Bill introduced in Raleigh to advance Charlotte's transit plan
Would allow referendum on hiking Mecklenburg's sales tax to pay for transit and roads
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Three N.C. senators filed the bill Monday morning; its outlook is uncertain, but more clarity could come this afternoon
by Tony Mecia
Three N.C. senators have filed a bill in the General Assembly that would authorize Mecklenburg County to hold a referendum to raise the county’s sales tax, a key step in advancing Charlotte’s plan to expand transit.
Senate Bill 145, introduced Monday morning by Republican Senators Bill Rabon, David Craven and Vickie Sawyer, would allow Mecklenburg commissioners to place a referendum on the ballot asking voters to raise sales taxes by 1 percentage point, to 8.25%.
The money would be used to help pay for a $25 billion transportation plan that would cover building new rail lines, adding bus routes and expanding roads and sidewalks. Leaders of the city, county and Mecklenburg’s towns largely settled on the plan last summer, with the exception of the town of Matthews, which opposes it. That’s because Matthews would likely not have a rail line to uptown as originally envisioned.
The fate of the bill is uncertain. Sawyer, who represents Iredell County and the northern portion of Mecklenburg, said this month that the bill is “a long way from being palatable to have enough votes to even get to the floor.”
Legislative leaders are scheduled to be in Charlotte today to talk with the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, and they are expected to discuss the fate of the bill.
➡️ Read the bill.
The Charlotte Ledger and WFAE regularly cover the topic of Charlotte-area transit in our Thursday newsletter, Transit Time. You can find it here.
Related Ledger articles:
“The basics of Charlotte’s new transit plan,” (Aug. 22, 2024)
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I will vote against any transit bill as long as there is a toll on I-77.