Charlotte is getting closer to asking Republican lawmakers to transfer the city’s bus system, streetcar and light-rail line to a new countywide transit authority, according to a presentation posted on social media by City Council member Tariq Bokhari.
Creating the authority is seen as a critical first step toward the city’s ultimate goal: Having Mecklenburg voters approve a one-cent sales tax increase to pay for transportation.
WFAE reported earlier this month on a draft bill that’s been written by members of the business community, Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones, and the managers of Mecklenburg County and the six towns.
The most recent bill has made at least one significant change to that earlier version.
The new plan calls for 27 authority board members — 12 appointed by the city and 12 by the county. The leaders of the state House and Senate would appoint one member each, as would the governor.
That means the state would have a voice in running the city’s bus and train system.
In a change from an earlier draft bill, six of Mecklenburg County’s board members would have to be from the six county towns.
Bokhari met with city officials last week and posted screenshots of the presentation on social media. Bokhari said the city needs to be more transparent about how it’s crafting the bill.
Four years ago, the city envisioned spending almost all of the money in the $13.5 billion plan on transit. The biggest project would have been the Silver Line light rail from Matthews to the airport.
Republican House Speaker Tim Moore and Republican Senate leader Phil Berger both objected to the city’s plan, saying it spent too much money on rail transit.
In a bid to win their support, the city has said it would spend 40% of all new sales revenue on roads.
It would spend no more than 40% of new revenue on rail transit. The rest could be used for buses or other non-rail transit projects.
Because of the new caps, the city has told the town of Matthews that the Silver Line probably won’t be built from uptown to their town. Charlotte has said it would build bus rapid transit instead.
The city has said it hopes state lawmakers will approve the new authority this fall. The county could vote on the sales tax referendum in November 2025.
