Whenever Charlotte officials share plans to use hospitality funds to support work on professional sports facilities, the public almost always asks: Why not use those funds for needed areas such as housing or transit?

Context: Last week, the city said it was considering offering $650 million in taxpayer money to fund an $800 million overhaul of Bank of America Stadium.

• The funds would come from Charlotte's hospitality and tourism tax, which by state law must be used on projects that generate tourism dollars.

Why it matters: In a city where economic inequality is so stark that the local school district is considering building affordable housing for teachers, some object to using public money to fund a billionaire's project.

• Former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts suggested on X that local officials should repurpose tourism tax revenue for other pressing needs, like paying teachers more.

Zoom out: Most states stipulate that local tourism funds must be dedicated to projects that draw visitors, such as convention centers. The idea is that they're taxing tourists and not residents for big new projects, says Eric Heberlig, a political science professor at UNC Charlotte.

• The county imposes a 1% tax on restaurant and bar tabs and a 2% tax on hotel rooms. Those taxes brought in more than $50 million in 2022, the Observer noted.
• Any local municipality would need permission from the state to use its tourism dollars for anything other than hospitality purposes, Heberlig notes.
• That's unlikely to happen in a state like North Carolina, where the state government has "really pulled back powers from local governments," Heberlig adds.

Go deeper

Passero Associates, an engineering and architecture firm, is relocating to a larger space in Camp North End this fall. Its move from Boileryard to the Gama Goat Building will triple the size of its office space to accommodate the overall growth of the company, it said in a statement.

Palmetto, a clean-tech unicorn based in South End, is folding its solar construction arm into a subsidiary. The business unit represents about 10% of the company's total revenue. (CBJ 🔒)

North Carolina terminated its 2018 incentives agreement with LendingTree as the company looks to rebound from a rough few years financially. The agreement had called for the company to add 436 jobs in Mecklenburg County, at an average wage of more than $100,000. (News & Observer)

Balenciaga, the global fashion brand, will open a 4,346-square-foot store at SouthPark Mall in the former Lacoste and Tommy John storefronts near Belk and Nordstrom. (CBJ 🔒)

If you're on the hunt for a new job, here are 13 to get you started:

• Merchandise Manager at Blumenthal Arts.
• Patient Concierge / Administrative Assistant at Criswell & Criswell Plastic Surgery.
• Account Manager at Neighborhood Lender Inc.
• Assistant Event Manager at Foundation For The Carolinas.
• Senior Marketing Coordinator at Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).
• Campaign Coordinator at Charlotte Preparatory School.
• Financial Coordinator at Clearsmile Orthodontics.
• Standardized Patient (Part-time) at National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO).
• Director of Development at Wayfinders.
• Digital Marketing Coordinator at Innovative Digital Systems.
• Orthodontic Assistant at Clearsmile Orthodontics.
• Brauhaus Assistant Manager at The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery.
• Communications Manager at Smart Start of Mecklenburg County.

Want more opportunities? Check out all openings on our Job Board.

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"We are a throwback, for sure, to the South End of decades ago. I never get tired of the smell of the bakery, be it honeybuns, doughnuts or pies. The transformation of the South End is clear, and it has migrated to a more professional area. It's got a great vibe to it."

Carolina Foods, a mainstay in South End that's given the neighborhood its sweet doughnut smell for decades, is moving to Pineville.

• It'll operate both bakeries through the end of 2025, Myers recently told Axios. After that, it'll leave South End and operate entirely (from offices to bakery production) in Pineville.

Why it matters: The bakery is a vestige of a past version of South End — one filled with manufacturers and locally owned businesses. Carolina Foods' move to Pineville marks an end of an era for the rapidly changing neighborhood.