Mecklenburg Forms Transit Authority To Oversee $19.4B in Sales Tax Revenue

Mecklenburg County officials established a transit authority Monday. It will handle an estimated $19.4 billion in sales tax revenue over three decades. The Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority will manage projects funded by a one-cent sales tax hike that voters approved last November.

The board has 27 members. Representatives come from across the county, including the one commissioner who voted against the referendum. Voters approved the measure 52.1% to 47.9%.

County leaders said the selection process was transparent and deliberate, pointing to months of public meetings and community outreach before the vote.

The sales tax will jump from 7.25% to 8.25% when it takes effect next July. Shoppers will pay more on items like clothes, books, electronics, and prepared foods. Grocery items like milk, meat, and produce will stay exempt.

Charlotte will appoint 12 members to the board. At least three must come recommended by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and Foundation for the Carolinas. County commissioners will appoint six members, with at least one from an unincorporated area. Each town in the county will appoint one representative. The governor of North Carolina will appoint one as well.

Board members will serve four-year terms. Two consecutive terms is the limit. The board will be split into nine areas based on expertise: law, finance, engineering, public transportation, urban planning, logistics, government, architecture, and economic development.

The authority will begin rolling out project timelines and spending plans in the coming months, promising reduced traffic congestion, better bus frequency, and light rail expansions.

The Red Line to Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson will move forward under the new plan. "The Red Line, a long-awaited project, will finally move forward," Mayor Vi Lyles said last month, according to WCNC. "Now we know that the Red Line is not going to happen overnight. It will take time, commitment, patience, and a lot of hard work. We're going to do something that we're going to be proud of."

The newly created MPTA will oversee projects aimed at easing congestion, modernizing transit and preparing for growth.