Comments on: Charlotte Envisions New Streetcar – But Needs More Revenue http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2009/02/10/charlotte-envisions-new-streetcar/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:19:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rick http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2009/02/10/charlotte-envisions-new-streetcar/#comment-359 Rick Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:48:54 +0000 http://thetransportpolitic.wordpress.com/?p=1174#comment-359 It seems funny to me that this is seen as a "problem". When the original transit tax was passed in Mechlenburg County it barely passed. If the towns had been excluded from equal decision making authority it would have failed. Additionally, the towns currently send more to CATS than they receive in service - the exact opposite of the example Jarrett provided. Finally, this is a state issue more than anything else. In North Carolina, sales tax increases are controlled by the states. Property tax increases are owned by the counties and municipalities. As to this statement "ultimately, core cities are going to need the right, and the willpower, to tax themselves at higher rates to create funding sources that the city can control", they already do. The issue is that they don't have the stones to do it because it would be too obvious. Raising property taxes or adding municipal tax districts around transit becomes too obvious and politically undoable. The issue you really seem to have is how to hide the tax increase, and sales tax is the best way to do it. Fortunately for us here in NC that is not an easy option. It seems funny to me that this is seen as a “problem”. When the original transit tax was passed in Mechlenburg County it barely passed. If the towns had been excluded from equal decision making authority it would have failed. Additionally, the towns currently send more to CATS than they receive in service – the exact opposite of the example Jarrett provided. Finally, this is a state issue more than anything else. In North Carolina, sales tax increases are controlled by the states. Property tax increases are owned by the counties and municipalities.

As to this statement “ultimately, core cities are going to need the right, and the willpower, to tax themselves at higher rates to create funding sources that the city can control”, they already do. The issue is that they don’t have the stones to do it because it would be too obvious. Raising property taxes or adding municipal tax districts around transit becomes too obvious and politically undoable. The issue you really seem to have is how to hide the tax increase, and sales tax is the best way to do it. Fortunately for us here in NC that is not an easy option.

]]> By: Jarrett http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2009/02/10/charlotte-envisions-new-streetcar/#comment-358 Jarrett Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:35:26 +0000 http://thetransportpolitic.wordpress.com/?p=1174#comment-358 As someone who's been a planning consultant to several core city governments, I can assure you that this problem exists all over the US and Canada. It's quite common to see funding formulas quite explicitly stacked against the core city. See the notorous "40-40-20" policy at King County Metro, which decrees that Seattle residents will have less service per capita than people in the suburbs. We can complain about the unfair make-up of some regional transit agency boards, but ultimately, core cities are going to need the right, and the willpower, to tax themselves at higher rates to create funding sources that the city can control. As someone who’s been a planning consultant to several core city governments, I can assure you that this problem exists all over the US and Canada. It’s quite common to see funding formulas quite explicitly stacked against the core city. See the notorous “40-40-20″ policy at King County Metro, which decrees that Seattle residents will have less service per capita than people in the suburbs. We can complain about the unfair make-up of some regional transit agency boards, but ultimately, core cities are going to need the right, and the willpower, to tax themselves at higher rates to create funding sources that the city can control.

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