That’s the strategy being employed by state legislators who are pushing companion bills that would lead to a half-cent sales tax for buses and rail in the Triangle, if voters approve the hike. Independent Weekly writer Bob Geary does a good job of describing the background and strategy behind the bills in this piece (emphasis is mine):
On the upside, the bill—House Bill 148 (PDF, 63 KB) and Senate Bill 151 (PDF, 63 KB) are identical—is dramatically different from an earlier version that went nowhere in last year’s legislative session. That bill was narrowly aimed at delivering transit in the Triangle and the Triad counties; it failed when too many legislators in those counties didn’t support it and other legislators didn’t care. This year’s version, by contrast, aims for statewide legislative support by authorizing a quarter-cent sales tax for transit in 94 other counties in addition to the half-cent tax authorization for the Triangle and Triad. (Mecklenburg County, which has had the half-cent sales tax for a decade, is not included in the bill.)
Passage of the bill would merely allow the counties, through their boards of commissioners, to propose a transit tax to their voters. No county could enact one without voter approval.
Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake, one of the bill’s chief sponsors, says the statewide approach “has created far more support for this bill than we ever expected” among rural legislators. Their counties, too, need better bus service to help people get to their jobs, she says.
Bottom line: Offer elected officials outside the Triangle a new revenue stream and you’re likely to find they’re your bills’ new best friends.
By the way, rail supporters love to point to Charlotte as the model for their vision of the Triangle. So how’s everything working out in Charlotte? Find out here.
