CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County leaders voted in favor of a proposal to increase the county's sales tax to fund future transit projects. In particular, the money would fund the future Red Line commuter rail line, which the city of Charlotte purchased from Norfolk Southern earlier this month. The future train line is intended to link Uptown Charlotte with the suburban commuters in northern Mecklenburg County, including Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson.
County commissioners voted 6-3 in favor of the measure on Tuesday. With Mecklenburg County's approval, the proposal heads to the North Carolina legislature. If approved by the legislature, the sales tax would then be voted on by the public in 2025.
The Red Line project included the $91 million purchase of the existing Norfolk Southern tracks between Charlotte and Davidson. The tracks, which the freight railroad calls the O-Line, are part of the 2030 regional transit plan.
As part of the plan, $74 million went to purchasing the 22 miles of rail corridor. Another $17 million went to purchasing 1.6 acres of land along Graham Street, adjacent to the future Gateway Station.
Once built, Gateway Station is intended to link transportation services including Amtrak, the Red Line, the Gold Line street cars and buses.
To fund the plan and other transit projects, Charlotte City Council approved a resolution supporting a one-cent sales tax increase.
Mecklenburg County officials are expected to formally express their support for the sales tax plan because they, along with officials from Charlotte, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Mint Hill and Pineville, publically backed the plan when it was initially announced in August. The town of Matthews was the notable exception because the updated plan eliminated them and eastern Charlotte from the Silver Line, a planned light rail project similar to the city's existing Blue Line.
If all passes through the legislature, the city will open up the plan to input from the community and stakeholders as early as this fall. The goal is to come up with an updated plan in line with their official spending capabilities before it ends up on the ballot.
