Outsourcing Charlotte: Council Weighs Consultants vs. In-House Capacity After $3M Safety Plan

What Happened in the Room

A public comment turned a routine vote into a bigger budget question at the City Council on October 13. Item 23 uses USDOT Safe Streets funds to hire an engineering firm for a CRTPO safety plan. Staff said the grant is not tied to any referendum. The speaker argued that Charlotte relies on consultants because it lacks in-house capacity, which raises costs and slows delivery. The council signaled that it will address capacity at the retreat. Item 14 approved right-of-way services at ~$7.5 million per year, excluding land purchase, reinforcing how much project work now lives outside City Hall.

Evans cited a 2023 New York University study that, in his telling, ties a desire to offload risk to higher bid prices, conflict with other agencies, and low standardization. He referenced the New York MTA shrinking its in-house capital projects unit from 1,600 to 124 staff between 1990 and 2011, which he said pushed nearly 20 percent of total project costs to consultancies — “double the average in West Europe.” He contrasted that with the CRTPO— “just 15 employees.”

His request to council was simple: stop defaulting to consultants and start building an in-house design and engineering team.

Mayor Vi Lyles acknowledged Bob Cook of the CRTPO in the audience and suggested a conversation about how the regional organization is operating. The exchange didn’t change the vote on Item 23, but it reframed what that vote represents.

“Outsourcing endless studies is pointless when the agency lacks expertise to absorb them.” — Mr. Evans

What This Contract Is — and Isn’t

Staff (Marie) clarified two points on Item 23 that matter for public trust:

  • The funding at issue is USDOT grant money.
  • It is not related to a pending transit referendum or any additional debt.

Council Member Renee Johnson pressed directly on the referendum question and received that clear answer: no linkage.

Council Member LaWana Mayfield noted that on Feb. 10, 2025, council had already accepted $3,150,000 through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program for a regional comprehensive safety action plan with the CRTPO. Because the funds are federal, she said she was more comfortable moving forward, while still stressing the opportunity to look in-house as council heads into a retreat.

“Because these are funds from the federal government, I am much more comfortable to move this forward. We may have an opportunity as we move forward and go into the retreat to look at opportunities in-house.” — Council Member LaWana Mayfield

A Second Lens: Right-of-Way Services at $7.5 Million a Year

If you want another window into the city’s capacity question, Item 14 offers one. Council approved unit-price contracts for Right-of-Way Acquisition and Relocation Services across multiple businesses for a term of three years, with an anticipated total annual aggregate of about $7.5 million.

Mayfield asked if that figure included the purchase price of land. Staff (Marie) said no. The contracts cover real estate negotiation services that are typically billed per parcel, and the city’s ancillary costs are limited to recording easements. The purchase price of land, if needed, would come back through a separate budget action.

That distinction matters. It reminds us how many slices of a capital project are now handled by outside agents, not city personnel, even before shovels hit dirt.

The Policy Tension Council Now Owns

Nothing in the exchange settled the debate about when to build internal capacity and when to buy expertise. The speaker’s frame was about lost institutional memory and higher cost. The staff frame was about the nature of this federal grant, the existing regional structure, and how the contract fits within that.

The political signal was modest but real. Mayfield called for exploring in-house options during council’s retreat. The Mayor set the table for a CRTPO conversation. Johnson pushed to quell referendum confusion. None of that forces a new model. It does put the question on the agenda in plain view.

What Readers Should Watch Next

  • Will the council retreat carve out time to weigh the costs and benefits of in-house engineering and project delivery capacity.
  • Will the city and CRTPO publicly outline staffing, scopes, and how contracted work products will be absorbed into the city’s own processes.
  • Will future consent items show a different mix of internal staff and external vendors for planning, design, and right-of-way tasks.

Sidebar: What Item 23 Actually Funds

  • Program: Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)
  • Purpose: A regional comprehensive safety action plan with CRTPO
  • Funding source: USDOT grant
  • Staff clarification: Not tied to a transit referendum or new debt

Sidebar: What Item 14 Actually Covers

  • Scope: Three-year unit-price contracts for right-of-way acquisition and relocation services
  • Annual aggregate: About $7.5 million
  • Excludes: Purchase price of land
  • Billing: Per-parcel agent fees; the city pays recording costs for easements

Mercury Links for More Context

  • Read our latest coverage on council and the 1 percent transit tax at Politics.
  • Catch all city coverage at News.
  • Our home base for everything else is The Charlotte Mercury.
  • For election coverage that pulls no punches, see Poll Dance 2025 at Election 2025.

About the Author

Jack Beckett files from the front row of Charlotte’s civic life with a notepad, a public records habit, and coffee that could dissolve a spoon. When he’s not in a council chamber, he’s connecting policy to kitchen tables across Mecklenburg. Read more at The Charlotte Mercury, browse the latest at News, and dive into the civic trenches at Politics. Our special 2025 election package, Poll Dance 2025, is here if you like your democracy seasoned with context and a raised eyebrow: Election 2025.

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© 2025 The Charlotte Mercury / Strolling Ballantyne
This article, “Outsourcing Charlotte: A $3 Million Question About Who Really Builds Our City,” by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.

“Outsourcing Charlotte: A $3 Million Question About Who Really Builds Our City”
by Jack Beckett, The Charlotte Mercury (CC BY-ND 4.0)

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