North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 130A. Public Health § 130A-62. Annual budget; tax levy

(a) A sanitary district shall operate under an annual balanced budget adopted in accordance with the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act.

(b) A sanitary district has the option of either collecting its own taxes or having its taxes collected by the county or counties in which it is located. Unless a district takes affirmative action to collect its own taxes, taxes shall be collected by the county.

(c) For sanitary districts whose taxes are collected by the county, before May 1 of each year, the assessor of each county in which the district is located shall certify to the district board the total assessed value of property in the county subject to taxation by the district. By July 1 or upon adoption of its annual budget ordinance, the district board shall certify to the county board of commissioners the rate of ad valorem tax levied by the district on property in that county. Upon receiving the district's certification of its tax levy, the county commissioners shall compute the district tax for each taxpayer and shall separately state the district tax on the county tax receipts for the fiscal year. The county shall collect the district tax in the same manner that county taxes are collected and shall remit these collections to the district at least monthly. Partial payments shall be proportionately divided between the county and the district. The district budget ordinance may include an appropriation to the county for the cost to the county of computing, billing, and collecting the district tax. The amount of the appropriation shall be agreed upon by the county and the district, but may not exceed five percent (5%) of the district levy. Any agreement shall remain effective until modified by mutual agreement. The amount due the county for collecting the district tax may be deducted by the county from its monthly remittances to the district or may be paid to the county by the district.

(d) Sanitary districts electing to collect their own taxes shall be deemed cities for the purposes of the Machinery Act, Subchapter II of Chapter 105 of the General Statutes.