§ 160A-456. Community development programs and activities.
Part 8. Miscellaneous Powers.
§ 160A‑456. Communitydevelopment programs and activities.
(a) Any city isauthorized to engage in, to accept federal and State grants and loans for, andto appropriate and expend funds for community development programs and activities.In undertaking community development programs and activities, in addition toother authority granted by law, a city may engage in the following activities:
(1) Programs ofassistance and financing of rehabilitation of private buildings principally forthe benefit of low and moderate income persons, or for the restoration orpreservation of older neighborhoods or properties, including direct repair, themaking of grants or loans, the subsidization of interest payments on loans, andthe guaranty of loans;
(2) Programs concernedwith employment, economic development, crime prevention, child care, health,drug abuse, education, and welfare needs of persons of low and moderate income.
(b) Any city councilmay exercise directly those powers granted by law to municipal redevelopmentcommissions and those powers granted by law to municipal housing authorities,and may do so whether or not a redevelopment commission or housing authority isin existence in such city. Any city council desiring to do so may delegate toany redevelopment commission or to any housing authority the responsibility ofundertaking or carrying out any specified community development activities. Anycity council and any board of county commissioners may by agreement undertakeor carry out for each other any specified community development activities. Anycity council may contract with any person, association, or corporation inundertaking any specified community development activities. Any county or cityboard of health, county board of social services, or county or city board ofeducation, may by agreement undertake or carry out for any city council anyspecified community development activities.
(c) Any city councilundertaking community development programs or activities may create one or moreadvisory committees to advise it and to make recommendations concerning suchprograms or activities.
(d) Any city councilproposing to undertake any loan guaranty or similar program for rehabilitationof private buildings is authorized to submit to its voters the question whethersuch program shall be undertaken, such referendum to be conducted pursuant tothe general and local laws applicable to special elections in such city.
(d1) Any city may receiveand dispense funds from the Community Development Block Grant Section 108 LoanGuarantee program, Subpart M, 24 CFR 570.700 et seq., either throughapplication to the North Carolina Department of Commerce or directly from thefederal government, in accordance with State and federal laws governing thesefunds. Any city that receives these funds directly from the federal governmentmay pledge current and future CDBG funds for use as loan guarantees inaccordance with State and federal laws governing these funds. A city mayimplement the receipt, dispensing, and pledging of CDBG funds under thissubsection by borrowing CDBG funds and lending all or a portion of those fundsto a third party in accordance with applicable laws governing the CDBG program.
Any city that has pledgedcurrent or future CDBG funds for use as loan guarantees prior to the enactmentof this subsection is authorized to have taken such action. A pledge of futureCDBG funds under this subsection is not a debt or liability of the State or anypolitical subdivision of the State or a pledge of the faith and credit of theState or any political subdivision of the State. The pledging of future CDBGfunds under this subsection does not directly, indirectly, or contingentlyobligate the State or any political subdivision of the State to levy or topledge any taxes.
(e) Repealed by SessionLaws 1985, c. 665, s. 5.
(e1) All program incomefrom Economic Development Grants from the Small Cities Community DevelopmentBlock Grant Program may be retained by recipient cities in "economicallydistressed counties", as defined in G.S. 143B‑437.01, for thepurposes of creating local economic development revolving loan funds. Suchprogram income derived through the use by cities of Small Cities CommunityDevelopment Block Grant money includes but is not limited to: (i) payment ofprincipal and interest on loans made by the county using Community DevelopmentBlock Grant Funds; (ii) proceeds from the lease or disposition of real propertyacquired with Community Development Block Grant Funds; and (iii) any late feesassociated with loan or lease payments in (i) and (ii) above. The localeconomic development revolving loan fund set up by the city shall fund onlythose activities eligible under Title I of the federal Housing and CommunityDevelopment Act of 1974, as amended (P.L. 93‑383), and shall meet atleast one of the three national objectives of the Housing and CommunityDevelopment Act. Any expiration of G.S. 143B‑437.01 or G.S. 105‑129.3shall not affect this subsection as to designations of economically distressedcounties made prior to its expiration. (1975, c. 435, s. 1; c. 689, s. 1; c. 879, s. 46;1983, c. 908, s. 4; 1985, c. 665, s. 5; 1987, c. 464, s. 10; 1987 (Reg. Sess.,1988), c. 992, s. 2; 1995, c. 310, s. 3; 1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 13, s.3.9; c. 575, s. 3; 2006‑259, s. 27(b).)