Transportation Referendum’s Positive Impact Begins July 1, Message from the MPTA

From REBIC - 6/30/26

It’s important our members and our readers understand something fundamental about this new 1 cent tax that takes effect tomorrow. And that is, it signals the onset of an opportunity so unique and so rare that we should be embracing what it means to have full control over Charlotte’s future of mobility for decades to come.

With that said we encourage you seek out the facts. Get engaged. Know what matters and then find a way to support Charlotte in a positive way. Here’s what we recommend.

• Follow media platforms that report facts about the Authority. We find balanced reporting from the Charlotte Ledger can help guide the way.
• Follow the MPTA resources. Especially the published agenda for each of their meetings. (Here is the agenda for July 1.) This is a complex process that involved 27 members who are working to advance our mobility. Read. Understand. And use it to help inform others when a conversation arises that needs facts to establish a baseline of truth.
• Do your own independent research about what’s going on with mobility trends around the world. Yes. One person can make a difference. Let’s work to solve forward and not through fear. We have many DYK stories about mobility. Link to them here.

This is our way forward.

Rob’s Take: By the time this edition of our newsletter hits your inbox you will likely have seen a number of media sources, pointing out the obvious and making it sound like something to dread: The sales tax rate in Mecklenburg County is rising by 1%. What I want our members to communicate is this is an investment. It provides a dedicated pot of money, collected and expended for the sole purpose of improving existing and inadequate infrastructure. With representatives carefully selected from around our region — people who have a stake in the game — REBIC feels this points us in a great direction when it comes to future mobility planning. At a time when things seem to be so much more expensive than ever, it’s easy to cringe about this announcement. But the difference here is that dollars expended for transportation and infrastructure are an investment in the future. On the other side of the coin, the combined rate of inflation that we have seen since 2020 is a staggering 28.7%. Much of that is due to the release of centuries of currency into the economy all at once in response to the pandemic, while simultaneously carrying an ever-escalating national debt, leaving minimal options for relief. Much of that resulted from poor decisions and questionable leadership playing ‘fix it’ not ‘plan it.’ This is a true and welcome plan-it scenario.