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Charlotte leaders pay delinquent taxes after WCNC Charlotte inquiry

A WCNC Charlotte review of tax records revealed Mayor Vi Lyles, Councilmembers Tariq Bokhari and James Mitchell owed delinquent property taxes.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the Charlotte City Council met Thursday for a budget workshop, public records revealed Mayor Vi Lyles and two council members were delinquent on their 2022 property taxes. 

Two of the three settled up shortly after WCNC Charlotte reached out to them for comment.

Tax records show Lyles paid a roughly $950 delinquent tax bill Thursday for a rental property.

"Mayor Lyles thanks you for bringing this to her attention," a city of Charlotte spokesperson told WCNC Charlotte. "She has a property manager who should have handled this."

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Councilmember Tariq Bokhari, meanwhile, paid a $7,680 delinquent tax bill Thursday for his home, which he said he refinanced last year. After WCNC Charlotte reached out, Bokhari said he confirmed with his lender the automatic escrow wasn't properly set up during the refinancing process.

"So that's being set up now and I've reached out to the county to process the payments manually to bring it up to date in the meantime," he added. "Thanks for the heads up ... (The county says) this refi situation happens all the time."

Council member James Mitchell also blamed an oversight for a delinquent tax bill for one of his cars. He owes $150 in unpaid taxes and interest, according to tax records.

"That's just an oversight and I'll make sure I take care of it next week," he said.

Interest began accruing on Jan. 6 for past-due 2022 tax bills.

Contact Nate Morabito at nmorabito@wcnc.com and follow him on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

WCNC Charlotte is committed to reporting on the issues facing the communities we serve. We tell the stories of people working to solve persistent social problems. We examine how problems can be solved or addressed to improve the quality of life and make a positive difference. WCNC Charlotte is seeking solutions for you. Send your tips or questions to newstips@wcnc.com.

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