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'It's a matter of weeks' | Looming deadline for Charlotte's transit plan

On Flashpoint, Charlotte's Mayor Pro Tem said the city is entering a critical time period to get a sales tax increase on the November ballot.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Supporters of Charlotte's massive transit plan are eagerly hoping to get some consensus on the issue in the coming weeks. 

"It's still the hope," Julie Eiselt, Charlotte's Mayor Pro Tem, said.

Eiselt chairs the city council's Transportation & Planning Committee. The sweeping plan requires the involvement of surrounding cities and counties, as well as the approval of the North Carolina General Assembly.

"There's an incredible level of conversation going on between our mayor and the town mayors and our city manager and the town managers," Eiselt said.

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The $13-billion Transformation Mobility Network would bring more rail lines, streetcars, buses, greenways and sidewalks to Charlotte and surrounding suburbs. It would be paid for by a one-cent sales tax increase approved by voters in a November ballot referendum.  But state lawmakers would need to approve putting the issue before voters.  

Eiselt said the stakeholders are running out of time to get the issue in front of state lawmakers and get it approved for the election.

"I think it would be a matter of weeks," she said. "There is a timeline involved there. And you know, I think it's quickly coming to that point." 

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A few weeks ago, one of Charlotte's most powerful political groups made consensus even more challenging.  The Charlotte Black Political caucus said it would only support the plan if it guaranteed protection for communities of color that have been historically impacted by transit growth.

"There are three things that we're asking for: One is insurances with minority vendor participation. We're also asking for affordable housing along light rail stops, as well as dollars dedicated to anti-displacement measures," Stephanie Sneed, chairwoman of the Black Political Caucus, said.

It's an idea that was affirmed by a recent trip by city leaders to Austin, Texas. Austin is building its own massive transit plan and created measures to protect existing homeowners.

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"That was a big takeaway, I thought that was a great idea. And we've got to really get our head around buying land and sitting on it, which is hard to do when we could be using that money to buy properties right now," Eiselt said.

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With daunting hurdles still ahead, Eiselt said transit supporters shouldn't get discouraged if the penny sales tax increase doesn't make it on November's ballot.  Eiselt cautioned the issue could be put before voters in 2023 or 2024.  But in a city bursting at the seams with growth and traffic, supporters see an urgency in the issue.

"We have to just keep trying," she said.

Contact Ben Thompson at bthompson@wcnc.com and follow him on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
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