The North Carolina House of Representatives voted to pass the state spending package last week, and while negotiations are set to continue in conference meetings this week, Western North Carolina is set to receive millions of dollars for crucial projects.
“I was excited for the number of items we got in the Senate budget for Western North Carolina and now that the House has passed theirs, I am proud to say that millions of dollars will be headed to our end of the state once the budget is officially passed,” Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-50) said Friday. “Not only was I able to work with Rep. Karl Gillespie, Rep. Mike Clampitt and Rep. Mark Pless to keep all the items from the Senate budget in the House budget, we were able to add two new projects for WNC as well.”
The total state budget sits at $25.7 billion with $61,165,352 earmarked for projects across Corbin’s Senate district, including $3,338,400 for projects in Macon County.
“The state funding being sent to Western North Carolina in this budget is a direct result of Sen. Corbin’s leadership. These items are in the budget because he not only asked for them, he championed for them,” said Sen. Ralph Hise, Mitchell County native and co-chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Sen. Corbin is an outspoken leader for Western North Carolina and never fails to remind Raleigh that the state continues well beyond Asheville.”
The state budget includes $1.1 million for Southwestern Community College’s Macon Campus to bolster the school’s forest training program, which continues to rank amongst the highest regarded programs in the country. The budget also includes $1 million for K-12 small school funding, a special line item due to Macon County’s geographical layout. Other projects included for Macon County are $175,000 for the Town of Franklin’s water system, and $813,400 for property acquisition to further the county’s partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on historical preservation. The budget also includes $250,000 for Macon County for recreation opportunities to build pickleball courts.
“Having served on the Macon County Board of Education for many years, I was able to see firsthand how difficult it was to adequately and efficiently provide opportunities for students in the outlying areas of Highlands and Nantahala,” Corbin said. “I was proud to get the initial K-12 small school allotment for Macon County and am now happy to say that it will once again be provided to the school district.”