Charlotte City Council Still Trying To Use Eastside Street Car To Buy Votes

Charlotte Observer----

Support fading in funds for Streetcar


Democratic opposition may be weakening to Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory's veto of spending $4.5 million to help design a streetcar.

The Charlotte City Council voted Tuesday night to postpone a decision on whether to override McCrory's Aug. 24 veto. If Democrats vote together, they would have enough votes – seven – to overturn his veto.

But in discussion Tuesday night, Council member Warren Turner said he was conflicted about the streetcar, which would run from the Rosa Parks Transit Center on Beatties Ford Road to Eastland Mall, via uptown.

“We are in tough financial times,” said Turner, who is running for reelection unopposed. He said he had gotten e-mails for and against spending the $4.5 million from his west Charlotte constituents.

City Manager Curt Walton's budget contains $8 million to help design the streetcar, and council members had approved spending $4.5 million with URS Corp. to help design it. The 10-mile line has been estimated to cost $450 million.

The council will consider overturning McCrory's veto at its Sept. 14 meeting.

The streetcar would run on city streets and would stop at traffic lights. But boosters believe it will spark economic development and better serve some of the Charlotte Area Transit System's most heavily used bus routes.

Council Republicans are against spending the money now, because they are concerned there is no plan yet to pay for the line. Democrats have said the money is needed to determine how complex the streetcar will be to build, and how much it will cost. They also said it will give the city a leg up in securing federal construction grants, if the Federal Transit Administration makes more money available for streetcars.

“We'll lose a slot that's open to us,” said Council member Nancy Carter, who represents east Charlotte, which would be served by the streetcar. “I am a passionate, passionate supporter.” Carter is running for reelection in the Sept. 15 Democratic primary.

“We are in the deepest recession of our lifetimes,” McCrory said. “We can't afford it right now.”

McCrory said the Metropolitan Transit Commission, which oversees how the half-cent transit sales tax is spent, won't vote to spend those funds on the streetcar. He also questioned whether the state or federal government would help pay for it.

The debate also put mayoral candidates Anthony Foxx, a Democrat, and John Lassiter, a Republican, on opposite sides.

Foxx said spending the money was essential to moving the project forward: “I know the answer (from the federal government) if we don't move forward: No.”

Lassiter has said he wants the city to put the money in reserves. He said Tuesday that if the state and federal government paid for 75 percent of construction costs – as they did for the Lynx Blue Line – the city still couldn't pay for its share.




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Sources: Charlotte Observer, Charmeck.org, Wikipedia, Google Maps