The Charlotte City Council is struggling to decide how to choose its 12 appointments to a proposed transit authority board that would be created if Mecklenburg County voters approve increasing the sales tax by one percentage point next month.
Last month, Mayor Vi Lyles had tasked James Mitchell, Ed Driggs and Lawana Mayfield with interviewing applicants and creating a list of finalists among the 70 people who have applied so far.
But some council members, like Renee Johnson, say that gives the three too much power.
“It’s more of the same and people are tired,” she said during Monday’s meeting. “So I won’t be supporting this process. And again, I don’t think we have listened to the community enough, even for the tax.”
Driggs said council members will still make the final decisions about who is picked to the 27-member board.
One part of Monday’s discussion focused on departing City Council member Marjorie Molina’s decision to apply for the authority board. She narrowly lost reelection last month to J.D. Mazuera Arias for District 5.
Council member Tiawana Brown said Molina’s decision to apply is a “red flag.” Molina said she just wants to serve and stressed it’s a volunteer position.
But council member Dimple Ajmera pressed interim City Attorney Anthony Fox on whether that was correct.
“Does (the enabling legislation) say anything about the authority's board and its possible compensation, or does it strictly say it's a volunteer role?” Ajmera asked.
Fox responded: “It doesn’t say volunteer. And it gives the authority the ability at some point to set compensation, should they choose to.”
Unable to reach an agreement, council members voted to defer. They'll try again next week to settle on an appointment process.
Early voting starts on Oct. 16.
If voters approve the tax, Mecklenburg County's general sales tax would increase from 7.25% to 8.25%. That would raise nearly $20 billion over the next 30 years, with 40% of the money set aside for roads, bike lanes and sidewalks; 40% for rail transit; and 20% for buses and new on-demand microtransit.
