With apologies to Tennyson, in the spring a local government's fancy turns to budgets. The city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County released their spending plans this week, and the city budget moved forward with a plan to bypass the Arts & Science Council in funding local arts.
Buried in the city budget proposal were details of a pay raise for the mayor and City Council members, one of whom apologized for comments about the 2040 plan.
Mecklenburg County's budget proposal included a $56 million ultimatum for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. That's the amount the county is proposing to withhold from the school district until it provides a plan to close achievement gaps.
ZIP code-level data revealed COVID-19 vaccination disparities in Mecklenburg County, while the statewide vaccination rate appeared to have stalled.
And as the sounds of Minor League Baseball returned after losing a season to the pandemic, another familiar refrain was heard: the opening of the streetcar has been pushed back.
Guest host Erik Spanberg and the roundtable of reporters have more on those and other stories.
GUESTS
Joe Bruno, WSOC government reporter (@JoeBrunoWSOC9)
Glenn Burkins, QCityMetro founder and publisher (@glennburkins)
Claire Donnelly, WFAE health reporter (@donnellyclairee)
Nick Ochsner, WBTV chief investigative reporter (@NickOchsnerWBTV)