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State Sen. Vickie Sawyer, a Republican who represents Iredell County and parts of north Mecklenburg, is Charlotte’s point person for getting a one-cent sales tax increase for transportation approved in Raleigh.
If the General Assembly OKs the tax, Mecklenburg County residents would vote on the penny increase in a referendum.
But Sawyer doesn’t sound optimistic.
In response to a question from the group Charlotte Rail Advocate, Sawyer responded that “at this point, it will be difficult to even get the taxing portion of the legislation passed, much less the makeup of the breakdown of the spending plan.”
She added that many of her colleagues are opposed to any sort of tax increase, even if voters approve it through a referendum. Sawyer said the bill is “a long way from being palatable to have enough votes to even get on the floor.”
Sawyer’s comments were first reported by Axios Charlotte.
It’s possible Sawyer is just lowering expectations and the tax will get across the finish line. It might even pass by being tacked onto a budget bill. (That’s how the General Assembly extended a 1% tax on prepared food and beverages that’s being used to renovate Bank of America Stadium.)
She declined an interview with WFAE.
If Charlotte’s bill does fail, is there a Plan B?
The city doesn’t appear to have one. But there is an option.
The state has already granted North Carolina counties the ability to levy a quarter-cent sales tax increase for any purpose, without legislative approval. The tax must still be approved by voters.
A quarter-cent sales tax increase would generate a lot less money than a full penny, of course — one quarter as much, to be precise.
But it would be more than enough to build the Red Line commuter rail line to Lake Norman, as well as leaving some money left over for roads and sidewalks and for more bus service.
The problem with that option is that Mecklenburg commissioners aren’t going to give up the tax easily. While the county was integral in the negotiations to move the one-cent sales tax forward, commissioners see the quarter-cent tax as theirs.
Could there be a proposal that would build the Red Line — and then county priorities like funding parks or boosting staffing in the district attorney’s office?
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles told WCNC last week that if Charlotte doesn’t get legislative approval for the tax this year, it will look to 2026.
