Sen. Phil Berger briefs Madison on state budget, tax trigger and retiree pay

Sen. Phil Berger, a member of the North Carolina Senate, told the Madison Board of Aldermen on Jan. 8 that the General Assembly's short session is expected to begin in April and urged the town to bring local bill requests early so his office can assist.

Berger said residents can contact his Raleigh office at (919) 733-5708 or by email at Phil.berger@ncleg.gov for help drafting or advancing local legislation. "If you have a local bill that you need, if you'll have Mike get in touch with me or my office or Amy can do that and we can help with the drafting," he said.

On the state budget, Berger told the board that North Carolina has not adopted a new, comprehensive budget this year but relies on a statutory "rollover" that keeps government operating at last year's funding levels while lawmakers negotiate. "It's technically true that we don't have a new full budget, but it's not true if the implication is that the government or the state has shut down or people aren't getting paid," he said.

Berger described an ongoing dispute between the House and Senate over a scheduled series of tax-rate reductions and a revenue "trigger." He said the Senate's position is to preserve promised tax cuts and that the two chambers have been unwilling to finalize a full budget because of disagreement over changing that trigger. "We've been willing to negotiate everything on a budget, including teacher raises," he said, "but the House has not been willing to negotiate unless we agreed to change the trigger number."

When asked whether any approved raises would be retroactive, Berger said his position would be to make them retroactive if a full budget is approved. He addressed retiree pay and pensions, saying the legislature has sometimes approved one-time cost-of-living adjustments but has prioritized pension solvency over recurring increases: "The solvency of the pension program itself has been our primary concern and our primary focus."

On retiree health coverage, Berger said many retirees are placed in Medicare Advantage plans when eligible, and he offered to provide a specific answer on services such as vision coverage if individuals contact his office. He also encouraged residents to sign up for his office's weekly email for legislative updates.

The senator took questions from residents about per-student funding and insurance costs, and said state funding comparisons depend on which metric is used: "If you just compare state-by-state state dollars, we fare fairly well. If you look at the overall, we don't look so good," he said.

Berger closed by reiterating that his office can help Madison with local issues and thanked the board for the invitation. "We're more than happy to add you to the list," he said of his office distribution list.