Charlotte City Council approves Red Line purchase, raises transportation sales tax | WFAE 90.7

The Charlotte City Council voted 10-1 Tuesday night in favor of two major public transportation initiatives.

Council members voted to spend $91 million to buy the disused Norfolk Southern freight railroad from Uptown to the Iredell County line. Owning the tracks is a key step toward building the long-delayed Red Line, a commuter train to Lake Norman. The railroad’s refusal to sell or share the tracks has held up construction of the Red Line for years.

But to actually build the train, the city needs an influx of money.

Council members also voted to ask state lawmakers in Raleigh to let them put a 1-cent sales tax increase on the ballot to fund a multibillion-dollar transportation plan. If Raleigh says yes, the referendum could be held in November 2025.

The current bill calls for no more than 40% of new sales tax revenue to go to rail, down from about 80% to 90% in previous plans.

Less money for rail transit prompted Charlotte city officials to tell the city of Matthews they wouldn’t have enough money to build the Silver Line light rail to the city. The city said it could instead build bus rapid transit on the Independence Boulevard corridor,

It was a controversial decision.

Council member Lawana Mayfield, who voted yes on both issues, said the city needs a transparent process for deciding how the money is spent.

“I just want to make sure that the decision we made today is not a commitment to a final request,” she said.

Council member Marjorie Molina represents the east side of Charlotte, which would lose out if the Silver Line were not built. She supported the plan and said east Charlotte would get better bus service under the plan.

Council member Tariq Bokhari was the lone “no” vote, questioning the governance structure of the new transit authority that would replace the city-run Charlotte Area Transit System.