A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to permit cities and towns with a population of 3,000 or less and no more than One mile of public streets to use powell bill funds for the planning, construction, and maintenance of parks.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 136‑41.3(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	Uses of Funds. – Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the funds allocated to cities and towns under the provisions of G.S. 136‑41.2 shall be expended by said cities and towns primarily for the resurfacing of streets within the corporate limits of the municipality but may also be used for the purposes of maintaining, repairing, constructing, reconstructing or widening of any street or public thoroughfare including bridges, drainage, curb and gutter, and other necessary appurtenances within the corporate limits of the municipality or for meeting the municipality's proportionate share of assessments levied for such purposes, or for the planning, construction and maintenance of bikeways, greenways, or sidewalks. For cities and towns that have a population of 3,000 or less and no more than 1 mile of public streets, the funds allocated under the provisions of G.S. 136‑41.2 may be expended for the planning, construction, and maintenance of parks. The funds allocated to cities and towns under the provisions of G.S. 136‑41.2 shall not be expended for the construction of a sidewalk into which is built a mailbox, utility pole, fire hydrant, or other similar obstruction that would impede the clear passage of pedestrians on the sidewalk."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to funds received before, on, or after that date.