Sen. Phil Berger tells local councils DMV problems, transportation plans and budget standoff
January 09, 2026 | Rockingham County, Virginia
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Senator Phil Berger (President Pro Tem of the North Carolina Senate) visited local councils and offered a legislative update, outlining several issues of local interest and explaining the state’s interim budget situation.
Berger told attendees he expects the short legislative session to begin in April or May and urged towns to bring local bill requests to his office before deadlines. He described ongoing transportation work in the Piedmont Triad and Rockingham County—including multiple bridge replacements on US 29 and a recently funded NCDOT engineering study intended to break US 220 upgrades into smaller, fundable segments—and said he helped secure $2,000,000 to cover an NCDOT study. Berger said segmented projects are more likely to be placed in the State Transportation Improvement Program than a single, very large project.
On the DMV, Berger said the agency has been audited and a recently appointed commissioner is addressing long-standing staffing and process issues, including the Real ID verification backlog, which has driven longer lines. He described incremental improvements such as expanded online renewals and more staffing, but acknowledged promised service levels have not yet been fully restored.
Berger also discussed the state budget. He said North Carolina continues to operate under a statutory rollover that preserves recurring appropriations at prior levels when a new budget is not adopted; the legislature has used targeted "mini‑budgets" to fill gaps. He described a current disagreement between House and Senate leaders about a tax‑cut revenue trigger—House leaders want to alter the trigger, while the Senate aims to preserve the scheduled tax reduction—which has delayed a comprehensive agreement on pay raises and other recurring spending in a full budget.
Berger encouraged local officials and residents to use his office (staff contact and phone numbers were provided) to track deadlines for local bills and to raise specific DOT or other state‑level concerns.
Berger told attendees he expects the short legislative session to begin in April or May and urged towns to bring local bill requests to his office before deadlines. He described ongoing transportation work in the Piedmont Triad and Rockingham County—including multiple bridge replacements on US 29 and a recently funded NCDOT engineering study intended to break US 220 upgrades into smaller, fundable segments—and said he helped secure $2,000,000 to cover an NCDOT study. Berger said segmented projects are more likely to be placed in the State Transportation Improvement Program than a single, very large project.
On the DMV, Berger said the agency has been audited and a recently appointed commissioner is addressing long-standing staffing and process issues, including the Real ID verification backlog, which has driven longer lines. He described incremental improvements such as expanded online renewals and more staffing, but acknowledged promised service levels have not yet been fully restored.
Berger also discussed the state budget. He said North Carolina continues to operate under a statutory rollover that preserves recurring appropriations at prior levels when a new budget is not adopted; the legislature has used targeted "mini‑budgets" to fill gaps. He described a current disagreement between House and Senate leaders about a tax‑cut revenue trigger—House leaders want to alter the trigger, while the Senate aims to preserve the scheduled tax reduction—which has delayed a comprehensive agreement on pay raises and other recurring spending in a full budget.
Berger encouraged local officials and residents to use his office (staff contact and phone numbers were provided) to track deadlines for local bills and to raise specific DOT or other state‑level concerns.
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