MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Mecklenburg County Commissioners voted to place the P.A.V.E. Act, which includes a sales tax increase, on the November ballot.
The tax hike would generate nearly $20 billion over the next 30 years to fund road, rail, and bus projects across the county.
More than 60 people signed up to speak during the meeting. It took about three hours for all of them to address the commissioners. The overwhelming majority support the sales tax.
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"I will vote for this referendum," said one man. "I will promote it, not because it's everything we want, but it's what we need to move forward."
There was not an empty seat in the meeting chambers Wednesday night as dozens of people took to the podium to let Mecklenburg County Commissioners know how they feel about a potential one-cent sales tax.
People came with shirts and buttons reading "Yes for Meck " in support.
"A lot of places in Charlotte-Mecklenburg it's not even safe to walk on the sidewalk and this would go a long way to helping solve that problem," said another man.
Others carried signs reading "no sales tax increase," saying they worry about what this tax would mean for people of color.
"Gentrification and eminent domain, those are the areas that we're concerned about because with that, we know people will lose their homes, businesses," said Rev. Dr. Janet Garner-Mullins.
Of the 62 people who signed up to speak, only a handful of them were against the extra tax, including former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts and former Charlotte City Councilman Braxton Winston.
"I believe this is a regressive tax in a year when people are losing healthcare," said Roberts. "They're losing food benefits. They're losing their jobs, and the pain is going to be felt by hourly workers. They're going to pay the majority, a bigger proportion of their incomes, for this and yet get the least out of it the way this is structured now."
The sales tax would fund Mecklenburg County's transit plan with 40% of the money for road, 20% for bus and 40% for rail projects. Leaders' first priority is creating the Red Line commuter train.
Before that can happen, voters will have to approve it.
"Please give Charlotte voters the chance to vote on this and express I think what most people in this community want in their day-to-day life," said one man.
Now, city and county leaders will spend the next few months getting into the community and talking with people in the hopes they will support this tax.
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