arise. “Wake County has little or no political capital down at the legislature,” Canada said, urging realistic expectations and a focus on defensive work.
Philip (city lobbyist) Igeley told councilors the new state legislative leadership and recent disaster recovery obligations mean the coming session will look different from recent years. He recommended focusing on narrowly drawn priorities with realistic passage prospects. “You have to be mindful,” he said. “We’re the capital city, and when legislators are in Raleigh they are paying attention.”
Panelists suggested several priority areas that tend to win traction or deserve early coordination:
- Housing affordability: The group recommended targeting incentives and mechanisms the state can provide to accelerate construction of affordable and mixed‑income housing, while cautioning that state mandates on local zoning are politically fraught. A number of councilors asked staff to explore incentives, state land leases and tax‑credit rules that could expand affordable units.
- Transit and infrastructure funding: Councilors and panelists said more state and federal money will be needed to advance bus rapid transit and other multimodal projects. Panelists advised asking for dedicated funding streams and working with Wake County and area representatives to make a regional case.
- Foster care: Wake County recommended state policy changes to strengthen child welfare supports that have county‑level budget implications.
- Building code flexibility and adaptive reuse: Several councilors asked about easing certain state building‑code restrictions to permit faster, lower‑cost multifamily construction or adaptive reuse of office and industrial space; panelists said the building‑code council or narrowly tailored legislative language are likely routes.
- Historic‑preservation incentives and tax‑credit flexibility: The panel noted other states use tax incentives and state tools to encourage preservation and downtown reuse; Raleigh officials asked staff to research options.
What happens next: panelists advised that Raleigh align its legislative agenda with Wake County where possible, keep the city’s “asks” small and focused, and use the League’s and lobbyist’s networks to track introduced bills and shape language. Staff will present an initial draft legislative agenda for council consideration.
Ending
Panelists urged councilors to be pragmatic, to coordinate regionally and to keep priorities compact — then use staff and lobbyists to defend the city on those narrow asks at the General Assembly.
