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Charlotte City Council Members On Arts Funding, Homelessness, Development, 2040 Plan

Erin Keever
/
WFAE

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Julie Eiselt and City Council member Malcolm Graham join Mike Collins to discuss some of the most important issues facing the city.

This week, City Council voted to spend an additional $5 million on resources for homeless residents. Some of the money will be used to provide a year of housing for 75 people who lived in the encampment near uptown that became known as Tent City, and part of the funding will be allotted to The Salvation Army to lease a hotel that will shelter up to 100 families per night.

While there has been a 16% decrease in overall crime compared to this time last year, gun-related assault is up more than 30%. The city recently announced a new partnership with Youth Advocate Programs to implement violence prevention techniques similar to those used in cities like Atlanta and Chicago.

Development projects are making progress in Dilworth and South End, but affordable housing proposals continue to divide city leaders as the 2040 Comprehensive Plan faces an uphill battle on the issue of single-family zoning.

As the city’s transit plan remains on hold, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says "we want to partner with communities like Charlotte," leading local leaders to voice a degree of optimism. The plan currently asks for up to $6 billion from the federal government.

GUESTS

Julie Eiselt, mayorprotem and at-large Charlotte City Council member

Malcolm Graham, member of City Council for District 2

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Jesse Steinmetz is Producer of Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins. Before joining WFAE in 2019, he was an intern at WNPR in Hartford, Connecticut and hosted a show at Eastern Connecticut State University.