Independent Lee Sowers for Charlotte City Council - District 1
What I want to do
Capital Improvement Projects (CIP)
CLT airport authority
Recent citywide tax increase
Two weeks after approval of the CIP, a citywide property tax increase was approved by council. This increase amounted to over 7%. I agree that the light rail should be expanded, as growth along the corridor has occurred. I am not sold on improvements to the football stadium, although I do want to keep the pro team in Charlotte. The trolley has not been proven and I believe is a gamble with our tax dollars.
City Council recently approved a group of capital improvement projects, termed the CIP. Included in these improvements were the light rail, upgrades to our professional football stadium and the trolley. My understanding was that money existed to pay for these improvements.
Our current airport manager has done a great job with our airport. The reality is that this manager is getting close to retirement. A change will have to occur soon and airport authorities have been shown effective in other parts of our state. A single new manager to replace the outgoing manager would have a large learning curve and would also have some big shoes to fill. An airport authority could delegate responsibilities within the group and tackle the impending change very efficiently.
Baseball stadium
Public Education
Transportation issues
The light rail has improved congestion along South Blvd. going into the downtown/uptown area. Running the light rail to our UNC campus will give students an effective means to travel as well as freeing some congestion along I-85. The next phase of the light rail should extend down Independence Blvd. to I-485, thereby improving congestion on this corridor into the downtown/uptown area.
Our public education system is one of the most important infrastructure improvements we can make as a city. Quality education will bring more familes into the city and more opportunities for business growth. A greater talent pool will become available to businesses, making this city a very attractive alternative to other locations.
I believe having the local AAA pro baseball team move to the downtown/uptown area will be a win for both the city and the team. The location and size of the stadium is a concern as there does not appear to be a plan in place for growth and/or parking if this turns out to be a greater success than was originally planned.