To pass Charlotte transit tax, get ‘in their face’ at General Assembly, lawmaker says
Charlotte needs to do more negotiating with the legislature and get “in their face” if it ever wants to see a transit plan pass, a Mecklenburg legislator told the Charlotte City Council Friday.
The city needs the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly to approve putting a penny sales tax increase on voters’ ballots to pay for an ambitious transportation plan that includes building an east-to-west rail line in Charlotte. Rep. Carla Cunningham, a Democrat who represents part of University City and northern Mecklenburg County, offered some advice about how to do that.
“You have to do some negotiating, you have to do some conversating and be present in their face,” Cunningham told the council during a briefing with members of the Mecklenburg delegation. “If (Republicans) made a decision of what they’re not going to do, they’re not going to do it.”
Negative signs about the N.C. General Assembly’s interest in supporting Charlotte’s plans have been growing. This week, Charlotte’s lobbyist, Dana Fenton, told a transportation committee the city hadn’t yet asked legislators about transit funding because it might require regional cooperation to pass, WFAE reported. In early January, GOP House Speaker Rep. Tim Moore said he wants to see a plan focused more on roads rather than transit expansion, adding transitioning Charlotteans from car reliance is unrealistic.
“One thing I’ll say is it’s good that Dana is up there walking the halls (in Raleigh) because those interactions means something,” Cunningham said. “The power in Raleigh is on the other side of the aisle. They are who hold the power.”
Problems in northern Mecklenburg County
Cunningham she’s talked to Huntersville Mayor Melinda Bales and GOP House Rep. John Bradford, who also represents northern Mecklenburg, about increasing the sales tax to pay for transit projects, but “they are not ready.”
Winning north Mecklenburg County support will be no easy feat, Cunningham said, especially because officials and residents have preexisting concerns about public transit. Residents in northern towns have paid a CATS transit tax for more than two decades with little return. Plans remain stagnant for the Red Line, a 25-mile commuter rail corridor in north Mecklenburg that would use an existing Norfolk Southern track.
Bradford, who was not in attendance at Monday’s meeting, told The Charlotte Observer this week he has yet to even see a plan to support. Bradford is the county’s only Republican legislator.
“If there is a plan in place to move something in the legislature, I have not heard about it,” Bradford said. “I’m not even sure what the final plan is. And I’m your one Republican from Mecklenburg. So I think that would make a lot of people start to feel uneasy.”
Quality of life
Ed Driggs, one of the two Republicans on the City Council and transit committee chair, urged both sides of the aisle Friday to have open minds.
“(A transportation plan) affects many aspects of our lives: air quality, social issues,” Driggs said. “We need to get away from historical tensions between the parties and between Raleigh and Mecklenburg County and work together towards that cause.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said she appreciated Cunningham’s candid tone about Raleigh’s current position.
“I know it’s not something that we’re going to get immediately,” Lyles said. “It takes a lot of communication, education and we’re grateful for the delegation taking the time to work with us.”
What a referendum could do
The Charlotte Area Transit System has relied on a half-cent transit tax to fund itself for more than two decades. Increasing that tax by one penny, or 1%, would transform Charlotte’s transportation system, some officials say. The Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, not the City Council, would levy the new tax, the city’s legislative agenda states.
One key part of Charlotte’s plan is the Silver Line, a proposed east-west light rail line. Others include expanding the bus network, adding and repairing roads, expanding cycling infrastructure and investing in sidewalks and safe crossings for pedestrians.
There is no deadline for ballot measures like referendums in Mecklenburg County, said Kristin Mavromathis with the Mecklenburg Board of Elections, but local governments are encouraged to file by July in time for early voting.
This story was originally published March 11, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
