Mecklenburg voters soundly rejected a proposed quarter-cent sales tax hike in November. The $50 million tax hike to bail out the Arts & Science Council would have delivered $22.5 million per year to the Arts and Science Council, $17 million to parks and greenways; $8 million to education; and $2.5 million to arts, culture, and parks in five northern Mecklenburg towns.

No money means more problems for the Arts & Science Council. From the Charlotte Ledger:

The president of the Arts & Science Council warned of deep cuts if the organization doesn’t receive more money from private donors or local government. Jeep Bryant wrote in a email to supporters on Thursday: “If our efforts to secure additional resources aren’t successful, the funds available for ASC grants will likely decline as much as 50-percent in the coming fiscal year. We will also be forced to make significant, additional cuts to ASC’s expense budget.”