CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte City Council gathered for a final workshop Thursday to discuss how funds will go toward covering the city's strategic priorities.
The city listed its priorities as good neighborhoods, safe communities, transportation, work development, and a well-managed government.
One of the first discussions Thursday afternoon centered around the impacts of the revaluation of property taxes.
An opening presentation by Mecklenburg County Assessor Ken Joyner updated city council members on the revaluation process.
He explained over 400,000 property owners received notices on tax values in March. Many owners have expressed shock after seeing an increase in values which would affect their property tax bill going out this summer.
Joyner also pointed out there are nearly 8,000 properties up for an informal review.
The county assessor explained with some expected loss from the appeals process, he projected for fiscal year 2024, an overall evaluation between $213 billion and $215 billion.
"That's why it's important to get values prior to the budget," Joyner said. "You can't set a tax rate until you know what your values are."
For those concerned about the burden of property taxes falling on residents rather than golf courses or country clubs, Joyner suggested watching Tuesday night's meeting online addressing how assessments are made on commercial properties. People can then send any follow-up questions to the assessor's office.
Prioritizing transportation in Charlotte’s budget
Part of the discussion Thursday night centered around the budget for the Charlotte Area Transit System, commonly known as CATS. The city’s transit agency is projected to have a total budget for Fiscal Year 2024 of $240 million.
The drafted spending plan comes at a time when new leadership has taken over CATS to rebuild the agency after several issues came to light. Those issues include ignored upkeep of the LYNX Blue Line, which led to a May 2022 derailment, plus a staffing shortage.
To address the issues, Interim CEO Brent Cagle and Interim CFO Chad Howell told councilmembers the budget’s priorities are maintenance and asset preservation, and safety and security for riders and employees.
The proposed budget sets millions aside for routine maintenance of the light rail and buses. It also looks to replace vehicles and overhaul the entire Blue Line fleet.
For security, the plan allots money to hire more armed and unarmed security guards as well as “ambassadors” that are trained to provide customer service and help riders to take the burden off of drivers.
“Another key element for our safety and security program is de-escalation training,” Cagle said. “We do provide de-escalation training to our operators, but we need to provide more.”
As CATS looks to spend more on improvements, it assures riders will not be spending more. Passenger fares are kept at the same prices in the proposed budget.
City manager Marcus Jones will present the city’s entire budget on May 1. A public hearing will be held on May 8.
Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.