Why Charlotte’s transit bill won’t pass this year

There’s still a lot of work to be done — on Charlotte’s plan, not the bill itself

There seems to be a real sense of optimism about Charlotte’s prospects of getting approval for a sales tax referendum this year. Y’all really shouldn’t get your hopes up.

At long last, a triumvirate of lawmakers led by Sen. Vicki Sawyer introduced Senate Bill 145, which would authorize Mecklenburg County to put a referendum on this fall’s ballot to raise sales taxes by 1 cent to fund the city’s transit plan.

But filing a bill is a long way away from actually passing a bill. And when I look at this legislation, I just don’t see it getting a majority of the Republican caucus on board.

The problem isn’t really with the bill. That could be worked out in committee. The problems are still with Charlotte’s transit plan itself and how the city is selling it. That won’t be so easily fixed.

Here’s why.

The problem is with Charlotte, not really the transit bill

Earlier this month, I wrote a column in The Charlotte Observer outlining the disconnect between Charlotte leaders and the General Assembly. Wh…