Government— Page 2
Showing stories 51–74 of 199.
How CRTPO Works — and Why Charlotte's Vote Carries So Much Weight
One regional board ended a multibillion-dollar state project. Here is what CRTPO is, how its weighted vote works, and why Charlotte's bloc is large enough to decide the outcome.
At Mecklenburg's Budget Hearing, a Flat Tax Rate Met a Long Line of Funding Requests
County Manager Michael Bryant's recommended FY2027 budget holds Mecklenburg's property tax rate flat and fully funds Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. At a three-and-a-half-hour public hearing, about sixty residents and nonprofit leaders told the Board of County Commissioners what that budget still leaves out, while a few urged them to pass it as written. No vote was taken; the board is set to adopt the budget June 2.
Manor Theater Redevelopment Approved
Charlotte City Council on Monday unanimously approved a partial rezoning of the Manor Theater site on Providence Road, clearing the way for SLRH Acquisitions to redevelop the long-closed Eastover landmark into 120 to 130 residential units and roughly 35,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Three council members, Kimberly Owens, Danté Anderson, and J.D. Mazuera Arias, walked the room through their first memories of the building before the vote.
A 49-Unit Faith in Housing Petition Reached Public Hearing at Council Monday
Mission City Church, Freedom Communities, and the True Homes Foundation walked Charlotte City Council through their 49-townhome affordable-housing petition Monday night. The 5.38-acre Faith in Housing rezoning is petition 2025-027 in District 2, all units sold (not rented), House Charlotte eligible, with a seven-year deed restriction. Council Member LaWana Slack-Mayfield used the floor for what is now her third public Faith in Housing argument of 2026: the program label, she said, is not "an automatic check."
Manufacturing Land Near Woodlawn Station Just Became TOD-NC
The Charlotte City Council on Monday rezoned a 0.16-acre Verbena Street parcel from ML-2 (manufacturing and logistics) to TOD-NC, 7-2. Council Member LaWana Slack-Mayfield and Council Member Renée Johnson voted no, not on the parcel, on the trajectory it represents. Council Member Victoria Watlington voted yes but asked staff to map Charlotte's remaining manufacturing-zoned acreage.
The $400 Million Mecklenburg Covers for the State Is Sixteen Cents of Its Tax Rate
At Mecklenburg County's May 20 budget overview, Budget Director Adrian Cox put a number on what the county spends covering the state's share of CMS: more than $400 million, about sixteen cents of the property-tax rate. The recommended FY27 budget holds the rate flat by shifting a penny between funds, but the structural gap remains.
Renée Johnson Brought a CMS School-Utilization Report to Council Monday. She Has Been Making This Argument for Five Years.
Council Member Renée Johnson (District 4) brought a manually-compiled CMS school-utilization report to Monday's council meeting to argue that the conventional rezoning process is not tracking the cumulative impact of new growth on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Her central data point: Mallard Creek High School was projected at 113% of capacity in 2024 but a year later showed 110%. The math, she said, is not mathing.
On Data Centers, Mecklenburg County Wants a Voice It Mostly Doesn't Have
Mecklenburg commissioners got a deliberately neutral briefing on data centers at their May 19 meeting and signaled they want a position on the fast-growing industry. The catch: under North Carolina law, nearly all the zoning power belongs to the cities, not the county.
Charlotte Council Approved a 41-Acre Atrium University City Rezoning Monday. The Vote Took Two Tries.
Charlotte City Council unanimously approved a 41.26-acre rezoning of the Atrium Health University City hospital campus Monday, switching the property from Institutional Campus 1 to Institutional Campus 2 with Exception provisions. The approval vote needed two tries, Council Member Danté Anderson made the motion before discussion had occurred, and the body re-voted after Council Member Renée Johnson spoke about her family's recent care at the hospital's ER.
Charlotte Council Deferred a Conventional Rezoning 5-4 Monday. Renée Johnson Led the Opposition.
Council Member Renée Johnson pulled petition 2025-136, a conventional rezoning at 1800 West Sugar Creek Road by Larry Cooper, off the consent agenda Monday, citing her standing concern about conventional petitions filed without site plans. The 5-4 vote that followed fell short of the majority needed for approval. The council then unanimously deferred the petition.
Vi Lyles Chaired the May Zoning Meeting. It Was Her First This Year and Her Last.
Mayor Vi Lyles had not chaired a 2026 zoning meeting through her current term, Council Member Ed Driggs (District 7) handled each of the four held earlier this year. On Monday she took the chair for the May 18 meeting. The calendar shows no other zoning meeting will fall before her June 30 resignation.
Brendan Maginnis Offers to Serve as Interim Mayor
Brendan K. Maginnis, the runner-up in Charlotte's September 2025 Democratic mayoral primary, has volunteered for the interim mayor appointment, from Copenhagen, where his family moved in January, and with a demographic-counter argument the Mercury did not solicit. By his count, initially approximately 46, revised to 44 in a follow-up email, none of those Democratic elected officials representing Charlotte at various levels are white males. The pitch collides with Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP President Corine Mack's public call for the council to elevate the Mayor Pro Tem rather than install a placeholder.
MPTA Launches CEO Search With July 1 Deadline Less Than Seven Weeks Away
The MPTA board launched a national CEO search Wednesday and advanced the draft Interlocal Agreement as the July 1 operational transfer deadline approaches.
Mandatory Water Restrictions Begin Friday in Charlotte. The Five-Stage Protocol Behind Them.
Day-of guide to Charlotte's first mandatory Stage 2 restrictions since 2009: the rules, the five-stage Low Inflow Protocol behind them, the burn ban that arrived with them, and what's enforceable Friday.
After Ten Months Without a Budget, NC Republicans Found a Framework. Most State Workers Get a Raise Below Inflation.
Senate Pres. Pro Tem Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall announced a budget framework Tuesday afternoon, ending a ten-month standoff. Teachers get an 8 percent raise and a $48,000 starting floor. Most state employees get 3 percent, below the 3.8 percent inflation rate reported the same morning. The income tax steps down through 2034, and a constitutional amendment capping the rate at 3.5 percent goes on the November ballot.
Charlotte Council Votes Unanimously for 150-Day Data Center Moratorium. Two Weeks Ago, It Was 5-5.
Two weeks after a 5-5 deadlock that required Mayor Vi Lyles to break the tie, Charlotte City Council voted unanimously Monday night to schedule a public hearing on a 150-day moratorium on new data center approvals. The hearing is set for May 26. Council could adopt the moratorium as early as June 8.
A Budget Hearing, an I-77 Reset, Data Centers — and the Question Malcolm Graham Wouldn't Answer
Council convened in special session at 4 p.m. Monday to take up three of Charlotte's biggest active fights, a $4.5 billion budget hearing, a resolution on the I-77 South toll lanes, and the council's first formal floor discussion of data centers. Council Member Malcolm Graham, who chairs the budget committee, was asked twice on television Sunday whether he is a candidate to fill Mayor Vi Lyles's seat after she steps down June 30. Both times he answered with the public hearing.
Charlotte Water Escalates to Mandatory Restrictions as Drought Reaches Stage 2
Charlotte Water escalates to Stage 2 of the Low Inflow Protocol on Friday, May 15, the first mandatory water restrictions since 2009. The region has reached exceptional drought for the first time since 2008.
Vi Lyles Will Resign as Charlotte Mayor on June 30. The Race to Replace Her Already Started.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles announced Thursday that she will resign on June 30, ending a tenure that began in 2017. Under North Carolina law, the City Council will appoint a Democrat to serve the remainder of her term, and the field is already organizing in public, with former Mayor Jennifer Roberts offering to fill the vacancy and Council Member Dante Anderson breaking for the outsider option. The vote that decides who fills the seat has not been scheduled.
MTC Closes Comment Period on CATS Fare Plan With One Cash-Rider Question Unanswered
At the final public hearing on the Charlotte Area Transit System's Fare Modernization Program, public commenter Carson Cohn told the MTC that CATS had promised him an answer over a month ago on whether the new system would force cash riders to pay double for transfer trips, and had not delivered it. CATS staff anticipate requesting MTC adoption at the May 27 meeting, the body's last before the new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority assumes operational control on July 1. The proposal eliminates paper transfers for cash riders while introducing fare capping, a two-hour electronic pass, and an expanded reduced-fare program.
Charlotte's 2024 Housing Bond Is $5.6 Million Over. Staff Wants to Cover It From Supportive Housing, Shelter, and Innovation.
The rental housing production category of Charlotte's 2024 affordable housing bond is now $5.6 million over its allocation goal. To cover the gap, city housing staff are recommending council pull $1 million each from supportive housing and shelter capacity, and $3.6 million from the Innovation Pilot Fund. LaWana Mayfield warned this would happen on April 27.
A 2.5-Million-Square-Foot Data Center Is Going Up off University City Boulevard.
The Charlotte City Council deadlocked 5-5 Monday night on whether to even schedule a public hearing on a temporary moratorium for new data center approvals. Mayor Vi Lyles broke the tie, voting no. Meanwhile a 2.5-million-square-foot, 300-megawatt data center campus is going up at 10800 University City Boulevard, and under Charlotte's current zoning, the council had no role in approving it.