REBIC | 1 for Wednesday

 

County Commissioners Approve Creation of Mecklenburg Public Transportation Authority

Here is the good news: During the September 16th meeting, Mecklenburg County Commissioners voted 8 to 1 to establish the Mecklenburg Public Transportation Authority (MPTA). Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell (District 6) cast the lone no vote. This Authority would eventually manage, and direct funds raised through the proposed one cent sales tax proposal that will be on November 4th ballot. Should the voters approve the referred measure, the timeline moving forward looks like this:

September 17th to November 7th – Application Period for Appointments to the Authority. **Please note: Each local government has individual application deadlines for those seeking a position on the Authority.

November 8th to December 12th – Trustee appointments will be made to the Authority by the Local Government appointing Authorities from the approved lists made by the Attorneys and Clerks.

By December 31st – Authority is convened for the limited purpose of approving the required initial reports to the General Assembly.

If you are interested in serving, please view the application information below (some links are not yet live). We will share additional details as they become available:

Mecklenburg County
Charlotte
Huntersville
Davidson
Cornelius
Pineville
Matthews

Rob’s Take: Last night’s action by Mecklenburg County Commissioners was an important step in the process of making the Authority a reality. As we work our way toward November 4th and ultimately early 2026, there are still quite a few moving parts. Not of it will matter, of course, if voters fail to pass the sales tax measure. Turnout in the Primary Election was about 8% which was up from roughly 5% in the previous municipal election cycle. I don’t know about you, but I think those are dismal figures. Let’s turn that around for the General Election and get this done. I’m not sure there is a Plan B if we don’t.

Advocacy is about showing up and last night 2025 Canopy Realtor® Association President, Charisma Southerland, did just that. Thank you, Charisma, for taking the time to come out and speak in favor of the resolution!