NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1979 SESSION

CHAPTER 288

HOUSE BILL 484

AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF GREENSBORO TO PROVIDE AUTHORITY FOR ORDINANCES CONCERNING TREES, PROVIDING CIVIL PENALTIES FOR TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS, AND RAISING BID LIMITS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  Charter V, Subchapter D, Article 1 of the Charter of the City of Greensboro, as set forth in Section 1, Chapter 1137 of the Session Laws of 1959, as amended by Section 4, Chapter 29 of the Session Laws of 1971, is amended by adding the following new section following Section 5.65 as follows:

"Section 5.66. Ordinances regulating the removal, replacement and preservation of trees. The council may adopt ordinances to regulate the removal of trees and other growth from public and private property within the City of Greensboro in order to preserve, protect and enhance one of the most valuable natural resources of the community and to protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens. Before adopting or amending any ordinance authorized herein, the council shall hold a public hearing. A notice of the public hearing shall be given once a week for two successive calendar weeks in a newspaper having general circulation in the area. The notice shall be published the first time not later than fifteen days nor more than twenty-five days before the date fixed for the hearing."

Sec. 2. Section 5.121 of the Charter of the City of Greensboro, as set forth in Section 1, Chapter 1137 of the Session Laws of 1959, as amended by Section 12, Chapter 142 of the Session Laws of 1969, is further amended by deleting subsections (c) and (d) and by substituting in lieu thereof new subsections to read as follows:

"(c)      The council may establish maximum civil penalties for any traffic violations as established above including for overtime parking.

(d)       Any person receiving a citation or ticket by any police officer or other designated official of the City of Greensboro for any traffic violation including overtime parking may pay the applicable civil penalty as may be fixed by the council and be discharged."

Sec. 3. G.S. 143-129, is amended in paragraph 1, line 5, by deleting the words and figures "two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500)" and inserting in lieu thereof the words and figures "ten thousand dollars ($10,000)".

Sec. 4. G.S. 143-131, is amended in paragraph 1, line 3, by deleting the words and figures "one thousand dollars ($1,000)" and inserting in lieu thereof the words and figures "two thousand five hundred ($2,500)".

Sec. 5. Sections 3 and 4 of this act apply to the City of Greensboro only.

Sec. 6. This act is effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 4th day of April, 1979.