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Two weeks after a 5-5 deadlock that required Mayor Vi Lyles to break the tie, Charlotte City Council voted unanimously Monday night to schedule a public hearing on a 150-day moratorium on new data…
Jack Beckett·May 13, 2026
Council convened in special session at 4 p.m. Monday to take up three of Charlotte's biggest active fights — a $4.5 billion budget hearing, a resolution on the I-77 South toll lanes, and the…
Jack Beckett·May 11, 2026
The Charlotte City Council deadlocked 5-5 Monday night on whether to even schedule a public hearing on a temporary moratorium for new data center approvals. Mayor Vi Lyles broke the tie, voting no.
Jack Beckett·Apr 28, 2026
The first CATS budget built on the new 1% sales tax totals $571.7 million. Council rejected criminalizing street vendors. Staff recommended thirteen of eighteen housing trust fund proposals.
Jack Beckett·Apr 14, 2026
By July 1, 2026, CATS as a City of Charlotte department will cease to exist, absorbed into the new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority.
Jack Beckett·Mar 28, 2026
Mecklenburg County voters approved a one-cent sales tax increase in November 2025. The PAVE Act splits the revenue 40/40/20 between roads, rail, and bus service — generating roughly $490 million…
Jack Beckett·Mar 28, 2026
Charlotte Gateway Station has $80 million in completed rail infrastructure and no station building. Phase 1 is done. Phase 2 has no start date.
Jack Beckett·Mar 28, 2026
The Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA) is Charlotte's new regional transit authority, created after voters approved a half-cent sales tax in November 2025.
Jack Beckett·Mar 28, 2026
Council approved $4.3M for a new transit authority start-up and major infrastructure contracts, while deferring a Gateway Station parking lease and a Norland Road path item.
Jack Beckett·Jan 17, 2026
Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have crossed a governance threshold that will shape transportation, land use, and public spending for a generation.
Jack Beckett·Dec 20, 2025
Charlotte's new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority will control nearly twenty billion dollars in transit and road spending.
Jack Beckett·Nov 20, 2025
Charlotte's transit leaders turned a tragedy into a communications disaster. Here's the crisis management playbook they ignored—and what they should have said instead.
Peter Cellino·Oct 3, 2025
Council aligned the MPTA appointment timeline with partner schedules and swapped a hard category rule for "encouraged," after recusing one member. Here is what changes on Nov. 6, 12‑15, 17, and 24.
Jack Beckett·Oct 2, 2025
