A breakdown of the bonds on Charlotte ballots this fall
Updated: 2 days ago
If the bond referenda pass, funding will be allocated to numerous items, including sidewalk improvements. (Photo on right by Christopher Miller)
When Charlotte voters head to the polls, on their ballot, they’ll see three long — and perhaps confusing — questions asking them to vote “yes” or “no” on three separate municipal bonds.
If approved, the city would take out a total of $425M for capital projects in three categories: affordable housing, transportation and neighborhoods.
These general obligation bonds would not require a tax increase, the city says. Unlike many other cities that have to raise taxes for bonds, Charlotte budgets for them long term during its annual budget cycle, allocating a portion of its revenues to pay for past and future bonds.
The sales tax revenue from the transit tax approved last year is one of the city’s funding sources for the three bonds on November’s ballot. Although the questions on the ballot will lead with “additional property taxes may be levied on property located in the City of Charlotte,” the very end of the questions specifies that the increase would be “$0.00 per year.”
A simple majority vote is required to approve the three bonds.
Here’s a breakdown of what each bond is requesting and what funds, if approved, would pay for:
Housing
The first bond question on the ballot is for $125M for affordable housing — the largest housing investment bond in the city’s history. Affordable housing for low- and moderate- income households would be built and preserved through partnerships with public, private and nonprofit entities, like Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region.
Housing bonds go directly into Charlotte’s Housing Trust Fund (HTF), the primary mechanism to finance new and preserve existing affordable housing in the city. The amount in the HTF fluctuates, but a $100M housing bond was last approved by voters in 2024.
The $125M also includes a new $25M anti-displacement fund.
Transportation
The second question will be for $280M for transportation projects. These are solely City of Charlotte projects, and will not include interstate projects. Seven projects are guaranteed if this bond is approved, including:
Two major intersection improvements at the intersection of Eastway Drive and Shamrock Drive ($12M) and the intersection of Ashley Road, Freedom Drive and Tuckaseegee Road ($6.7M).
One new street, phase two of Bryant Farms Road extension ($35M).
“Complete street” improvements to better allow multiple modes of transportation. This is the widening of Robinson Church Road ($19.3M), and improvements for Brown-Grier Road ($6.6M), DeArmon Road ($6M) and Shamrock Drive ($14.5M).
Transportation projects also include sidewalk improvements, street resurfacing and other initiatives the city has listed on its website here. It does not include building new, large roads.
Charlotte City Council Member Malcolm Graham told The Election Hub that the transportation bond is a “companion piece” to the transit tax passed last year.
“It goes hand in glove with the dollars we’re getting from the 1% sales tax [increase],” he said.
Neighborhoods
The third question is for $20M for neighborhoods, specifically initiatives “to better connect neighborhoods with major employment, institutional and retail areas.” This will include projects like sidewalks, streetlights, greenways and bike lanes.
The city says that if the bonds are approved, the projects will begin starting in 2027, and will unfold over the next few years.
Who supports the bonds — and who has questions
Proponents of all three bonds include the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party. The Coalition for a Better 2050, which is managed by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, is also in favor and launched their Yes For Bonds campaign on Sept. 28.
There is no organized opposition campaign, but some have raised objections. An op-ed from Charlotte conservative commentator Andrew Dunn argues that previous affordable housing bonds have largely not actually helped people who need it most, since much of the money has mainly gone towards housing that serves people in the higher end of the eligible income bracket.
“We still need to know what wouldn’t exist without our money, how much better off residents are and whether spending differently could help people more effectively,” Dunn wrote.
The progressive organization Action NC is “not taking a stand” on the transportation bond, although it supports the other two, said Robert Dawkins, the organization’s political director.
He told The Election Hub that he did not believe previous projects funded by bonds came to fruition to his satisfaction. He added that the organization doesn’t want to support transportation-related initiatives that focus on road improvements and not public transportation, and that he believes the largest chunk of money should go to housing, not transportation.
“We think if you were going to put the majority of your money in bonds, I would put the majority of the money into creating housing and things like that as opposed to transportation,” Dawkins said. “The average person in Charlotte does not like sitting in traffic. They also don’t like the fact that they can’t afford to live here.”
Still, Graham feels confident that voters will vote “yes” on all three bonds.
“I think they understand that if we’re going to grow as a community, that we need to continue to invest in Charlotte,” he said.
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