A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds to the Soil and Water conservation Commission for enhancement of drainage and alleviation of drainage problems.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Division of Soil and Water Conservation of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) for the 2015‑2016 fiscal year to be used for a matching grant program to assist low‑lying counties with drainage improvements and programs for mitigation of drainage problems, to include beaver control programs. For purposes of this section, a low‑lying county is any county that includes areas with an elevation less than 125 feet above sea level, according to data produced by the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis.
SECTION 1.(b)  The matching grant program for low‑lying counties created by subsection (a) of this section shall provide to a local soil and water conservation district board of supervisors up to seventy‑five percent (75%) of the nonfederal share for districts located in a development tier one or tier two county and up to fifty percent (50%) of the nonfederal share for districts located in development tier three counties for projects meeting the following criteria:
(1)	The purpose of the project is to improve drainage or address drainage problems, including beaver control programs, in an area that due to a lack of consistent or continual maintenance is causing excessive damage to personal, commercial, county, or municipal property, as determined by the local soil and water conservation district board in the application for project funding.
(2)	The county board of commissioners or the municipal governing board for the county or municipality containing the proposed project area has adopted a resolution of support for the grant application.
(3)	The project will be implemented under rules and guidelines issued by the Division, which shall include the acquisition of any required easements or permissions from property owners impacted by the proposed project.
SECTION 1.(c)  Funding provided under this act is limited to no more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for all projects in any county.
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.