A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to adjust local match requirements for the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund based on the economic development tier status of the receiving county.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 143B‑135.56(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	Use. – Funds in the Trust Fund are annually appropriated to the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority and, unless otherwise specified by the General Assembly or the terms or conditions of a gift or grant, shall be allocated and used as follows:
(1)	Sixty‑five percent (65%) for the State Parks System or a State recreational forest for capital projects, repairs and renovations of park facilities, and land acquisition.
(2)	Thirty percent (30%) to provide matching funds to local governmental units or public authorities as defined in G.S. 159‑7. These funds shall be allocated by the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority based on criteria patterned after the Open Project Selection Process established for the Land and Water Conservation Fund administered by the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior. The following matching requirements apply to projects funded under this subdivision, based on the most recent development tier designation, as defined in G.S. 143B‑437.08, of the county containing the local governmental unit or public authority:
a.	With respect to local park and recreation purposes other than projects described by sub‑subdivisions b. and c. of this subdivision, the local governmental unit match shall be fifty percent (50%). The appraised value of land that is donated to a local government unit or public authority may be applied to the match required by this sub‑subdivision.
b.	With respect to land acquisition, including the acquisition of unbuildable lots for public recreational purposes, the local governmental unit match shall be fifteen percent (15%) in tier one counties and ten percent (10%) in tier two or tier three counties. At least fifty percent (50%) of the local match must be in cash, and up to fifty percent (50%) may be the value of in‑kind donations by the local governmental unit.
c.	With respect to park or recreation site improvements, the local governmental unit match shall be twenty‑five percent (25%) in tier one counties and ten percent (10%) in tier two or tier three counties. At least fifty percent (50%) of the local match must be in cash, and up to fifty percent (50%) may be the value of in‑kind donations by the local governmental unit.
(3)	Five percent (5%) for the Coastal and Estuarine Water Beach Access Program."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2017.