Besides Light Rail Where Does The Proposed Charlotte's Sales Tax Increase Money Grab Go?

Roads 40% of all new tax revenue must be spent on them, in addition to the 40% that can be spent on adding rail lines and 20% for buses.

That’s about $8 billion for roads over 30 years. It’s a crucial part of an estimated $25 billion transit and transportation plan. 

In November, voters will weigh in on whether to support the plan by raising Mecklenburg’s sales tax from 7.25% to 8.25%. That increase would cost the typical household an additional $240 a year, the city estimates. But in reality it is likely to have a far greater impact on Charlotte residents.

Unlike the money for rail and buses, which would go to a new 27-member authority that would work out the details, the road money would flow to the city of Charlotte and to Mecklenburg’s six towns, who would decide how it is spent.

No surprise the money would be doled out using a complex formula. The city of Charlotte expects to receive about $100 million a year. Mecklenburg’s six towns have estimated that they will receive somewhere between about $2 million and $12 million a year.

While the money is referred to in shorthand as “road money,” it doesn’t actually have to be spent on building or expanding roads with more lanes for cars. Under the legislation, the municipalities can use it for “costs associated with financing, constructing, operating or maintaining roadway systems.”

In other words, you may never see any improvement in Charlotte's roads because the city could use every dime to pay interest on bonds.

But the blueprint offered by the City of Charlotte gives an indication of what kind of projects the city wants to build.

• The words “bike” or “bicycle” appear in the blueprint 835 times.

• The words “pedestrian” or “sidewalk” are mentioned 709 times.

• The term “Shared Use Path” is mentioned 241 times.

The city of Charlotte’s plan for spending “road money” includes a lot of projects that would make biking easier. (Photo from the city’s “Blueprint for Charlotte Mobility Investment.”)

As for traditional road projects:

• The words “new street” are mentioned 25 times.

• “Vehicular capacity” shows up 16 times, and “road capacity” is mentioned once.

• “Travel lanes” appears 36 times, though most are qualified as being potential projects — not something that is guaranteed to be built.

• “Traffic signal” is mentioned 58 times.

• “Intersection improvements” are listed 123 times, though the blueprint is light on the details. Most are listed as “Scope TBD.” It’s unclear if that means new turn lanes or longer turn lanes.

• “Turn lanes” appears in the document two times.

At this point you likely get the picture. First a bunch of those arrogant bicycle clowns had a serious impact on the road money "blue print". Second as for wider roads and more effective traffic signals forget it.

Any way you look at it Taxation is Theft. 

The city of Charlotte will decide how to spend this increase in your tax burden and Charlotte will have the highest sales tax rate in the Carolinas.