City of Charlotte releases draft legislation for new transit plan

We’re getting a look at how Charlotte-area leaders plan to pay for its new transit plan.

Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones has released to Charlotte City Council a copy of draft legislation to enable a one-cent sales tax referendum and to establish a regional transit authority.

Mecklenburg County towns, Mecklenburg County and the city of Charlotte will consider resolutions to support the advancement of the measure to the General Assembly. After those votes, the draft legislation will be formally submitted to the GA. The hope is the GA will vote in favor of the resolution this session and the referendum will be presented to voters in 2025. There is no guarantee the general assembly will take action on the referendum request this session.

>>Read the legislative draft

Charlotte City Council’s transportation committee will hold a meeting Tuesday to discuss ongoing negotiations with Norfolk Southern to purchase the O-Line for commuter rail. Council will receive a closed session briefing on August 19 and a public presentation on August 26. Council is expected to vote on the resolution and the Red Line purchase on September 3.

City and town managers and mayors drafted the legislation. Staff had ongoing discussions and briefings with members of Charlotte City Council’s working group, Mayor Pro Tem Dante Anderson, Councilman Ed Driggs and Councilman James Mitchell.

The draft legislation outlines transportation revenue, the Red Line and the new transit authority. The legislation outlines a 60-40 split for transit vs road revenue. Of that split, there is a 40% limit on rail and a 20% minimum on buses.

According to the legislation, 40% will go to roads. The road revenue will be directly distributed to municipalities. Town distributions will be calculated through a combination of a proportional share of local road miles, population, and relative transit service. Charlotte’s distribution will be the remainder of road revenue following town distribution.

According to the draft legislation, the Red Line project will only extend outside Mecklenburg County with the approval of Mooresville and Iredell County. Charlotte’s purchase of the Red Line will be reimbursed by the newly formed transit authority. The legislation requires 50% of the Red Line to be finished before the completion of any other rail project. The towns of Cornelius, Davidson, and Huntersville will have input on the design.

The draft legislation creates a new 27-member transit authority that combines the dual roles of the MTC and the city of Charlotte. Of the 27 appointments, 12 will be from Charlotte, including three representing business interests, 12 will be from the county, with six representing the towns, one from the governor, and two from the state legislature.

A supermajority is required to amend bylaws and approve expansion of additional counties.

Joint Managers Statement

Legislation to authorize a countywide referendum regarding supplemental sources of revenue for local government transportation system financing.

The Managers of Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, and a majority of the six towns included within the County have successfully concluded meetings leading to the preparation of draft legislation enabling a countywide referendum on a one-percent local sales tax to fund mobility initiatives countywide, and the ability to establish a regional transit Authority. Elected officials for each jurisdiction will now consider this draft legislation and after review will be asked to pass resolutions supporting its advancement to the North Carolina General Assembly. If approved, the request will be formally submitted to the North Carolina General Assembly where local government, business, and community leaders hope to gain adoption of enabling legislation to allow the voters of Mecklenburg County to determine their transportation future by making a choice for increased regional transportation infrastructure investments for both roads and transit. 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. This is a vital step toward meeting our region’s numerous mobility needs over the coming decades.

(VIDEO: All aboard: City of Charlotte reaches historic agreement for Red Line, records show)