Sen. Sawyer: Mecklenburg transit bill is "a long way from being palatable"
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The Blue Line light rail in South End. Photo: Alexandria Sands/Axios
The Republican senator leading Mecklenburg County's transit bill through the General Assembly says members of her caucus remain largely opposed to a tax increase.
Why it matters: Sen. Vickie Sawyer, who represents north Mecklenburg County, was iffy about the bill's chances early on. Her message has not become more encouraging.
- The bill is "a long way from being palatable to have enough votes to even get to the floor," Sawyer wrote in emails that Charlotte Rail Advocate, a local transit advocate, shared with Axios.
Meanwhile, the City of Charlotte and Charlotte Area Transit System's policy board are dedicating significant time and energy to preparing a transit plan, which can't move forward without a revenue source.
- The tax would generate $3.8 billion for buses, $7.8 billion for rail and $7.8 billion for roads over 30 years. The city expects to leverage that money to secure grants and matches from the federal government.
What they're saying: Sawyer tells Axios, "[A]s you can imagine it's not a popular thing to ask conservatives for the right to raise taxes for a county that they don't represent."
Context: If passed, the bill would allow Mecklenburg County to put a referendum on the 2025 election ballot, asking voters to approve a 1-cent sales tax increase to fund road and transportation projects.
- It would generate $19.4 billion over 30 years, with 40% dedicated to rail, per the legislation. Some critics are against the funding cap because they say it wouldn't be enough for the full east-west Silver Line light rail.
- "At this point, it will be difficult to even get the taxing portion of the legislation passed, much less the makeup of the breakdown of the spending plan," Sawyer wrote in her emails.
Flashback: In a rare event, the Mecklenburg County state delegation and city leaders met last month to discuss the sales tax pitch.
- "I'm excited," Sawyer said at the time. "I mean you know what? Let's try it. Either we win or we lose, right? Let's just give it a shot."
The bottom line: City leaders want the bill not only to pass — but to pass quickly.
- If the measure makes it onto the ballot, they'll need sufficient time to campaign for "yes" votes. Otherwise, the referendum may be doomed to failure anyway.
- The City of Charlotte has already committed to buying train tracks for the Red Line commuter rail, with the expectation it'll be reimbursed through the proposed sales tax revenue.
Go deeper: Charlotte's 4 rail lines, what's built and what's coming
- How Charlotte could spend its $19.4 billion in transit sales tax revenue
- The long road ahead in 2025 for making Charlotte's transit dreams a reality
- Why CATS is moving forward with the $845M Gold Line streetcar extension
- The transit tax would transform the experience of riding a Charlotte bus
- Everything to know about the Red Line