At-Large
AL
Dimple Ajmera
Council Member, At-Large, Charlotte City Council
- Party
- Democratic
- Office phone
- 704-336-2777
Dimple Ajmera serves at-large on the Charlotte City Council and sits on the Budget Committee. During the FY2027 budget workshops, Ajmera pushed for a minimum $100 million affordable housing bond for the November 2026 referendum after city staff proposed cutting the amount to $50 million. During the April 13 staff recommendations review she called for policy changes to the Housing Trust Fund’s location scoring framework. The housing bond going to voters in November is $125 million.
Ajmera voted yes on the Crosland Southeast affordable housing project and has been active in zoning disputes over density and growth in Charlotte’s eastern corridor. She raised transit safety concerns following the killing of Iryna Zarutska on the Blue Line. On April 13, 2026, Ajmera led the council through the first post-sales-tax transit budget: $20M+ for CATS including Red Line design, Gateway Station, and a Blue Line safety study.
On the youth curfew, Ajmera made the Safety Committee motion in July to advance a 9 p.m. rule, saying, “This conversation is not about criminalizing our youth.” When the council approved a 10 p.m. pilot in September, she asked for results broken down by age, race, geography and enforcement outcome. She asked the city to put a number on its exposure before applying to the Justice Department’s Model Cities program, and asked whether the First Union tower conversion would include affordable housing.
In our reporting · 20 stories
Charlotte Weighs Tougher Tow Rules but Can't Cap Fees
A tow from a private Charlotte lot would need the property owner's written OK for that car at any hour, not just 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and cars with people inside could not be towed, under city lawyers' proposals. State law keeps the city from capping what a tow costs.
CATS Hand-Off Deals Go to Charlotte Council Dec. 14
Charlotte's council is to vote Dec. 14 on three agreements the regional transit authority needs before it takes control of CATS operations Jan. 1. Also: nonprofit funding, crime, Gateway Station, wages.
Phillips Place Cinemas Site Could Hold 275 Apartments
The vacant Phillips Place Cinemas site in SouthPark would become up to 275 apartments in a building as tall as 120 feet, none set aside as affordable. A Planning Commission committee is scheduled to review the rezoning Nov. 4. Council has not set a decision date.
CMPD Gets Undercover Cars in 7-3 Charlotte Council Vote
A week after CMPD named seven officers in a racially charged text-message case, Charlotte City Council approved new undercover cars for the department, 7-3, setting aside a motion to delay.
Hajoca Building in South End Becomes a Charlotte Landmark
A 1922 South End warehouse planned as a boutique hotel is now a Charlotte historic landmark. One council member objected to deferring its taxes while amendments that could limit property taxes are on the ballot.
Charlotte Extends Data Center Pause to Oct. 18, 2027
Charlotte City Council voted unanimously to keep its pause on new data centers for almost another year. Two campuses already under construction, approved for up to 5.5 million square feet, are not covered.
Charlotte E-Bike Crashes Nearly Double as City Weighs Rules
E-bike crashes in Charlotte have nearly doubled from a year ago. City staff want helmets for young riders, lights at night and rules for sidewalk riding. Council has not voted.
Six-Week CLT Lease Review Dies as Harrington's Veto Stands
The lease would run through June 30, 2037, and an airline that signs it approves $1.72 billion in airport construction projects.
Harrington Calls Special Session on Lease Review He Vetoed
Mayor Rob Harrington has called a special council session Monday for one vote: the six-week airport lease review he vetoed Oct. 12. The charter puts it back on the agenda anyway; readopting it takes seven votes. The full 242-page lease is now public.
Charlotte Data Center Pause May Grow; Two Campuses Exempt
City staff asked Charlotte City Council on Monday to extend the pause on new data centers by almost a year. Two approved hyperscale campuses, allowed up to 5.5 million square feet together, are exempt and can keep building. A vote is expected Oct. 26.
Harrington Vetoes Council's Six-Week Airline Lease Review
Charlotte City Council voted Monday to take six weeks to review the airport's new airline lease and decide Nov. 23. Mayor Rob Harrington vetoed it on the spot. The lease would run 10½ years and carry an estimated $2.1 billion building program.
Enslaved People Believed Buried Outside Sugaw Creek Cemetery
Charlotte made the two Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church cemeteries historic landmarks Monday. Researchers told council that more than 500 enslaved people are believed buried just outside them in unmarked graves, and asked that those graves be protected too.
Charlotte Annexations Never Ask for Affordable Housing
Staff said the planning department intends to assess the 2003 policy and bring changes forward if the assessment warrants them.
First Union Tower Wins Landmark Status and a Tax Break, 10-1
Charlotte made the vacant office tower at 301 S. Tryon a historic landmark, which lets its owners defer half the property tax on the designated portion while they convert it to homes and a hotel. The plan includes no affordable units.
Charlotte Approves 10 p.m. Curfew Pilot for Minors, 9-2
Starting Nov. 1, Charlotte residents under 18 must be off the streets by 10 p.m., with exceptions, under a pilot that runs through August 2027. The police chief promised no traffic stops on curfew suspicion alone, a policy CMPD has not yet written.
Charlotte Debates What a Youth Curfew Pilot Would Test
Council approved neither a new curfew nor a pilot Monday. Charlotte's police chief asked to explore a test of the 9 p.m. rule, while members proposed different measures, limits, and timelines.
Hendrick Rezoning Pulled From Consent Agenda Over Its Buffer
Petition 2026-019 cleared all four criteria that put a Charlotte rezoning on the consent agenda, where petitions pass together without discussion. It came off the list anyway. What stopped it was whether the 100-foot buffer everyone already agreed to has to be left undisturbed, a question the plan notes do not answer.
Charlotte Eyes DOJ Model Cities Deal; Some Terms Come Later
Charlotte has until September 1 to seek a share of nearly $300 million through DOJ’s Model Cities Initiative. Applying requires local signatures, federal collaboration and an immigration certification before certain award terms are available.
I-77 Study Would Take Months; Charlotte's Deadline Is Oct. 5
Charlotte has until October 5 to reverse itself on the I-77 South toll lanes or absorb a penalty the legislature wrote in July: a state bill the city attorney puts at $64 million, a freeze on its street maintenance money, and a block on every new state road project inside the city limits. Council members said they could not decide without an independent review. Staff told them Monday that one cannot be finished in time.
Charlotte Panel Advances 9 p.m. Curfew for Everyone Under 18
The City Council's Safety Committee voted unanimously to send the full council a single 9 p.m. curfew for everyone under 18, replacing the current age-tiered rules. The change still needs a full-council vote, expected in August. The members who advanced it spent the meeting warning that a curfew alone won't fix what draws teens into the streets.