Aug. 12. Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, and all but one of the towns within Mecklenburg County are moving toward draft legislation for a countywide referendum on a 1 percent local sales tax that would fund transit projects like the Red Line.

The draft legislation would also establish a regional transit authority.

Matthews is the only county municipality not part of the proposal, in fact the Town Board is opposed.

Washam

Cornelius Mayor Woody Washam said the O Line right of way between Lake Norman and Charlotte would ultimately be owned the regional transit authority, not the city of Charlotte.

Quotable

“This has been an amazing process over the last three-plus years. After lots of very hard work, [this is] an amazing outcome,” Washam said.

Details

Elected officials from each jurisdiction will consider the draft legislation. After a review, they’ll be asked to pass resolutions supporting its advancement to the N.C. General Assembly.

Local government, business, and community leaders hope to gain adoption of enabling legislation to allow the voters of Mecklenburg County to vote on the sales tax.

If the referendum is authorized, local leaders will engage the broader community about how previous mobility plans, including those for expansion of our public transit network, may be modified to match available resources and support the continued growth our region is experiencing. That process will be essential to winning broad public support for the mobility plan. According to press releases from the various towns and Mecklenburg County, this is a “vital step” toward meeting numerous mobility needs over the coming decades.