The Metropolitan Transit Commission rejected on Wednesday a request from the town of Matthews to study a different funding split for a proposed one-cent sales tax increase for transportation.
Matthews had proposed spending 45% of the sales money on rail transit instead of 40%. The town hopes that more money for trains could bring the Silver Line light rail closer to Matthews.
But the other members of the MTC all voted no.
They said too much work has already been put into the existing plan. They also said they want to ensure there is enough money to improve the bus system.
The debate stretches back nearly a year.
Last May, Charlotte and most Mecklenburg towns agreed on spending 40% of sales tax money on roads, 40% on trains and 20% on buses. Under that plan, there wouldn’t be enough money to build the Silver Line light rail to Matthews.
But a bill filed in the state House last month by Republican Tricia Cotham would allow more flexibility in how that tax money could be spent. Matthews Mayor John Higdon seized on that possibility and asked his colleagues on the MTC to look at the impact of having more money for rail.
The most likely scenario calls for the Silver Line to be built from Wilkinson Boulevard near the airport to Bojangles Coliseum. Higdon wants to see how much farther the train could go if the rail allocation went to 40 to 45%.
But Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio said she doesn’t want to take money away from buses. And she said it’s too late to consider different scenarios — even though the General Assembly hasn’t yet voted no on a bill to allow a referendum to increase the sales tax.
“I think even having a conversation around a different scenario would confuse the public after all the work the staff has done on that,” she said. “And I think that would be unfair to all of the public engagement that has taken place.”
If the General Assembly does approve a sales tax bill, Mecklenburg voters would get to decide whether to increase the county sales tax by 1% to fund the plan.
Higdon said the MTC will be making a long-term decision and that it’s important to get it right.
“I’m a little frustrated that we’re saying we have to do this because we have done a lot of work (already) because this is a 100-year decision,” he said. “I’m very frustrated because every town in the county is getting what they want except for Matthews.”
When the vote was called, every MTC member voted no — except for Higdon.
The MTC in May is scheduled to vote on how they want the transit money to be spent.
