Get ready for the mother of all spin jobs tonight when the Charlotte City Council hears just how and why the South Blvd. light rail line busted its budget.

Here’s the short story: The budget didn’t hold because it was never meant to. It was only meant to justify enough federal funding to get the project off the ground and dirt turned. Parsons, CATS, and, yes, the city council and the mayor understand all this — everyone does.

That is why on Wednesday night the Metropolitian Transit Commission will hear CATS suggest to go ahead and start building the next two light rail projects. Yes, dear taxpayer — they are going to do it again. And again.

CATS understands, and so do the politicians, that once a transit project starts it is almost impossible to stop it no matter the cost. The MTC will then link hands and jump off the cliff together. They know taxpayers can be forced to cough up a couple billion in cushioning. Watch.

So in order to save both the North Line that is to run parallel I-77, and is beloved by the Northern towns, and the Northeast Line, which would be an extension of the South Line, would run to UNCC, and is beloved by the Uptown crowd, CATS will tell everyone exactly what they want to hear tonight.

Mistakes were made. Not all our fault. Consultants to blame. Still a great project. The feds still support it. Might be delayed a little, into 2008. We’ll make the numbers work. Thanks to the car rental tax hike funding we just got — CATS might add, but probably won’t just yet.

And here’s a dog. And here’s a pony. And now let’s all go home.

dp
Uptown tonight !!