Charlotte Has a $64 Million Decision and Nobody in Raleigh to Ask | CLT Daily

Description

Charlotte has until October 5 to reverse itself on the I-77 South toll lanes or pay the state about $64 million. On Thursday, the North Carolina General Assembly adjourned — and its next scheduled voting session is November 16, six weeks after that deadline. Neither fact is new. Put them side by side and the shape of Charlotte's decision changes: there's no negotiation left, just a bill and a date. Plus: Charlotte FC beats Atlas 2-0 for a second straight win over a Liga MX club, the homeless camping ban left unfinished in Raleigh and what it means for the people Roof Above serves, and Luke Kuechly gets his gold jacket tonight.

CLT Daily — Charlotte's independent daily briefing. New episodes every morning. cltdaily.com

Sources this episode: WFAE, WBTV, Charlotte FC, Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Good news first, then the rest. Tonight in Canton, Ohio, a man who played his entire career in this city puts on a gold jacket. I'll get to him at the end. But first, this is CLT Daily. I'm Steve Baboulis. It's Saturday, August 8th, your independent daily briefing for the Queen City. Today, Charlotte has to make a $64 million decision, and the people who created that bill just left town until after the election. Here's what happened this week that nobody has put together. You know the first half. In May, the city council walked away from the I-77 South Toll Lanes. In July, the state budget added a provision requiring the Department of Transportation to recover its costs from any city that backs out. Charlotte's bill is about $64 million. The deadline to reverse course and make it disappear is October 5th. Here's the second On Thursday... The North Carolina General Assembly adjourned. They're gone. The next scheduled voting session is November 16th, after the election. There are brief sessions on the calendar for September and October, but no votes are planned unless something unexpected comes up. Now put those two facts side by side. Charlotte has to decide by October 5th. The legislature that wrote the rule doesn't vote again until November 16th. That's six weeks after the deadline. Which means if the council wanted relief, more time, a smaller number, any modification at all, there is functionally nobody in Raleigh to ask between now and then. Lawmakers could choose to take something up in one of those September or October sessions, but it isn't planned, and it would require them to decide they want to. So the decision Charlotte makes in the next eight weeks is the decision. Pay it, or reverse the vote. There's no third door, because the room with the third door in it is empty until the middle of November. I want to be careful here. I'm not telling you this was designed that way. Legislative calendars get set months ahead, and October 5th was in the budget before adjournment was settled. It may be nothing but the ordinary collision of two schedules, but it's worth saying out loud, because everything I've heard from counsel this week, Malcolm Graham wanting a line item accounting, questions about whether the penalty is even constitutional, Renee Johnson asking whether the highway could be widened, without tolls at all. All of that assumed there was still a conversation to be had. On the timeline that now exists, there mostly isn't. There's a bill and a date. All right, here's what else you need to know today. Charlotte FC beat Atlas 2-0 last night at Bank of America Stadium. Liel Abada broke it open in the 78th minute after Tiger Smalls set him up, and Smalls added the second in stoppage time into an empty net. Two straight wins over Liga MX clubs this week after the 3-0 over Pumas on Tuesday, and Charlotte's home unbeaten run is now five. Pachuca comes Tuesday. And one more thing the legislature left behind. Among the bills still sitting unfinished when lawmakers left Raleigh is a statewide ban on homeless camping. It didn't pass, and it didn't die. It's just waiting. That matters here. On Wednesday, we talked about Roof Above, the uptown day center that lost its roof in a July storm and never stopped serving meals. Whatever happens to that bill in November will land on the people that building serves, and on the organizations trying to serve them. Also, unresolved, a repeal of the concealed carry permit requirement and a ban on DEI policies in state government. All of it waits for a session that happens after voters have already spoken. House Democratic leader Robert Reeves put it plainly. In November, the electorate speaks, and he doesn't agree with using the time after that to work against what they said. House Speaker Destin Hall defended the schedule, now as promised. Tonight, Luke Quitchley is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. Eight seasons, all of them Carolina, seven Pro Bowls. He walked away at 28, healthy enough to keep going and clear-eyed enough not to. Charlotte has had a lot of good players. It hasn't had many like that. Closer to home, Brian Adams and Pat Benatar are at the Spectrum Center tonight. Mumford and Sons play there tomorrow. And Charlotte Pride takes over Uptown next weekend. That's CLT Daily for Saturday, August 8th. I'm Steve Baboulis. We'll be back tomorrow. Same time, same city. Until then, Charlotte, take care of each other.

Description

CLT Daily — Charlotte's independent daily briefing. New episodes every morning. cltdaily.com

Sources this episode: WFAE, WBTV, Charlotte FC, Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Good news first, then the rest. Tonight in Canton, Ohio, a man who played his entire career in this city puts on a gold jacket. I'll get to him at the end. But first, this is CLT Daily. I'm Steve Baboulis. It's Saturday, August 8th, your independent daily briefing for the Queen City. Today, Charlotte has to make a $64 million decision, and the people who created that bill just left town until after the election. Here's what happened this week that nobody has put together. You know the first half. In May, the city council walked away from the I-77 South Toll Lanes. In July, the state budget added a provision requiring the Department of Transportation to recover its costs from any city that backs out. Charlotte's bill is about $64 million. The deadline to reverse course and make it disappear is October 5th. Here's the second On Thursday... The North Carolina General Assembly adjourned. They're gone. The next scheduled voting session is November 16th, after the election. There are brief sessions on the calendar for September and October, but no votes are planned unless something unexpected comes up. Now put those two facts side by side. Charlotte has to decide by October 5th. The legislature that wrote the rule doesn't vote again until November 16th. That's six weeks after the deadline. Which means if the council wanted relief, more time, a smaller number, any modification at all, there is functionally nobody in Raleigh to ask between now and then. Lawmakers could choose to take something up in one of those September or October sessions, but it isn't planned, and it would require them to decide they want to. So the decision Charlotte makes in the next eight weeks is the decision. Pay it, or reverse the vote. There's no third door, because the room with the third door in it is empty until the middle of November. I want to be careful here. I'm not telling you this was designed that way. Legislative calendars get set months ahead, and October 5th was in the budget before adjournment was settled. It may be nothing but the ordinary collision of two schedules, but it's worth saying out loud, because everything I've heard from counsel this week, Malcolm Graham wanting a line item accounting, questions about whether the penalty is even constitutional, Renee Johnson asking whether the highway could be widened, without tolls at all. All of that assumed there was still a conversation to be had. On the timeline that now exists, there mostly isn't. There's a bill and a date. All right, here's what else you need to know today. Charlotte FC beat Atlas 2-0 last night at Bank of America Stadium. Liel Abada broke it open in the 78th minute after Tiger Smalls set him up, and Smalls added the second in stoppage time into an empty net. Two straight wins over Liga MX clubs this week after the 3-0 over Pumas on Tuesday, and Charlotte's home unbeaten run is now five. Pachuca comes Tuesday. And one more thing the legislature left behind. Among the bills still sitting unfinished when lawmakers left Raleigh is a statewide ban on homeless camping. It didn't pass, and it didn't die. It's just waiting. That matters here. On Wednesday, we talked about Roof Above, the uptown day center that lost its roof in a July storm and never stopped serving meals. Whatever happens to that bill in November will land on the people that building serves, and on the organizations trying to serve them. Also, unresolved, a repeal of the concealed carry permit requirement and a ban on DEI policies in state government. All of it waits for a session that happens after voters have already spoken. House Democratic leader Robert Reeves put it plainly. In November, the electorate speaks, and he doesn't agree with using the time after that to work against what they said. House Speaker Destin Hall defended the schedule, now as promised. Tonight, Luke Quitchley is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. Eight seasons, all of them Carolina, seven Pro Bowls. He walked away at 28, healthy enough to keep going and clear-eyed enough not to. Charlotte has had a lot of good players. It hasn't had many like that. Closer to home, Brian Adams and Pat Benatar are at the Spectrum Center tonight. Mumford and Sons play there tomorrow. And Charlotte Pride takes over Uptown next weekend. That's CLT Daily for Saturday, August 8th. I'm Steve Baboulis. We'll be back tomorrow. Same time, same city. Until then, Charlotte, take care of each other.

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