Key Takeaways
Charlotte City Council spent nearly seven hours Monday night, April 13, working through an agenda that included the first CATS budget built on the new 1% sales tax, a street vending debate that ended with council refusing to criminalize vendors, and a housing trust fund cycle that will put more than $20 million in affordable housing dollars to a vote on April 27.
The CATS budget is $571.7 million. The first fiscal year to include Article 34 revenue — the 1% sales tax voters approved in November — projects $198.9 million from the new tax alone. Safety spending triples to $30 million. The Red Line advances to 30% design. Better Bus adds 30,000 service hours. The Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority takes over operations on January 1, 2027.
Council rejected criminalizing street vendors. The Safety Committee had proposed making unpermitted vending a Class 3 misdemeanor. Council members pushed back nearly unanimously, questioning whether the DA's office could handle the caseload and calling for designated vending zones instead. The item goes back to committee.
The Stellar Awards are coming to Charlotte. The city's check is not. The 41st Stellar Gospel Music Awards will be at Spectrum Center in August. The state is contributing $995,000. The city's financial role has not been defined. Council referred the matter to the Economic Development Committee to create an event funding policy before committing any city dollars.
Staff recommended thirteen housing proposals out of eighteen. Four multifamily projects totaling 479 rental units and all nine homeownership proposals made the cut. The River District did not. One innovation proposal was deferred. A special Housing Committee meeting is planned for the week of April 20. The full council votes April 27.
Charlotte Future 2040 area plans were adopted — with a data center warning. Council Member Dimple Ajmera called for a pause on data center approvals until regulations are in place, citing energy, water, and quality-of-life concerns. Planning Director Monica Holmes said regulations could take three to six months.
The passenger vehicle for hire ordinance got 12 updates. Vehicle age limits extended from 10 to 15 years. A new standalone limo and black car section was created. Universal upfront pricing was not recommended. Flat-rate airport pricing remains under study.
The Transit Budget: $571.7 Million and a Handoff
"This is a long time coming," City Manager Marcus Jones told council. "It's a really great day here in Charlotte for this presentation. Thanks to the mayor and the council, the vision and the resolve to stay the course, the business community that played a big role, and the community in general that believed in mobility as our future."
Interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle walked council through a budget structured around three priorities: maintaining current service, expanding via the 2055 Transit System Plan, and building the organizational capacity CATS needs to function as an independent authority.
"Not to correct my boss," Cagle said after Jones introduced him, "but we have two members of the MPTA here." He recognized Reverend Mack and Ned Curran, both members of the MPTA Finance Committee. Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell asked them to stand. "We don't know you," Mitchell said. "Can you please stand and be recognized?"
The revenue picture: $198.9 million from the new Article 34 sales tax, $165.7 million from the existing Article 43 half-cent tax, $56.1 million in federal grants, $20.1 million from the U-Drive-It rental tax, $18.8 million in transit-generated revenue, and $9.2 million in state grants — $572 million in total projected revenue.
On the spending side, Cagle projected $571.7 million in total expenditures: $314.1 million for operations, $224.9 million for capital, and $18.1 million for existing debt service. Capital highlights include a $37 million South End Station, a $15 million Hambright Park & Ride, $70 million for bus purchases, and more than 100 bus stop improvements. A certificates of participation issuance for transit vehicles is tentatively planned but may be pushed to fiscal year 2028, depending on manufacturer delivery schedules.
"This is a structurally balanced budget," Cagle said. "We do not anticipate drawing down from our cash reserves. In fact, it's just the opposite."
The budget has an unusual structural feature: it spans two governing bodies. CATS operates under the city of Charlotte through December 31. On January 1, 2027, the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority takes over. The budget was built jointly.
The CATS budget public hearing is set for May 11. Budget adoption is scheduled for June 18.
Street Vending: Council Says No to Criminalization
The Safety Committee's proposed citywide street vending regulations had a problem before they reached the full council: the proposed penalty.
Staff had recommended making unpermitted street vending a Class 3 misdemeanor. Council Member Dante Anderson, who chairs the Safety Committee, framed the issue as overdue. Charlotte, Anderson told council, is the only major or mid-size city in North Carolina without citywide street vending regulations. The item had been in committee for a year, referred by the mayor in April 2025.
CDOT Deputy Director Charlie Jones detailed the current patchwork. Citywide, street vending is legal without a permit outside the Congested Business District. Inside the CBD, it is illegal except on the Tryon Street Mall, where permits are managed by Charlotte Center City Partners. The CBD was expanded last year to include streets in NoDa.
The criminal penalty drew opposition from nearly every council member who spoke.
Council Member Joi Mayo questioned whether the District Attorney's office could handle the additional caseload. "If we were to criminalize this, does the DA, Spencer Merriweather's office, do they even have the capacity to really be able to enforce and get this done?" she said. "Is this even realistic?"
Council Member Dimple Ajmera, who attended a public hearing with Anderson on the topic, said she heard clearly from both vendors and brick-and-mortar businesses. She called for a distinction between food vendors and artists selling creative work, and questioned why street vendors — "these are small entrepreneurs" — were being held to a higher standard than some established businesses.
Council Member Victoria Watlington offered a different frame. "Many of the things that we see with our street vendors help to provide that cultural landscape that's unique to Charlotte," she said. "They give people a reason to visit and a reason to stay." She proposed designating vending locations at city kiosks going up across the city.
Mayo moved to send the item back to the Safety Committee for further work. Graham seconded. The vote was unanimous. Council wants citywide regulation — but not criminal penalties, and with equity impact analysis, streamlined permitting, and designated vending zones all on the table.
Passenger Vehicle for Hire: Twelve Changes, One Open Question
Jessica Battle of the City Attorney's Office presented 12 recommendations for updating Charlotte's passenger vehicle for hire ordinance. The changes include extending the maximum vehicle age from 10 to 15 years, creating a new standalone ordinance section for limousines and black cars, and implementing 15-minute incremental billing for black car services.
One recommendation staff explicitly declined to make: universal upfront pricing for all PVH services. Staff concluded it could stifle competition.
Council members Ed Driggs, LaWana Mayfield, and Victoria Watlington pressed for research into flat-rate pricing for airport trips — a narrower question that remains open. The 12 staff recommendations were approved, with direction to continue studying the airport pricing question.
Stellar Awards: The Show Is Confirmed. The City's Check Is Not.
The 41st Stellar Gospel Music Awards — the pinnacle event for gospel and inspirational music, broadcast to 3.6 million viewers — will be at Spectrum Center in August. The state of North Carolina is providing $995,000 as a reimbursement grant. The city's financial contribution has not been publicly defined.
CRVA CEO Steve Bagwell presented the case. The awards have been produced for four decades by Don Jackson's Central City Productions, based in Chicago. Jackson and COO Jennifer Jackson were in the chamber. Bagwell noted they deserved "a gold star for making it through" a council meeting that was, at that point, past the three-hour mark.
Council Member Joi Mayo moved to refer the matter to the Economic Development Committee. LaWana Mayfield seconded. The reasoning: if the city funds the Stellars without a policy, every future event ask becomes a one-off negotiation. The referral passed.
Housing Trust Fund: Staff Recommends Thirteen, Passes on River District
The Charlotte Mercury reported last week on the 18 proposals and $45 million in requests facing the Housing Trust Fund's third funding cycle. Monday night, Housing Director Rebecca Hefner brought council the answer: which projects made staff's recommended slate.
Four multifamily developments account for the $11.2 million remaining in the rental production category: Village at Greer Heights (80 senior units, $3.06 million), Mineral Springs Commons 2 (91 senior units, $1.1 million), Evoke Living at Willora Lake (120 senior units, $5.85 million), and Oak Valley Family (188 family units, $1.5 million). All nine homeownership proposals were recommended, totaling $9.65 million for approximately 214 units — ranging from a six-unit community land trust project to a 65-unit acquisition on Oakdale Road. One innovation proposal was deferred pending site identification. If approved, the full slate delivers 479 rental units and 214 ownership units across more than $20.8 million in combined investment.
Staff did not recommend the River District proposal. The previous phase of that development has not closed.
Council Member LaWana Mayfield, who chairs the Housing Committee, said a special committee meeting will be held the week of April 20 to review the proposals. The full council vote is April 27.
Charlotte Future 2040: Plans Adopted, Data Centers Flagged
Council adopted the remaining Charlotte Future 2040 community area plans and revised the citywide policy map — the final step in a planning process that has run for years.
The procedural path was not straightforward. Council Member Ed Driggs, who chairs the Transportation, Planning and Development Committee, explained that staff proposed changes based on ongoing community engagement, but the Planning Committee overrode some of them. Driggs moved to adopt staff's original proposed changes. The motion carried.
The substantive debate centered on data centers. Council Member Dimple Ajmera raised concerns about development near nature preserves. "We need to be proactive, not reactive, when it comes to this type of developments, because there is one coming in front of us pretty soon," she said, citing energy usage, water consumption, and quality-of-life impacts.
Planning Director Monica Holmes said staff has been researching data center regulations and consulting with other top-30 cities. She estimated three to six months to develop a regulatory framework. Council Members LaWana Mayfield and JD Mazuera Arias supported the push for urgency.
Consent, Contracts, and Closed Session
Council deferred property transaction items 44 through 47 to April 27.
Item 33 — an airport customer support contract with VIP Hospitality — was pulled by LaWana Mayfield, who wanted to understand the transition between the outgoing and incoming vendors. When staff explained the new contractor would be trained independently, not by the departing vendor, Mayfield remained unconvinced. "So as you firing me you want me to train you on how to do my job?" she said. She voted against the contract. It passed over her objection.
Council recognized Jack Christine, the airport's chief infrastructure officer, as the 2026 Outstanding Airport Professional by the North Carolina Airports Association. Christine has been at CLT for 29 years. "That award is much about the people that I've worked with and the sacrifices that my family has made," he said.
Proclamations were read for National Library Week — Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Interim CEO Angie Myers received it — and Arbor Day. All advisory board nominees received six or more nominations and were appointed by acclamation.
Council then entered closed session to discuss the Carnea v. City of Charlotte litigation and economic development incentive negotiations. The next business meeting is April 27.