Brent Cagle
Coverage (4 articles)
MPTA Names Brad Thomas Its Interim General Counsel
Charlotte's transit authority voted Sept. 10 to make CATS general counsel Brad Thomas its own lawyer for six months starting Jan. 1, the day CATS employees are to move from the city to the authority.
Charlotte Transit Board Expands Interim CEO's Spending Power
Charlotte's new transit authority gave its interim CEO expanded authority to sign technology contracts without case-by-case board approval, racing a Jan. 1 deadline to separate CATS from the city's systems. The vote passed with two opposed, after trustees warned they risked rubber-stamping a roughly $35 million transition they had not fully vetted.
Transit Authority Clears Last State Requirement to Run CATS
On June 24 the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority closed out the last of the twelve requirements North Carolina set before it can run Charlotte's buses and trains, and voted to send the proof to Raleigh. The takeover itself splits in two: operational control on July 1, employees and computers on January 1, 2027.
What Changes July 1 When the MPTA Takes Over CATS
On July 1, the Charlotte Area Transit System stops being a city department and passes to the MPTA, a 27-member appointed board, along with a new one-cent tax meant to raise $19.4 billion over thirty years. Here is what changes, what stays the same, and the questions the board carries in unfinished, starting with the one it could not resolve on June 10: whether the Gold Line streetcar should be free.