NC: Cotham transit bill clears key NC Senate vote. When will passage be official?

Charlotte’s efforts to overhaul the region’s transportation system took a major step forward Wednesday when a bill that previously cleared the North Carolina House passed the Senate.

Rep. Tricia Cotham’s House Bill 948 — a proposal to allow a 1-cent countywide tax referendum to address transportation needs — is speeding through the legislature after years of efforts from local officials to unlock billions for road, rail and bus projects.

The Senate approved the bill 41-4 Wednesday, with a final, procedural vote slated for as soon as Thursday.

The bill made it to the Senate floor despite debates in committee over what it would mean for transportation projects in neighboring counties and whether other counties would pursue similar legislation.

The Senate amended Cotham’s bill to try to address those concerns.

Once it formally clears the Senate, the bill heads back to the state House of Representatives for another vote because of the amendments. The bill passed its last vote in the House by a margin of 104 to 5.

Mecklenburg voters would ultimately decide the fate of any referendum.

What’s in Cotham transportation bill?

Cotham’s bill lays out how revenue from a sales tax increase could be used. The bill calls for 40% of the new money to go toward roads projects, 20% to the region’s bus system and 40% to rail projects.

The bill originally didn’t include the 40% cap on rail spending — just a 60% cap on public transit funding. That could’ve allowed for the full Silver Line light rail from Belmont and the Charlotte airport to Matthews — unaffordable under a 40% cap.

But Cotham changed her bill as it entered the House Transportation Committee. The updated bill aligned with the transit plan adopted by the Metropolitan Transit Commission last month. That plan shortens the Silver Line to run from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to Bojangles Coliseum.

Cotham’s bill also authorizes county commissioners to put the sales tax referendum on the ballot and establishes a 27-member board of trustees to lead a new public transportation authority in Mecklenburg. The board would include representatives chosen by the county, every municipality in Mecklenburg, the business community and the state leaders.

The House bill closely mirrors Senate Bill 145 and Senate Bill 584 — which never received committee hearings — and a draft bill put together and endorsed by a majority of local officials last year.

Senate debate focuses on impacts to other counties

There was limited debate about Cotham’s bill as it moved through the House, but more questions came up in the Senate.

Some in the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Rules Committee questioned why the authority to put a referendum on the ballot is limited to just Mecklenburg County in the bill.

“I don’t want to squash your opportunity. I don’t want to piss on it. I don’t want to do any of that, but I want to have the same opportunities for my community that you have for your community,” said Sen. Paul Lowe, a Democrat representing Forsyth County.

Supporters said the Mecklenburg-specific bill could provide a model for other counties that want to pursue similar legislation.

Others expressed concern the influx of new funding would allow Mecklenburg communities to get priority for funding in the State Transportation Improvement Program over transportation projects in surrounding counties.

Those concerns resulted in an amendment approved in the Senate Finance Committee cementing that Mecklenburg County and the county’s municipalities won’t be able to use the new transit funding to leapfrog other regional projects in the funnel.

Sen. Todd Johnson, a Republican representing Cabarrus and Union counties, introduced a second “trust but verify amendment” on the Senate floor Wednesday giving the state auditor authority to make sure the first amendment is followed. That amendment passed the full Senate.

“We just want to make sure the STIP was not spiked,” he said.

What’s next for Mecklenburg transit plan?

Because the bill was amended in the Senate, it will head back to the House for a concurrence vote after the final Senate vote. If it passes the House again, it’ll head to Gov. Josh Stein for his signature or veto.

County commissioners then will vote whether to put the referendum on the ballot in November.

Not all on the county board agree on their positions on the bill.

County Commission Vice Chair Leigh Altman, who represents the county on the Metropolitan Transit Commission, previously told the Observer it’s a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

“We cannot let perfect be the enemy of good, because if we do that, we may end up with nothing,” she said.

Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, whose district includes parts of Matthews that would lose out on the Silver Line, said she worries the county will end up locked “into decades of a bad plan.”

“If Mecklenburg County, the people of Mecklenburg County, value mass transit … but they can’t have it because of the powers that be in Raleigh, I say we wait until the powers that be are different,” she said, adding she would vote for putting a referendum on the ballot “to let the people decide.”

Political strategist Bryan Holladay predicted a “difficult” but “definitely doable” path for the referendum to pass if it makes the November ballot.

“A one-cent sales tax (increase) is large. Our transportation needs are even larger,” he said previously. “It’s going to need a good campaign. It’s going to need people understanding why they need to make this investment. And it’s going to be very difficult as the clock ticks.”

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