Government
What Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the transit authority decided, newest first.
The record
Council Gets First Public Look at CLT's Airline Lease
Charlotte City Council gets its first public presentation Monday on the airport's proposed new lease with five airlines. Its cost, its length and what the airlines would pay have not been made public.
Charlotte Transit Adds $2.20 On-Demand Van Rides in West Charlotte
CATS Micro, the transit system's on-demand shared van service, started a new zone around Wilkinson Boulevard and West Boulevard on Oct. 5. Rides cost $2.20 and are booked by app or phone.
A Regional Survey Asks Where Roads Feel Unsafe, and It Closes Oct. 25
More than 2,900 people have been killed or seriously injured on Charlotte-area roads since 2021, the city says. A regional survey asking where roads feel unsafe closes Oct. 25. Also due: city grants of up to $50,000 for teen programs.
What Charlotte Got in Writing on I-77
The 12-page agreement behind the I-77 South toll lanes commits at least $300 million to west Charlotte and makes the private developer responsible for putting it up. The neighborhoods it is meant for have no power to enforce it. Only the city can hold the state to it.
The Enslaved Believed Buried Outside Sugaw Creek's Cemetery Fence
Charlotte made the two Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church cemeteries historic landmarks Monday. Researchers told council that more than 500 enslaved people are believed buried just outside them in unmarked graves, and asked that those graves be protected too.
Charlotte's Housing Bond Plan Now Says Where Homes Should Go
Before voters decide on a $125 million housing bond in November, city staff laid out how the money would be split, with new goals for homes near transit and in higher-opportunity neighborhoods. Council plans to adopt the plan in October.
Charlotte's Annexation Test Never Asks About Affordable Housing
Council voted on four annexations Monday under a policy adopted in 2003. Staff said the city has never used annexation to ask for affordable housing, and its lawyers have warned that doing so could be a legal risk.
First Union Tower Wins Landmark Status and a Tax Break, 10-1
Charlotte made the vacant office tower at 301 S. Tryon a historic landmark, which lets its owners defer half the property tax on the designated portion while they convert it to homes and a hotel. The plan includes no affordable units.
Charlotte Approves 10 p.m. Curfew Pilot for Minors, 9-2
Starting Nov. 1, Charlotte residents under 18 must be off the streets by 10 p.m., with exceptions, under a pilot that runs through August 2027. The police chief promised no traffic stops on curfew suspicion alone, a policy CMPD has not yet written.
Facing a $69.5 Million State Bill, CRTPO Brings Back the I-77 South Toll Lanes. Two Mayors Resign From the Board.
The regional transportation board reinstated the $4.3 billion I-77 South toll lane project Wednesday, with a $69.5 million state bill hanging over any town that kept voting no. Matthews and Mecklenburg County voted no anyway, and the mayors of Matthews and Davidson resigned from the board afterward.
Charlotte's I-77 Bill Is $69,577,547.67
The state's claim against Charlotte for walking away from the I-77 South toll lanes is $69,577,547.67, and the money would come out of the fund the city has already programmed for its next affordable housing and public facilities bonds. Council votes Monday on whether to reinstate support, which would erase the bill. The city's own two figures for Charlotte's share have not been reconciled on the record.
Five Weeks Out, Charlotte Hasn't Moved on I-77, and Board Members Are Disputing the $60 Million
At its last meeting before the September 23 reinstatement vote, CRTPO heard that Charlotte's position on the I-77 South toll lanes is unchanged, that the alternatives analysis cannot finish in time, and that the $60 million repayment figure is disputed by the county's account of NCDOT's own spending.
Charlotte Council Debates What a Youth Curfew Pilot Would Test
Council approved neither a new curfew nor a pilot Monday. Charlotte's police chief asked to explore a test of the 9 p.m. rule, while members proposed different measures, limits, and timelines.
The Hendrick Rezoning Met Every Consent-Agenda Test. A Question About Its Buffer Sent It Back.
Petition 2026-019 cleared all four criteria that put a Charlotte rezoning on the consent agenda, where petitions pass together without discussion. It came off the list anyway. What stopped it was whether the 100-foot buffer everyone already agreed to has to be left undisturbed, a question the plan notes do not answer.
MPTA Unanimously Orders West Craighead Study, Opening a Path to a Future Red Line Station
MPTA unanimously ordered a separate planning study for a possible future West Craighead infill station. The action leaves the current 11-station Red Line plan unchanged while requiring CATS to begin working with the city, county, property owners and community stakeholders.
Charlotte Read DOJ’s Model Cities Fine Print. Some of It Comes Later.
Charlotte has until September 1 to seek a share of nearly $300 million through DOJ’s Model Cities Initiative. Applying requires local signatures, federal collaboration and an immigration certification before certain award terms are available.
A SNAP Penalty Could Cost Mecklenburg $30 Million to $42 Million a Year. A November Ballot Question Could Cap How It Pays.
A federal penalty tied to North Carolina's food-assistance error rate could take $30 million to $42 million a year out of Mecklenburg County's budget, and the county will owe a share of it even if its own error rate stays under the federal limit. The county's budget director called it a shift of federal costs onto local residents, from a program funded by income tax onto a county whose revenue levers are "really limited to property tax." Whether the General Assembly must cap property tax is the question on the November 3 ballot.
The Study Charlotte Wanted on I-77 Takes Five Months. Its Deadline Is in Eight Weeks.
Charlotte has until October 5 to reverse itself on the I-77 South toll lanes or absorb a penalty the legislature wrote in July: a state bill the city attorney puts at $64 million, a freeze on its street maintenance money, and a block on every new state road project inside the city limits. Council members said they could not decide without an independent review. Staff told them Monday that one cannot be finished in time.
George Dunlap Sworn In as President of the National Association of Counties
George Dunlap, the District 3 member of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, was sworn in Monday as president of the National Association of Counties. The county says he is its first commissioner to hold the office. Dunlap arrives after 18 years on the county board, six as chair, and will lead an organization representing more than 3,000 U.S. counties.
North Carolina's Budget Gives Charlotte a Choice: Revive the I-77 Toll Lanes, or Repay $64 Million
The regional board that killed the I-77 South toll lanes in May will vote September 23 on bringing them back, under a state budget that told the governments that opposed them to reinstate the project or repay $64 million. The count starts with Charlotte, which controls more of the board's vote than any other member and hasn't said which way it will go.
Charlotte's Safety Committee Advances a 9 p.m. Curfew for Everyone Under 18
The City Council's Safety Committee voted unanimously to send the full council a single 9 p.m. curfew for everyone under 18, replacing the current age-tiered rules. The change still needs a full-council vote, expected in August. The members who advanced it spent the meeting warning that a curfew alone won't fix what draws teens into the streets.
To Hit the CATS Deadline, Charlotte's Transit Board Expands Its Interim CEO's Spending Power
Charlotte's new transit authority gave its interim CEO expanded authority to sign technology contracts without case-by-case board approval, racing a Jan. 1 deadline to separate CATS from the city's systems. The vote passed with two opposed, after trustees warned they risked rubber-stamping a roughly $35 million transition they had not fully vetted.
MPTA Committee Recommends Against a West Craighead Red Line Station, 5-4
A committee of Charlotte's new transit authority voted 5-4 against recommending a West Craighead station for the Red Line, siding with staff who warned an extra stop could weaken the project's bid for federal money. A Sugar Creek neighborhood coalition that spent two years making the case gets one more chance at the full board on Aug. 12.
On LaSalle Street, Mecklenburg Bets the Right Training Can Double a Paycheck
Mecklenburg County will turn a long-vacant building on LaSalle Street, the former home of Project Lift, into a west side workforce hub run by the Urban League of Central Carolinas and four partner organizations. Commissioners heard the fourth and most concrete presentation on the plan, called Urban Spark, on July 7. The pitch: move residents of the 28216 ZIP code from starting wages the partners put near $42,000 into jobs paying $67,000 or more.
Rob Harrington Is Sworn In as Charlotte's Mayor. He Has 18 Months.
Robert "Rob" Harrington took the oath of office Wednesday morning as Charlotte's mayor, ending the succession that began with Vi Lyles's resignation. The Robinson Bradshaw attorney, who has never held elected office, has 18 months, three self-declared lenses, and a docket the council was already carrying.
Charlotte's Transit Authority Clears Its Last State Requirement, and the CATS Takeover Splits Into Two Dates
On June 24 the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority closed out the last of the twelve requirements North Carolina set before it can run Charlotte's buses and trains, and voted to send the proof to Raleigh. The takeover itself splits in two: operational control on July 1, employees and computers on January 1, 2027.
Mecklenburg County Drafts a Plan to Round Cash Up to the Nearest Nickel
With the U.S. Mint's last penny struck in November, Mecklenburg County is drafting a policy for cash payments made without exact change: round the total up to the nearest nickel, by no more than four cents. The rounding would be a last resort, and most county cash runs through Parks and Recreation and the libraries. But property tax law is why it only ever goes up, and why the county keeps the difference.
Charlotte City Council Names Robert Harrington, Its Next Mayor
After a runoff decided by a single vote, the City Council chose Robert Harrington, a Robinson Bradshaw attorney who has never held elected office, as Charlotte's next mayor. He beat civic leader Carrie Cook 6 to 5 and will succeed Vi Lyles on July 1.
The Five Finalists for Charlotte Mayor, in Their Own Words
The council interviewed five finalists for interim mayor on June 18 and set the appointment vote for Monday. Here is how each got on the ballot, what they told council about running meetings, the I-77 tolls, and the airport, and how the June 22 vote will work.
Hendrick Motorsports Wants to Build on Residential Land. Charlotte's Planners Say It Breaks the Plan, and Recommend Approving It Anyway.
Hendrick Motorsports has petitioned to rezone 22.89 acres at the Mecklenburg-Cabarrus line from residential to industrial to expand its race-shop campus. City staff say the request is out of alignment with Charlotte's own area plan but recommend approval on jobs grounds. The petitioner added conditions, including excluding data centers, and the council closed the hearing without a vote.
Raleigh Wants Charlotte to Repay $60 Million for Killing the I-77 Toll Lanes
A bill in Raleigh, written by Sen. Vickie Sawyer, would require the Charlotte-area governments that voted to kill the I-77 South toll lanes in May to repay the state an estimated $60 million, freeze the decision until 2027, and withhold state highway money until it is paid. Mecklenburg commissioners, briefed June 16, called it a retaliatory power grab.
A Member of the Council Will Help Pick the Next Mayor. He Is Also Running for the Job.
Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell Jr. applied for the interim mayor seat the council will fill, and he can vote for himself. Council members raised a conflict; the city attorney ruled there is no legal basis for recusal, citing the Patsy Kinsey precedent. The question of whether Mitchell should be excused was left unresolved.
Charlotte's Next Mayor Won't Be Elected. More Than 100 People Applied for the Job Anyway.
More than 100 people applied to be Charlotte's next mayor, and about 30 made their case in person at a June 15 council forum. The next mayor will be appointed, not elected, by 11 council members, with a vote targeted for June 22.
What Changes July 1 When the MPTA Takes Over CATS, and What's Still Undecided
On July 1, the Charlotte Area Transit System stops being a city department and passes to the MPTA, a 27-member appointed board, along with a new one-cent tax meant to raise $19.4 billion over thirty years. Here is what changes, what stays the same, and the questions the board carries in unfinished, starting with the one it could not resolve on June 10: whether the Gold Line streetcar should be free.
Charlotte City Council votes unanimously for 150-day data center moratorium
Charlotte's city council voted unanimously Monday to pause all new data center and telecommunications facility approvals for 150 days, giving staff time to develop regulations the council says current city policy cannot provide.
MEDIC's Raise Is in the County Budget. It Just Isn't Funded Yet.
Mecklenburg County's new budget raised 721 county workers to a living wage but left MEDIC's paramedics and EMTs out, their raise sits in restricted contingency, pending two studies and a second vote. Three commissioners who lost the fight to fund it now used the adoption to signal they aren't done.
The Budget Was Never in Doubt. Getting to the Vote Took Most of an Hour.
Mecklenburg County's 2026-27 budget was a foregone conclusion, but adopting it still took the board most of an hour, through nine contract recusals, a failed park-appointment slate, three motions to reconsider, and a candidate name nobody could keep straight. Chair Mark Jerrell narrated the mess himself: "It was clunky."
Charlotte Moves to Regulate Street Vending Citywide. The Split Was Over Whether Repeat Offenders Should Face a Criminal Charge.
A Charlotte City Council committee voted 4-1 to keep exploring a criminal-penalty option for repeat street-vending offenders and unanimously advanced citywide vending regulation, sending both to the full council. Three members said they were uneasy about attaching a criminal charge to selling on a sidewalk.
A Transit Board Said Goodbye to the Man Who Steadied CATS. He May Not Be Going Anywhere.
At the MTC's final meeting, members praised interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle for steadying an agency in crisis since he arrived in December 2022. The tributes land as the MPTA's national search for a permanent CEO, a job Cagle is eligible to pursue, runs in parallel.
Charlotte Council Votes 10-1 to Give Firefighters the Same 10% Raise as Police
Charlotte City Council voted 10-1 Monday to direct the city manager to give the Charlotte Fire Department the same 10 percent raise as police, closing a pay gap that drew months of firefighter protest. The $4.4 million cost comes from fire overtime and public-safety technology budgets. Final budget adoption is June 8.
Charlotte's Transit Board Approves a New Fare System on Its Way Out the Door
The Metropolitan Transit Commission's final vote adopted the CATS Fare Modernization Program, tap-and-go payments, electronic validation, a new streetcar fare, and expanded reduced fares, phased in over 2027-2028. A cash-rider equity question raised repeatedly in public comment went unresolved on the record.
After 27 Years, Charlotte's Transit Commission Holds Its Final Meeting and Hands CATS to the MPTA
The Metropolitan Transit Commission held its final meeting May 27 after 27 years, adopting an amended CATS fare policy and formally handing operational control to the new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority. The MPTA takes over July 1, the same day the one-cent PAVE Act transit tax takes effect.
Charlotte's Transit System Was Built in 27 Years. Here's the Whole Timeline.
Charlotte went from a bus-only city to a rail-connected region to an independent transit authority in 27 years. A companion to the Mercury's coverage of the MTC's dissolution, laid out as a single annotated timeline.
Mecklenburg board adds $1.6 million for 13 community programs, one over the manager's objection
Thirteen new fund-balance allocations cleared at Thursday's FY27 straw vote, eleven external community partners plus two internal Park & Rec restorations. The $10,000 Carolina Raptor Center maintenance award passed over Manager Bryant's stated opposition.
Mecklenburg board parks MEDIC wage-floor move
A late substitute motion placed $2,293,759 in restricted contingency rather than fund a same-day move of MEDIC's EMT minimum wage to the new $25.53 county floor. Three commissioners stayed certain and lost. Two outside studies, by July and November, will inform the next decision.
Mecklenburg commissioners advance FY27 budget to June 2 adoption
A 7-1 vote sends the FY2027 operating budget to ordinance-drafting for June 2 adoption. Roughly $1.6 million in additional fund-balance allocations cleared. MEDIC's proposed $25.53/hr wage-floor move was deferred 5-3 to restricted contingency pending two outside studies.
Charlotte Council Opens Interim Mayor Applications, 19 Days After Lyles Announced Resignation
Charlotte's city council voted Tuesday to open applications for an interim mayor, 19 days after Mayor Vi Lyles announced her resignation, and the 2027 race question is already on the form.
Charlotte residents packed City Hall to fight data centers. The council will vote June 8.
Charlotte City Council held a public hearing Tuesday on a proposed 150-day moratorium on new telecommunications and data storage facilities.
The County Is Funding a $118 Million Training Center in Matthews. Its Opponents Came to the Budget Hearing.
Inside the $2.6 billion budget Mecklenburg commissioners adopt June 2 is the county's share of a $118 million public-safety training complex in Matthews, Central Piedmont's "Community Lifeline," which opponents call "Cop City." At the May 21 budget hearing, a transparency lawsuit and a cluster of opponents collided with a board that, by its own rule, would not respond.
The I-77 South Toll Lane Project Is Effectively Dead
CRTPO voted May 20 to withdraw support for the I-77 South toll lanes, all but ending a $3.2 billion expansion, removing it from the state's ten-year construction plan, and putting an estimated $700 million in state funding on a path out of the region.