NC: Mecklenburg’s lone Republicans will lead transit tax push. Why Cotham is key to passage

The lone Republicans in Mecklenburg County’s Democrat-dominated state legislative delegation will play a critical role in the effort to get a sales tax referendum for transportation on the ballot.

GOP State Sen. Vickie Sawyer and state Rep. Tricia Cotham joined the majority of the delegation Monday at a legislative briefing hosted by the Charlotte City Council largely focused on getting a bill through the General Assembly in 2025.

Sawyer — who represents parts of north Mecklenburg and Iredell County and co-chairs the Senate transportation committee — provided updates on her Senate leadership. She also announced Cotham will join longtime Democratic state Rep. Becky Carney in leading the delegation’s efforts in the House of Representatives. Cotham narrowly defeated a well-funded Democratic challenger in November in her first reelection bid since her controversial party change.

“Both of them have been strong advocates for their community,” Sawyer told reporters of the decision. “... For those on the other side of the chamber, they’re the two perfect ones.”

The bill would put a 1-cent sales tax increase on Mecklenburg ballots to pay transportation projects. It also lays out how the money would be spent between road, rail and bus efforts and a new governance structure for public transit in the Charlotte area. If approved, Mecklenburg voters would ultimately decide the fate of the referendum.

Republican dominance in the General Assembly has long been a hurdle to Charlotte’s multi-billion dollar transportation plan, with GOP leaders pushing for more spending on roads over rail projects. So, two prominent Republicans leading the effort could help its chances in the legislature, city officials say. The draft legislation also puts 40% of new funding into roads in an attempt to garner bipartisan support.

Sawyer, Cotham lend Republican voices to transportation plan

Sawyer said Cotham and Carneys’ role will allow her to funnel information from the Senate to the House side of the Mecklenburg delegation.

A Cotham aide said the representative was unavailable for questions after the briefing.

Sawyer helped lead much of Monday’s discussions about transportation, addressing the full collection of leaders and fielding questions about when the bill will be formally introduced in the Senate.

City Council member Dimple Ajmera, who chairs Charlotte’s intergovernmental relations committee, said putting Sawyer “at the forefront of” the push for the bill in the General Assembly “will certainly help us.”

“Sen. Sawyer has a leadership position on the committee … She has advocated successfully for many transportation changes, transformational changes,” Ajmera said.

Ajmera said Cotham and Carneys’ partnership in the House is a sign of the “strong support” for transportation from Mecklenburg’s entire legislative delegation.

Democratic state Sen. Joyce Waddell, chair of the Mecklenburg delegation, said Sawyer “leading” on the bill could help win over other Republican leaders.

“I think they will go along with it,” she said.

Will sales tax referendum make November ballot?

Sawyer thinks Charlotte’s bill has a “50-50” chance of passing in time to make the November 2025 ballot.

“We have a new legislature in Raleigh, and we’ll have to see how the new members feel,” she said.

City Council member Malcolm Graham, a member of Charlotte’s transportation committee, said previously he thinks the legislature needs to move in the first quarter of 2025 for the city to have time to jump through other procedural hoops and put together an effective campaign for the referendum.

“I’m hearing from the city that they really need it fast. But we are the North Carolina state legislature. We do things very, very slow. So, we’ll figure it out,” Sawyer said of the timeline.

The Republican said Charlotte’s leadership and business community “have done the best job they possibly can” thus far advocating for the bill. But, she added, the idea of a tax increase remains “a big hurdle” for some in the GOP caucus.

Waddell said she’s “positive” about the legislation’s chances in 2025.

“We’re going to be working with everybody, because we need the help of each and every member,” she said of the delegation’s strategy.

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