MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- Mecklenburg County voters will be asked to raise their sales tax by one percent this coming Tuesday.
If approved, the revenue drawn from that increase will go towards a multi-decade overhaul of public transit and major roadways.
Supporters of the increase argue it will fund transit expansions and road improvements that will enable the metro to keep up with its rapid population growth. But opponents have long argued that a sales tax increase will place an undue burden on the area’s poorest populations.
“A lot of that comes out of their pocket. So, when people are looking at this and saying 'Oh, it’s only $11 a month, that $11 a month is going to be a tipping point for a whole lot of people, specifically coming up right now with these snap cuts,'” said Robert Dawkins with Action NC.
Yes for Meck, the group pushing for the increase, argues the tax will increase affordability overall by offering more transportation options.
“Compared to the upkeep of a car every year, which is $6-7,000 on a used car, with the cost going up 7% every year, the math is easy to figure out which one makes sense,” said David Howard.
If the tax were to get the green light from voters, expanded bus routes and micro transit options would be the first to be funded.
During an interview with Queen City News on Thursday, Dawkins argued micro transit, a point-to-point service, would not get the money it needs to meet demand.
“It has a scalability problem. The more people that like it, the more that it’s going to cost, and the more it’s going to cost, they’re going to start reducing it,” said Dawkins.
But Yes for Meck’s David Howard insisted tracking demand is baked into the plan, that micro transit can evolve into something else, depending on what riders are seeking.
“You get an opportunity to gauge where demand is. So for CATS, that means that they can go from a five-passenger van to eight-passenger van, and if it’s a really popular area, they can go all the way up to a new bus route,” said Howard.
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