AN ACT to direct the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to enter into an MOA for management and operation of certain recreational facilities and to move the park headquarters to the Town of Fair Bluff.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (Department) shall, no later than March 1, 2026, negotiate a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the Department to (i) assume the management and operation of the River Walk, adjacent Park, and any associated parking areas (collectively, the Facilities) in the Town of Fair Bluff (Town) as a unit of Lumber River State Park (Park) and (ii) utilize the Town's Lumber River Visitors Center (Center) as the Headquarters of the Park. The MOA shall include, at a minimum, the following:

(1)        Delineation of the areas subject to the respective management of the Town and the Department. The MOA may provide for shared management of parking and other areas utilized for the River Walk, the Park, and the Center and for other uses.

(2)        The establishment, collection, and sharing of any user fees for property usage and events operated at the Facilities and the Center. Nothing in this subdivision is intended to (i) require the charging of admission to any property or event or (ii) authorize the Department to charge an admission fee for use of the Facilities or the Center other than during a festival or other special event or as a rental fee for a private event.

(3)        The adoption and enforcement of bylaws, rules, and guidelines needed for the Department to carry out the management duties imposed by the MOA.

(4)        The transfer or agreement on shared use, management, or implementation of any assets, liabilities, contracts, or agreements between the Town and the Department necessary to carry out the duties imposed on the Department and Town by the MOA. Any delegation or transfer shall be made in accordance with applicable law.

SECTION 2.  The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources shall enter into the Memorandum of Agreement required by Section 1 of this act no later than March 1, 2026, and shall submit a copy of the Memorandum of Agreement to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Governmental Operations and the Fiscal Research Division prior to the convening of the 2026 Regular Session of the 2025 General Assembly.

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.