Other notable legislation Ballenger authored included a bill making the use of hypodermic needles safer for healthcare workers and a bill to designate Wilson Creek in Caldwell County, North Carolina, a Wild and Scenic River. He secured major funding for the completion of US321 between Hickory and Gastonia, North Carolina, and also established the Future Forward Economic Alliance, a regional economic development initiative serving 11 counties in Western North Carolina. Through Future Forward, Ballenger led the effort to secure funding to create the North Carolina Center for Engineering Technologies in Hickory, North Carolina. He was also instrumental in the creation of the Hickory Metro Higher Education Center (now the Appalachian State University Center at Hickory.)