After much delay, North Carolina House and Senate leaders announced this week that they have reached the framework for a deal on a state budget for the fiscal year that began last July. It calls for most employees to receive a raise of about 3%, while teachers would see raises averaging 8%. Negotiations had been stalled at least in part because of a fight over scheduled income tax cuts.
Elsewhere, a leader in Charlotte’s Black community wants the person chosen to replace Mayor Vi Lyles on an interim basis to be Black. Lyles, a Black Democrat, is resigning in June. In a post on Facebook, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP said it was disturbing for white people to be lobbying for this position while Black representation is being stripped across the country. The post said that if a non-Black person is chosen, voters will hold City Council accountable.
In other business regarding Charlotte City Council, the body withdrew its support for the I-77 South toll lane project in its current form. The 6-5 vote came after community pushback over the project. Charlotte does not have the ability to unilaterally kill the project, but it does hold most of the power on the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO).
And the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board has approved the 2026-27 budget unanimously, but not without a roller coaster of debate. The $2.1 billion spending plan was Superintendent Crystal Hill’s second proposal, after the board rejected her first plan in an 8-1 vote. That initial vote appeared to catch Hill off guard and left confusion over what the board wanted adjusted.
GUESTS:
James Farrell, WFAE education reporter
Ryan Pitkin, co- founder and editor of Queen City Nerve
Alexandria Sands, reporter with Axios Charlotte
Ben Thompson, morning and midday anchor at WCNC Charlotte
