Business View Civil and Municipal l January 2023

63 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 1. PROVIDE A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE FOUNDING AND HISTORY OF THE LEAGUE. The North Carolina League of Municipalities was founded in 1908. Then, as now, its cornerstone mission is advocating on behalf of cities and towns before the legislature, state agencies and the courts so that municipalities and their residents can pursue their unique visions for their communities by preserving local authority. Today, NCLM also offers insurance lines for North Carolina cities and towns, and a range of services. 2. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY TRENDS FOR MUNICIPALITIES IN N. CAROLINA RIGHT NOW? North Carolina, like many other states, has seen huge trends in urbanization over the last few decades. The state’s larger cities and the surrounding towns in those metro areas are experiencing tremendous growth and becoming economic powerhouses. Many rural towns, meanwhile, have experienced population and job loss. This has left those towns facing financial challenges, especially water and sewer systems that have lost ratepayers and large industrial users that paid for their operation. Despite those challenges, we see many of those towns actively leveraging natural resources and other resources unique to each to redefine their local economies and reinvigorate their downtown business districts. 3. WHAT DO YOU DO AS AN ASSOCIATION TO ADVOCATE FOR YOUR MEMBERS? NCLM advocates for cities and towns at the North Carolina General Assembly and before state agencies. That advocacy takes many forms and involves many issues, but typically comes down to one basic principle – government is best that is closest to the people, and local authority must be preserved over one-size-fits-all solutions that do not respect the diversity of cities and towns. Most recently, NCLM was heavily involved in making the case for infrastructure needs as the pandemic roiled local economies. As a result of efforts both at the state and federal level, North Carolina cities and towns will see historic investments through NORTH CAROL INA LEAGUE OF MUNICI PAL I T I ES