CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Change could be coming to Charlotte’s transit system after Mecklenburg County commissioners voted 8-1 Tuesday night to approve the creation of a Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority.
The plan now heads to voters in a November referendum. If approved, a one-cent sales tax would go directly toward public transportation projects. Essentials like groceries, gas and medicine would be excluded from the tax.
Commissioner Chair Mark Jerrell said the decision reflects growing urgency around improving mobility.
“The consensus is that something needs to be done.”
Jerrell says the new authority would replace the existing board and play a crucial role in overseeing transit.
“Transit and transportation are important components of any growing community. We have got to be able to move people to critical points, access points to jobs, employment, education centers,” he said.
Advocates with Sustain Charlotte pushed commissioners to include riders directly in the decision-making process in Tuesday night’s hearing.
“We urge you to incorporate the following principles into your appointment process. First, to prioritize lived experience by including at least one daily catch bus rider among the appointees. This would require coordination with the city,” Meg Fencil of Sustain Charlotte said.
Commissioners agreed, pledging that at least one board seat will be reserved for a rider.
“That’s what we want. We want everyone to be able to participate with respect to the authority, and we’re going to make sure that we get the right people that are reflective of the community,” Jerrell said.
The conversation around transit has stretched for years, but safety has become more urgent since the murder of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail in August.
“One life is too many. And so it did help amplify this conversation to allow us to make sure that we remain focused on safety,” Jerrell said.
Jerrell added that while safety on public transit remains a priority, it is still unclear whether revenue from the tax would help fund private security already contracted by the Charlotte Area Transit System.
If approved, officials say about 30% of the money raised would come from people living outside Mecklenburg County.
Jerrell confirmed the application process for the authority has begun, and there will be deadlines for the board selection process.
Founder and Executive Director of Sustain Charlotte Shannon Binns sent the following statement:
“Sustain Charlotte is very encouraged that the County Commission voted to move this important step forward. Creating a regional transit authority is a vital investment in our community’s future and will help build a more coordinated, accountable, and rider-focused transit system. We are especially glad to hear that at least one seat for a local transit user will be reserved on the new board. Riders bring essential lived experience to these decisions, and their voice will strengthen the authority’s work. We would like to see all appointing bodies go further by prioritizing lived experience in their selections, ensuring transparency in the appointment process, and requiring board members to ride transit at least periodically. That way, decisions about the future of our transit system are grounded in the realities of the people who depend on it every day. Buses are the backbone of our transit system and will continue to be, so representation from those who use them regularly is critical.”
Jordan Kudisch
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