NC: Charlotte Observer endorsement: Our choice on the Mecklenburg transportation tax | Opinion

We’re not sure there’s been a referendum in Mecklenburg County quite like the one-percentage-point sales tax in front of voters in November. The referendum’s uniqueness is not so much about substance — the tax increase would fund an array of improvements and expansion to rail, bus service and roads across the county. What’s unusual is that the plan’s advocates are so willing to admit its flaws.

“It’s not a perfect plan,” they say, regularly. “But it’s the best plan right now.”

The first part is certainly true. This plan has shortcomings.

For starters, the sales tax that would fund it is regressive, meaning it burdens the low-income residents who can least accommodate another stress on their pocketbooks. Combine that with the threat of displacement for those living near the plan’s proposed rail, and you have a cost that for some outweighs the benefits of better mobility.

The proposed rail expansion also leaves out important communities, including residents in east Mecklenburg and Matthews who will not see the economic benefits that others are getting. It’s more than just a snub — it’s a blow that could set those communities behind for decades.

There’s also an alarming lack of a sunset to the transit tax. Unless leaders decide it’s no longer needed — don’t hold your breath on that — the tax will be dumping dollars in perpetuity without a stated purpose. That’s never a recipe for good government.

Finally, there’s history. In 2007, Mecklenburg voters faced another referendum on whether to keep a half-cent sales tax for transit. City leaders and transit advocates argued to keep the tax, promising that doing so would allow the Charlotte Area Transit System to build commuter rail to Lake Norman, build a streetcar line to the airport and build bus rapid transit to Matthews via Independence Boulevard.

None of those promises has been fulfilled. That’s a common narrative with referendums, whether they’re for transit or schools or capital improvements. Too often, costs are miscalculated, priorities wane and plans are scuttled. This referendum bears the weight of that history and the accumulation of those unfulfilled promises. They are very real.

But so is this:

A sales tax increase, while regressive, is the most realistic mechanism to fund a plan of this scope. Breaking the plan up and paying for it through other means, as has been floated, is a politically risky approach that would likely threaten some of the plan’s components.

Yes, some residents also will face displacement from rail expansion, but city leaders and rail advocates can and should proactively offer protections, including using the city’s housing fund to help those most affected. Similarly, the transit authority established from this plan should commit early and with specificity to including east Charlotte and Matthews in the next parts of the county’s rail vision.

Voters, however, shouldn’t ignore the less flashy but equally meaningful benefits the plan offers Mecklenburg residents. Cities have some discretion on how to use the 40% of revenue allocated to roads, and Charlotte officials have indicated that they would spend a significant part of it on making roads friendlier and safer for bikers and pedestrians. Bus service will be much more frequent, bus stops will also be improved and made safer, and the prospect of microtransit could bring a game-changing agility that helps people get to jobs and critical destinations more efficiently.

Finally, there’s history and the rightful skepticism voters have about any referendum. This plan brings no guarantees, but does offer something different: a 27-member countywide transportation board that oversees a Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority proposed in the referendum. The board and authority are both connected to and independent from the local governments they serve. That structure allows for a diverse group of stakeholders to have the autonomy and purpose to make this plan work in this important moment.

And make no mistake: this is a critical moment. No plan is a final plan, but going back to the drawing board for incremental improvements is risky. Lawmakers in Raleigh might not have the appetite for another go at this substantial task. Stakeholders might not come together for compromise in the extraordinary way they just did. And each year of delay brings rising costs and uncertainty about available land.

Now is the best time to move forward. The advocates are right. The transit plan we have is not perfect, but it’s a strong, inclusive approach that will benefit Charlotte and Mecklenburg County residents. We recommend voting Yes.

Correction: An earlier version of this endorsement had the incorrect percentage of revenue that would go toward roads in the plan.

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