Next week is big for Davidson.
Here's what is on the docket for the Davidson area...
Davidson Budget Vote 6/26...the Board pushed the budget vote until this specially scheduled "work session" because of information discovered late on the solid waste fee revenues. These are coming in lower than expected and Staff originally thought this was due to a billing error on the part of the County. This appears to be the case and communications to those who were not billed will be going out soon. How this impacts the budget decision is unclear at this point, but don't be surprised to see an adjustment to the schedule of fees as part of the agenda to be posted on Friday.
Red Line Task Force Meeting 6/27...as reported here earlier, a meeting has been held with Norfolk Southern on their concerns with the Red Line plan. The outcome of that meeting will directly impact the timeline of the project.
CHS Mental Health Facility Meeting at River Run 6/28...This meeting will be interesting. River Run is hosting the meeting with their POA President (and newly minted Livability Board member) Mickey Pettus supporting the Town position on the project while other RR residents are leading the opposition to it. If the meeting channels the same vibe as the recent Commissioner Chat at Hopewell Baptist near RR, there will be fireworks. Longtime watchers of local board meetings remember that "chat" as one of the most contentious Town meetings in recent memory.
Bonus Opportunity for Regional Drama...
Charlotte Budget Vote on 6/25...The Streetcar project has become a major sticking point and Mayor Foxx has threatened a veto the budget if it is not included. How will the compromise NC State Budget which restored LYNX Blue Line Extension funding impact the Democrats who bravely voted down the City budget last week? Will they hold firm on dumping the Streetcar or will they get weak knees now that the Republican-led Legislature has decided to give $250m for a train of their own.
Legislators restore light rail funding in NC budget -Charlotte Observer
Update: The CHS meeting has been postponed per DavidsonNews.net.
Showing posts with label Blue Line Extenstion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blue Line Extenstion. Show all posts
Friday, June 22, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Local Rail Transit in the Crosshairs
Seemingly out of nowhere, every high-dollar rail transit project on the CATS project list has suddenly come under serious fire.
The Red Line missteps have been well documented here in this blog and elsewhere, but in the last few days the Charlotte Streetcar and even the Blue Line Extension are no longer the sure things once predicted.
This week's Charlotte City Council defeat of the City Manager's budget proposal was at least partially driven by the high cost of the Streetcar funding included in the budget's capital plan - $119 million in bonds that would be paid for by a large property tax increase. After last November's elections and the near sweep of City Council by the Democrats, passage of the budget and the Streetcar funding seemed a sure thing. Tuesday's 5-6 vote with 4 Dems voting with the Council's 2 Republicans came as a total shock - particularly to Mayor Foxx who has long been a Streetcar proponent. When this budget ordinance comes back around later this month, don't be surprised is the Streetcar is the major spending item that is not on the list. See this Observer article for more background.
Even more surprising is the risk posed to the Blue Line Extension to UNCC in northeast Charlotte by the State Legislature. The State Senate has passed a budget amendment that removes funding for Charlotte rail projects which would effectively kill the BLE. While this is an outside possibility, polling shows that it would be supported statewide if not by the entire local legislative delegation - both Republicans and Democrats. Mecklenburg Republican, Ric Killian, has proposed a gas tax cap that will likely be voted on this session. If it passes, recent polling by Civitas shows that funding for mass transit is the top target of taxpayers if gas tax revenue is reduced. See question #9 on these recent polling results. 59% of respondents say cut mass transit first if the gas tax cap brings in less revenue. The next closest is "New Road Construction" at 27%. If the gas tax cap passes, this will give them political cover to pull BLE funding.
Oh what a difference six months makes.
The Red Line missteps have been well documented here in this blog and elsewhere, but in the last few days the Charlotte Streetcar and even the Blue Line Extension are no longer the sure things once predicted.
This week's Charlotte City Council defeat of the City Manager's budget proposal was at least partially driven by the high cost of the Streetcar funding included in the budget's capital plan - $119 million in bonds that would be paid for by a large property tax increase. After last November's elections and the near sweep of City Council by the Democrats, passage of the budget and the Streetcar funding seemed a sure thing. Tuesday's 5-6 vote with 4 Dems voting with the Council's 2 Republicans came as a total shock - particularly to Mayor Foxx who has long been a Streetcar proponent. When this budget ordinance comes back around later this month, don't be surprised is the Streetcar is the major spending item that is not on the list. See this Observer article for more background.
Even more surprising is the risk posed to the Blue Line Extension to UNCC in northeast Charlotte by the State Legislature. The State Senate has passed a budget amendment that removes funding for Charlotte rail projects which would effectively kill the BLE. While this is an outside possibility, polling shows that it would be supported statewide if not by the entire local legislative delegation - both Republicans and Democrats. Mecklenburg Republican, Ric Killian, has proposed a gas tax cap that will likely be voted on this session. If it passes, recent polling by Civitas shows that funding for mass transit is the top target of taxpayers if gas tax revenue is reduced. See question #9 on these recent polling results. 59% of respondents say cut mass transit first if the gas tax cap brings in less revenue. The next closest is "New Road Construction" at 27%. If the gas tax cap passes, this will give them political cover to pull BLE funding.
Oh what a difference six months makes.
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