Zach Lewis
Coverage (3 articles)
On Data Centers, Mecklenburg County Wants a Voice It Mostly Doesn't Have
Mecklenburg commissioners got a deliberately neutral briefing on data centers at their May 19 meeting and signaled they want a position on the fast-growing industry. The catch: under North Carolina law, nearly all the zoning power belongs to the cities, not the county.
CMPD Reports 21 Percent Drop in Violent Crime, Warns 270 Vacancies Threaten to Undo It
Chief Estella Patterson reported violent crime down 21 percent and overall crime down 9 percent across Charlotte-Mecklenburg in 2025, but warned that roughly 270 CMPD vacancies and an unfunded ETJ mandate covering 86 square miles threaten to undo the gains. The BOCC also heard its third update on converting the former Bates 4th Row Library at 2324 LaSalle Street into a community center.
Mecklenburg County Drafts a Plan to Round Cash Up to the Nearest Nickel
With the U.S. Mint's last penny struck in November, Mecklenburg County is drafting a policy for cash payments made without exact change: round the total up to the nearest nickel, by no more than four cents. The rounding would be a last resort, and most county cash runs through Parks and Recreation and the libraries. But property tax law is why it only ever goes up, and why the county keeps the difference.