Add Rep. Sue Myrick (R) to the long list of local leaders unconcerned by the city of Charlotte’s plan to build a $500m. streetcar — a plan which would use city General Fund revenues on the project.
Myrick recently sent a letter of support to the Transportation Secretary hailing the the city’s application for a $25m. federal streetcar grant. The city would have to put up $12m. in property tax, sales tax, and auto tax money to build the $37m. line 1.5 miles down Elizabeth Avenue.
Asked if the the congresswoman, who says she is “a true fiscal conservative when it comes to spending” who worries that “taxes burden families, businesses, and economic growth,” was concerned that the city was A) not using half-cent transit tax dollars on the streetcar B) had not yet identified any source of revenue for the $1.5m. in annual operational costs for the starter line, Myrick press secretary Taylor Stanford responded:
In answer to your question, Sue does not weigh in on how the city of Charlotte spends its general fund revenue. To my knowledge, she has never done that since coming to Congress. Likewise, she routinely writes letters of support for federal grant requests for Charlotte and all the municipalities in the 9th District.
A specific follow-up call to Stanford asking if Myrick was concerned that a one-time federal grant could fund an ongoing city liability without any identifiable existing revenue stream to address it was met with, “Got your voice mail, and we don’t have anything to add other than what was in my email from yesterday.”
Now you know why: A) I generally do not bother to call folks B) I think we are doomed.
