The Charlotte City Council's Transportation, Planning and Development Council Committee discussed Monday the proposed 1-cent sales tax referendum that will pay for future transit projects and the governing board that will run a new transit authority.
Last week, Mecklenburg County commissioners voted to advance the language for a referendum that could appear on the November ballot. Before reaching this stage, members of the Metropolitan Transit Commission also had to agree to move forward.
The referendum calls for establishing an authority to oversee the public transportation system, which is run by the city. The proposed authority would have a 27-member board, with appointments made by Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, surrounding towns and state leaders, including the House, Senate and governor in Raleigh.
Local activists have said they’re worried regular transit riders will be excluded. During Monday’s meeting, City Council Member Malcolm Graham emphasized the need for a strong vetting process when appointing members.
"The decision that we make on the appointment of members to serve on the authority will be the most important decision that this council or any council has made in decades," Graham said.
County Commissioners will hold a public hearing and vote to put the tax on the ballot on Wednesday.
SUPPORT LOCAL NEWS
No matter what happens in Congress, WFAE remains committed to our mission: to serve our community with fact-based, nonpartisan journalism. But our ability to do that depends on the strength of the financial response from the communities we serve. Please support our journalism by contributing today.
