The fate of transit in Charlotte, NC, was unsure on Monday, with a measure on Tuesday’s ballot to repeal the half-cent sales tax that funds their busses and new light rail. But voters made it very clear on Tuesday that they support transit, despite cost overruns on the light rail construction and the aggressive anti-tax campaign.
According to the Charlotte Observer:
"Mecklenburg County voters overwhelmingly backed the transit sales tax Tuesday, dismissing an aggressive grass-roots effort to repeal it and endorsing CATS’ ambitious plans to expand light rail and buses.
The margin of victory stunned even transit supporters. With all but one precinct counted, 70 percent voted against repeal, with 30 percent in favor of stopping the tax. The number of people voting for repeal — roughly 37,000 — fell short of the 48,000 signatures collected that put the tax back on the ballot.
The decision means that the Charlotte Area Transit System will continue collecting the half-cent tax, which generated $70 million last year, and will continue with its expansive 2030 transit plan.
CATS plans to build a commuter-rail line to the Lake Norman area and to extend the existing light rail northeast to University City. It also wants to build a streetcar through central Charlotte and either a busway or light rail down Independence Boulevard. . .
In the short-term, CATS will open the Lynx Blue Line in a little more than two weeks — an event that supporters can celebrate with the repeal effort behind them."