Managers of the city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and five of the six county towns said Friday that they have finished writing a bill to create a new transit authority … and to possibly raise the countywide sales tax by one cent to pay for transportation improvements.
In a statement, the managers said they will ask elected officials in each governing body to pass resolutions supporting the authority and tax increase.
Republican lawmakers would have to approve the bill. Mecklenburg voters would then decide in a referendum on whether to raise the sales tax. That could come in November 2025.
WFAE has reported earlier that the bill would only allow 40% of the new sales tax money to be spent on rail transit; 40% would be spent on roads and 20 % on buses.
On Monday, Matthews’ town board plans to vote on a resolution opposing the new tax. Leaders there are upset that plans for light rail to the east have been swapped out for a bus line to Matthews.
