The House Transportation Committee met this morning to consider House Bill 148, Congestion Relief/Intermodal Transport Fund. The bill authorizes local governments to put a referendum in front of the voters to increase the local sales tax by one-half cent. If approved, all of that revenue would go to pay for congestion relief. Trouble is ? it could only go to transit.
When Rep. Ric Killian (R-Mecklenburg) proposed that the money also be used for roads, Transportation Committee Chair and the bill sponsor Rep. Becky Carney (D-Mecklenburg) replied, ?This is a transit bill, not a roads bill.? Guess she?s not aware that, in spite of the millions of tax dollars to build the light rail transit in Charlotte, there has been no congestion relief for drivers trying to get around Mecklenburg.
The bill passed anyway and goes on to the House Finance Committee where the discussion of what all this will cost the taxpayer will begin.
