Mecklenburg transit bill's chances remain '50-50,' Republican senators say
Senator Vickie Sawyer, who filed Mecklenburg County's tax bill to revamp the area's transit system, said the bill has '50-50′ chances of passing.
Sawyer represents northern Mecklenburg County and Iredell County. She is also the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. She filed Senate Bill 145 in January. But the bill has yet to move forward, the Charlotte Observer reported.
The bill filed would allow Mecklenburg County to add a sales tax referendum on the ballot. It would propose a one-cent sales tax to pay for roads and public transit. It would require 40% of the tax revenue to go toward road projects and 60% to go to fund public transit, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Transportation needs are the 'No. 1 issue' for lawmakers, Sawyer told the Charlotte Observer. And she said this is true for lawmakers across the state, not just in Mecklenburg County.
'I've said this from the very beginning, we have to look at a statewide approach to transportation funding,' Sawyer said. 'And if Mecklenburg County should get this, then every county should have the same opportunity, right?'
She said representatives across the state need to provide more tools for their counties.
'I see a statewide approach as an ability to do that, and it doesn't mean the one-size-fits-all,' Sawyer said.
Sawyer told the Charlotte Observer that Charlotte has a need for public transit, but Iredell needs to address orphan roads that were never transferred to the state or municipality for maintenance.
READ: Transit momentum: Newly filed bill would allow sales tax increase for transit
Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters that he believes the bill will move forward during this legislative session.
'I think it's still something that folks are interested in getting across the finish line,' Berger told reporters. 'We've just continued to have conversations, and I'm still of the opinion that it's something that we will see pass.'
She said the Republican party is making efforts not to be 'picking winners and losers.' And she said it is hard to find support for a tax increase from Senate Republicans.
Union County Republican Senator Todd Johnson told the Charlotte Observer that he doesn't think the bill has a chance. He said that Union and Iredell Counties would be the 'losers' if this bill passed.
'The only way to appropriately address the issue would either be one of two things: do nothing, or a statewide approach, because when you're cherry-picking one particular county, municipality, any subdivision of government, then there's obviously going to be winners and losers from that,' Johnson said.
The southern edge of Mooresville in Iredell had been included in the plans for the Red Line, which is first on Charlotte's project list. But some Iredell County officials have expressed concerns over allowing the Red Line to extend into their county.
Johnson said the bill needs too much work to be placed on this year's ballot. But Sawyer said the timing depends on how the rest of the session goes.
WATCH: Transit momentum: Newly filed bill would allow sales tax increase for transit
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