CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A proposal to raise taxes for Charlotte homeowners could now have an impact on bringing baseball to uptown.
City Councilman Andy Dulin showed Eyewitness News just a few of the angry emails he said he got Thursday.
“I urge you to rethink this! It's bad timing,” one letter said.
The writer is talking about a proposal to raise city property taxes, but he may well have been writing about uptown baseball, too, because they're quickly becoming intertwined.
After hearing the city manager's recommendation for a 9 percent tax increase to pay for roads, sidewalks and other projects around town, some City Council members said it will be even harder to support the idea of giving millions of dollars to the Charlotte Knights for an uptown baseball stadium.
Multiple council members said they expect city staff to suggest raising most of the $11 million the Knights are asking the city for through the hotel-motel tax -- paid for mostly by out-of-towners.
But Councilman Michael Barnes thinks spending any public money on baseball while considering raising taxes could create a backlash among taxpayers.
“Whether hotel-motel tax or some other type of revenue -- people understand that public money is public money,” he said.
The Knights’ biggest supporter on City Council, James Mitchell, insists uptown baseball remains on track.
“Baseball will not be impacted at all. Totally separate funding to fund baseball,” Mitchell said.
But talk of higher taxes is creating doubt for baseball, too.
“It's easier for me to say no,” Dulin said.