Charlotte leaders clash over late tax money request from gospel awards show
Charlotte will host a national music awards ceremony in August, but the City Council learned only this week it will be asked to contribute taxpayer dollars.
The exact amount has yet to be determined, and it’s unclear which pot of city money it would come from.
The Stellar Gospel Music Awards selected Charlotte as its host city for this year’s event. It’s widely considered the biggest awards show in the gospel genre. Council members celebrated the opportunity during a meeting on Monday but criticized the procedure behind its funding and selection.
“It seems like our processes are inverted,” said District 1 Councilwoman Dante Anderson. “It feels like that vote and that ask should be done ahead of the big announcements and the press conferences.”
Much fanfare surrounded last month’s announcement that Charlotte would be the host city. The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority is in charge of the planning and secured a $995,000 commitment from the state to support operating expenses, said Steve Bagwell, the authority’s CEO.
The 41st annual awards ceremony is scheduled for August 15 at the Spectrum Center and will cap off a multi-day celebration known as Stellar Plus Week. The event is projected to provide economic benefits for Charlotte, with 5,000 people visiting from out of town and others viewing the city from their homes, Bagwell said. Networks including BET, Bounce TV and the Stellar Network will air the awards live.
The show will go on with or without city investment, Bagwell confirmed. The Spectrum Center is already under contract for the event, and other venues are “very close” to signing agreements as well.
But District 2 Councilman Malcolm Graham encouraged his colleagues to provide financial support anyway. Graham is the former chair of the council’s economic development committee who played a lead role in facilitating communication between the awards and local leaders.
His communication began in 2024 when the company behind the awards, Central City Productions, first expressed interest in the Queen City. That’s why multiple council members said they were concerned about being brought into the fold so late into the process, especially if there’s a financial ask involved.
“We don’t know, outside of the state contributing, what the total cost — what the ask, if any, from the city is going to be,” said at-large Councilwoman LaWana Slack-Mayfield.
Bagwell said the tourism authority’s role in securing funding ended with getting state support and making a small contribution from the authority’s own business development fund.
City Manager Marcus Jones meanwhile said the reason council hasn’t voted on a city sponsorship sooner is because the tourism authority hasn’t yet made an official ask for city investment. If or when an ask is made, City Council could potentially vote to use money from either the general fund or the hospitality and tourism tax fund, which must be spent on tourism-related projects.
Some council members remained skeptical. At-large Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera said she would not support using any general fund dollars to pay for the show. She’d rather see that money go toward priorities like affordable housing or public safety.
“If there is a general fund ask, then we need to have that conversation,” Ajmera said. “We should have had that conversation yesterday. So I’m getting concerned now.”
Graham defended the process, likening the prep work to what goes into hosting a concert.
“They don’t need a two-year runway or a year runway to produce the event,” Graham said. “This is a tremendous opportunity for the city. I think it’s worthy of our investment and those dollars.”
Bagwell said he understands Charlotte is following a planning pace that is “typical” of previous host cities, but he has “heard concerns” about the quick turnaround.
“We’re listening to that and responding,” Bagwell said.
District 3 Councilwoman Joi Mayo made a motion to ask the economic development committee to work on a procedure for event recruiting and funding so the city has a standardized process moving forward. Her motion passed with the support of every present council member besides Graham, who did not vote.
This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 9:49 AM.
