MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A North Carolina bill aimed at reshaping Mecklenburg County's transportation future is officially law.
Governor Josh Stein signed the P.A.V.E. Act on Tuesday. It's a step towards voters potentially deciding whether to approve a one-cent sales tax to provide billions for transportation projects.
It's now up to Mecklenburg County Commissioners to hold a vote in the coming weeks to get the transit sales tax on the November ballot for voters to have the final say. At Tuesday night's meeting, commissioners agreed to call a special meeting on July 30 to talk about how the referendum will be worded.
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"We've gotten approval now to actually put a referendum on the ballot," said Commissioner Yvette Townsend-Ingram. "That is all that is being discussed, the language of the referendum on the ballot."
Mecklenburg County Commissioners will have one week between their special-called meeting and the vote to solidify the one-cent sales tax's place in the fall election.
"We're going to pave the way for good transportation policy in Mecklenburg County," said Republican State Rep. Tricia Cotham, who worked on the bill.
The progress of the P.A.V.E. Act is exciting for Cotham, who was with Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and Governor Josh Stein Tuesday morning as he signed the bill into law.
"This is been just a great example of how local, state, counties get together and do something better for the people," said Lyles.
It's a hurdle some thought the legislation may never get past.
"I was told it cannot be done," said Cotham. "It will not be done or it's not the right time and I don't take no for an answer."
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Local and state leaders have between now and November to convince voters to stand behind the extra tax, which is expected to bring in nearly $20 billion over the next 30 years to pay for road, bus, and rail projects across the county, including the extension of commuter rail toward Iredell County. It's a tall task in a short amount of time, but one Cotham hopes voters will ultimately back.
"Do you want zero dollars in transportation in traffic and building roads, or do you want $22 billion?" she said. "It's a pretty easy question in my opinion."
The plan is for commissioners to vote at their August 6 meeting to put the penny tax on the ballot. They'll also hold a public hearing that night to get community feedback.
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