Charlotte taxpayers are one step closer to finding out what their city officials have pledged to the NASCAR Hall of Fame with a Georgia judge’s ruling that Atlanta must make its bid public. Although North Carolina’s open records law is weaker than Georgia’s, the official Charlotte rationale for secrecy — the need to keep other cities in the dark — ebbs away as other bids become public.
And make no mistake, the details of the operating agreement with NASCAR, which likely promises public subsidies far, far into the future for the Hall, is vital info the public must have about the project.
A head pat and a “trust us” from local officials is not a substitute for informed consent.
