Get ready folks, here it comes.
Fresh off of being told by the county delegation in Raleigh to “get their act together,” city and county elected officials will be ground hard by the Charlotte Chamber, Center City Partners, CATS, and government staff to vote for the “option” to hike the transit sales tax by $70m. a year.
Immediate goal, get Jennifer Roberts the five votes she needs to get this thing off the ground. The trick there, to get the Charlotte city council to go on record for the tax hike ahead of the county commission. Trouble there, the council is up for re-election in this year and two members are running for mayor. Decisions, decisions.
You can bet the cell towers are getting a work out handling the traffic on this topic. I have good hunch what is being pitched to the various parties and how things might shake out, but because I think there is an observer effect in this process I’m going to hold my fire. For now.
Suffice it to say if local residents make clear they’ll bounce office holders out on their ears for voting for a massive tax hike, all the wheelin’ and dealin’ will not matter. Ride out.
Bonus Observation: Like how Dan Clodfelter is telling local leaders that his re-write of the state tax code will land more sales tax revenue for them. Nice to have that out in the open. Clodfelter is not “reforming” the tax code, he is simply raising taxes.
