NC budget provision pressures towns over I-77 South toll lane project

CHARLOTTE — Two municipalities, Cornelius and Monroe, are changing their stance to support a controversial toll lane project.

This reversal comes ahead of a Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization meeting where they will vote again on the project, largely influenced by a North Carolina state budget provision.

The state budget provision requires towns that previously voted to rescind support for the project to repay millions to the North Carolina Department of Transportation in sunk costs.

Additionally, the provision freezes Department of Transportation projects within the borders of municipalities that maintain their opposition.

Officials with Mecklenburg County, Matthews and Davidson stated they likely will remain opposed to the project.

Mint Hill plans to poll its commissioners at a future meeting to determine how its representative should vote, and Charlotte is holding conversations regarding whether its council members will flip their stance to support the project. The plans for Huntersville are currently unknown.

The City of Charlotte controls 31 of 74 total weighted votes in the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization. The outcome of the September 23rd vote is expected to align with Charlotte’s decision.

Shannon Binns, a representative with Sustain Charlotte, is against the project. Binns stated that metropolitan planning organizations were created by federal law to prevent state or federal governments from imposing projects on local communities where the impacts are felt.

“These metropolitan planning organizations were created by federal law to ensure this very thing doesn’t happen. Which is the state or the federal government imposing projects on local communities where the impacts are felt,” Binns said.

Cornelius Mayor Denis Bilodeau agreed the budget provision has pressured local decision-makers.

“If there were not a penalty, it certainly would be the way that our voice would be heard that we are opposed to the toll lane process,” Bilodeau said.

He added that the financial repayment was a major concern. “That’s not something we wanted to pass along to our taxpayers,” Bilodeau said.

Mayor Bilodeau also believes the budget provision threatens the authority of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization.

“I think it does threaten the authority of CRTPO and into the future their decision-making,” Bilodeau said.

The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization will hold its crucial vote on September 23rd.

The outcome is expected to be determined by the City of Charlotte’s decision, given its significant weighted voting power.

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