Good morning, neighbor. Let’s walk through what those meetings, memos, and late-night votes actually mean for your life in Mecklenburg County.
The big three you felt this week
1) Transit referendum goes to the ballot
Mecklenburg County commissioners voted 8–1 on Aug. 6 to place a 1-cent countywide sales-tax increase on the November ballot to fund a multibillion-dollar package for roads, rail, buses, and on-demand “microtransit.” The average household cost is estimated at about $240 per year. Supporters packed the chamber, opponents warned about equity and trust, and Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell cast the lone no vote. Read the straight report from WFAE and the follow-up fact check, which also notes the plan’s 40-40-20 split across roads, rail, and buses: WFAE coverage and WFAE analysis. (WFAE)
What that money buys depends on the final build list, but current materials point to the Red Line north, work on the east-west Silver Line and its airport-adjacent segment, and a “Better Bus” ramp-up. See CATS’ official plan pages: CATS Plans & Projects and the Transit System Plan site. (Charlotte NC, catstransitsystemplanupdate.com)
Charlotte’s business community is already mobilizing. The Charlotte Observer reports a $3 million campaign by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance to push a “yes” vote. Check the Observer’s package on the campaign and past referendum history: Observer: $3M campaign and Observer: how we vote on taxes. (Charlotte Observer)
2) A “mini-budget” becomes law, with real caveats
Gov. Josh Stein signed a stopgap spending bill to keep government open while the larger budget fight drags on. He called it a “Band-Aid” that fails to provide raises for state workers and underfunds Medicaid. The governor’s official release pegs the Medicaid shortfall at $319 million; WRAL’s Capitol team has the context and quotes. See both the Governor’s press release and WRAL’s statehouse report. (NC Governor, WRAL.com)
Why you feel it here: DMV lines, Medicaid billing, and school calendars are all downstream of this fight. The bill adds funding for DMV staffing, which matters for Charlotte families trying to get a license without a half-day off work. (WRAL.com)
3) School-choice tax credit fight heats up
On Aug. 7, Stein vetoed House Bill 87, which would have made North Carolina the first to opt into a new federal dollar-for-dollar tax credit for donations to school-choice scholarships. He says he will opt the state in later with guidance and aim the benefit toward public-school students. Read the full explainer from WUNC and a granular look from WRAL on the political math, including which House Democrats previously voted yes: WUNC explainer and WRAL analysis. (WUNC, WRAL.com)
WUNC also notes the governor signed the revised “squatters” bill after lawmakers stripped out unrelated pet-shop language that drew concern earlier in the summer. See the same WUNC piece for bill numbers and sequence. (WUNC)
Charlotte’s trust file: Meetings, minutes, and a $305,000 question
City officials declined to release minutes from closed-session meetings about the $305,000 settlement with retiring CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings. The Charlotte Ledger has led the document chase and posted updates across platforms. Start with the Ledger’s write-up and thread: The Charlotte Ledger report and Ledger on X. Background on the original payout reporting appears in the Observer and The Assembly: Charlotte Observer explainer and The Assembly profile. (Charlotte Ledger, X (formerly Twitter), Charlotte Observer, The Assembly NC)
Meanwhile, Mecklenburg commissioners ended negotiations with The Peebles Corporation over the long-stalled Brooklyn Village redevelopment during a closed session this week. Catch WFAE’s initial report and NewsWorthy recap: WFAE news story and WFAE NewsWorthy, Aug. 8. (WFAE)
City Hall housekeeping you will notice
Council meetings will look and feel different this month. Mayor Vi Lyles circulated a memo outlining changes that include an end-of-meeting period for open discussion, the ability to request future agenda items, and a three-minute speaking limit per member per item. Coverage and memo details here: WSOC summary and WCNC follow-up. (WSOC TV, WCNC)
Elections: the week’s deadlines you actually use
Early voting for the City of Charlotte primary begins Thursday, Aug. 21, with nine sites and staggered hours. The county’s election site has the calendar and an early-voting PDF link, plus voter ID information. Bookmark these: Mecklenburg Elections event page and the Mecklenburg Elections homepage. For a statewide refresher on how early voting works, see the N.C. State Board of Elections overview. WBTV has a quick candidate-list primer and key dates. WBTV guide. (Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, NCSBE, https://www.wbtv.com)
Statehouse ripple hitting Charlotte’s counters: DMV
Two things landed at once. An audit from State Auditor Dave Boliek laid out why lines are long and morale is low, and the stopgap budget adds money for license examiners. Read WRAL’s summary with numbers from the 435-page audit, and WUNC’s piece on how DMV is using interns to triage wait times: WRAL on the audit and WUNC/WFAE on interns. (WRAL.com, WFAE)
Reporter watch: your live-tweeted play-by-play
If you want a feel for the room on transit night, Joe Bruno’s feed delivers. See his posts as the long public comment rolled on and the 8–1 vote landed: Bruno pre-meeting, “Public forum is under way”, and the vote result. For a quick pre-meeting preview package, Julie Kay had the setup on WCNC: WCNC preview. (X (formerly Twitter), WCNC)
What to watch next week
- Will lawmakers try to override Stein’s HB 87 veto quickly or hold it for leverage in broader budget talks. WRAL has the whip count context and prior Dem yes votes that matter. WRAL explainer. (WRAL.com)
- How the county and campaign committees shape the transit referendum message. Keep an eye on Observer updates and WFAE’s Inside Politics newsletter for new spending disclosures and coalitions. Observer campaign story and WFAE analysis. (Charlotte Observer, WFAE)
- Whether Charlotte releases additional documentation or legal rationale around the Jennings settlement minutes after the latest Ledger push. Start point: Ledger report. (Charlotte Ledger)
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About the Author
Jack Beckett is a senior writer at The Charlotte Mercury. He reads budget footnotes so you don’t have to, and he drinks coffee as if it were a civic duty.
Send tips or tell me what I missed. You can always message us on X or Twitter, or as we call it, Twix: @QueenCityExp.
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© 2025 Strolling Ballantyne / The Charlotte Mercury
This article, “This Week in NC Politics: Transit Referendum Hits Ballot, Stein Signs Stopgap Budget, School-Choice Veto Sparks Fight,” by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
“This Week in NC Politics: Transit Referendum Hits Ballot, Stein Signs Stopgap Budget, School-Choice Veto Sparks Fight”
by Jack Beckett, The Charlotte Mercury (CC BY-ND 4.0)
