The $25 Billion Question: Mecklenburg’s Transit Tax Heads to the Ballot

Inside the three hour meeting

Three hours. More than 60 speakers. One dissent. On Aug. 6, Mecklenburg County commissioners voted 8-1 to send a one cent transit sales tax to the November ballot. If approved, the tax would lift the countywide sales tax to 8.25 percent and is projected to raise roughly $25 billion over 30 years. The city estimates an average household cost of about $240 a year, and about $130 for low income households. White Yes For Meck shirts were everywhere. So were the groans.

What the penny buys

The plan follows the PAVE Act framework. The revenue split is simple to say and complicated to execute. Forty percent for roads. Forty percent for rail. Twenty percent for buses and on demand microtransit. The rail list includes finishing the Red Line to the north and building an east west Silver Line that would connect east Charlotte to uptown, west Charlotte, and the airport. The package also extends the streetcar and promises more frequent, more reliable buses.

The board that would run it

If voters approve the tax, day to day operations would move from the city to a new Mecklenburg Public Transportation Authority with 27 members appointed by the city, the county, surrounding towns, and state leaders. During committee discussions, Council member Malcolm Graham called the appointments one of the most consequential decisions any council will make. Advocacy groups pushed to guarantee riders are in the room. Leaders responded by reserving at least one seat per appointing body for a regular transit user. Davidson Mayor Rusty Knox called bus riders the backbone of the system. Former council member Braxton Winston called two rider seats on a 27 seat board the lowest of bars.

Who spoke and why it mattered

Public comment was blunt. Supporters said the plan is imperfect but better than delay. They argued it is the best chance to tackle congestion and connect people to jobs. Tonya Jameson of Leading on Opportunity called the referendum a chance to make a big leap for everyone. Opponents questioned timelines, microtransit adding cars to the road, and whether rail spending would crowd out nearer term fixes.

One dissent, and a long memory

Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell voted no, pointing to concerns from south Mecklenburg towns and the plan’s structure. Mecklenburg has a long memory on transit votes. Voters approved the half cent transit tax in 1998. In 2007 they refused to repeal it. The November decision would layer a second tax on top of that foundation.

What happens next

Between now and Election Day, voters will be asked to translate a very complex penny into a very simple choice. If it passes, the authority must be stood up, rules written, and early dollars assigned. That is where board composition stops being theory. Service frequency, capital sequencing, and town by town tradeoffs are decided by people who show up to vote on Tuesday nights. The campaign will tell you what the penny promises. The board will decide what it buys.

About the Author

Jack Beckett writes for The Charlotte Mercury. He files copy powered by public records and coffee that tastes like road tar in February. If committee meetings ever offer espresso, he will finally forgive the microphone feedback.

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Assumptions and Omissions

• Facts are limited to the information provided in this thread.
• No interviews or additional sources were used.
• No projected build timelines beyond the described plan are included.

Creative Commons License

© 2025 Strolling Ballantyne / The Charlotte Mercury
This article, “The $25 Billion Question: Mecklenburg’s Transit Tax Heads to the Ballot,” by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.

“The $25 Billion Question: Mecklenburg’s Transit Tax Heads to the Ballot”
by Jack Beckett, The Charlotte Mercury (CC BY-ND 4.0)