Have N.C. Republicans abandoned local control?
It's not that simple. There is a real conservative framework at play, but the hard part is applying it carefully
The N.C. House is kicking around the idea of a new constitutional amendment to create a limit on property taxes that local governments can set. I’m not going to get into all the ins and outs of it here; I’ll save that for a longer piece I’m working on for Monday’s newsletter.
But after I posted about my support for levy limits on Instagram, I got a few good-faith questions that are worth addressing first. They all pointed to a broader issue that comes up again and again in North Carolina politics: If Republicans believe in small government and local control, why are they so willing to have Raleigh step in and overrule local governments?
The stock answer is that North Carolina is a Dillon’s Rule state1, so cities and counties are creatures of the state. That is true as a legal matter, but it’s an unsatisfying argument. As a wise man once warned, don’t be preoccupied with whether you can do something before you decide whether you should.
That is the more interesting question here, and it’…