Mecklenburg County voters will now be deciding whether to approve a 1-cent sales tax increase to fund a $25 billion transportation plan.
Yesterday, County Commissioners voted 8-1 to place the measure on the November ballot. If passed, the tax would raise the sales rate to 8.25% and cost the average household an estimated $240 annually.
The 30-year plan would allocate 40% of funding to roads, 40% to rail, and 20% to bus service and microtransit. It would also transfer transit operations from the city of Charlotte to a new regional authority.
The plan includes long-delayed projects like the Red Line to north Mecklenburg and the Silver Line linking east Charlotte to the airport.
If approved, it would mark our city’s most ambitious transit expansion in decades.
