CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Voters in Mecklenburg County are considering a one-cent sales tax increase on Election Day to fund transportation improvements over 30 years.
What You Need To Know
- Voters in Mecklenburg County will decide on a sales tax increase to fund transportation improvements over the next 30 years
- If passed, the sales tax would increase from 7.25% to 8.25%
- The additional tax revenue would go to rail projects, road improvements, bus and microtransit service
- Supporters say it would bring better transit options while opponents argue the cost would affect low-income families
If passed, the sales tax would increase from 7.25% to 8.25%, which the city of Charlotte estimates would be about $19 more a month per household.
Charlotte Area Transit interim CEO Brent Cagle said it would fund the 2055 Transit System Plan, which includes rail construction, road improvements, and better bus and microtransit service.
“It increases frequency, reliability, security and options accessibility throughout transit, so it’s really a holistic plan to address mobility needs,” Cagle said.
Charlotte estimates the increased tax revenue would generate $19.4 billion over 30 years. Forty percent would go to rail projects, another 40% to roads, and 20% to buses and microtransit service.
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The plan includes a new commuter rail connecting Uptown to North Charlotte, Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson, expanded streetcar and light rail with access to the airport.
It would improve traffic flow on roads and add more bike lanes, sidewalks and traffic signals to communities. Buses would also have expanded service hours and come to the busiest stops more often and microtransit would be expanded across the county.
Transit rider Juan Contreras Juarez, who volunteers for the Yes for Meck campaign, supports the plan.
“I think in general, understanding that there’s a bus that comes every 15 minutes would take a lot of stress from the families. They depend on the bus system. There’s a lot of anxiety that comes with it. You go to your bus stop, you’re hurrying because if you miss it, the next bus is in 30 minutes,” Contreras Juarez said.
Opponents, including Action NC, say a permanent tax unfairly affects people who can least afford to pay and that more than $200 per year would be a burden to the working class and low-income families.
Cagle argues these groups make up the majority of transit riders.
“We also think about who benefits from this the most: our riders and how do we benefit them. And they will benefit from this,” Cagle said.
Craig Reynolds opposes the sales tax and is working with Action NC on their campaign.
In his perspective, there are no guarantees with the plan and the current half-cent sales tax has not delivered.
“My main point is just look at the failed promises that have happened over the last 27 years,” Reynolds said.
He also takes issue with the new regional transit authority that would oversee spending of this investment.
“My concern is there’s lack of accountability in this plan. If you look at it, this is an appointed authority of 27 members. It’s not elected, but yet it has the ability to tax citizens. It has the ability to take their property through eminent domain,” Reynolds said.
Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs is reviewing applications for the board. The Republican and self-described fiscal conservative worked to put this item on the ballot. He’s chair of the Transportation, Planning and Development Committee of the city council and is part of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization.
He said the board can improve transit safety, which has been in the spotlight since the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on the light rail in August.
“They will be able to have a police force of their own and that will help provide a better level of security and they will also have more resources to invest,” Driggs said.
Cagle said if the referendum doesn’t pass, the 2055 Transit System Plan cannot be implemented.
“We are utilizing all of the existing funding. and this transit system plan cannot be implement, cannot be implemented without additional funding,” Cagle said.
If it fails, CATS will also need to evaluate current spending and ensure the transit system meets financial metrics. A future referendum would then be placed in the hands of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. In addition, the PAVE Act, which gave approval for this item to be on the ballot, would have to be amended due to the timeline outlined in it.
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