CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte voters will have an opportunity to choose whether the city gets to spend $146.2 million on its streets over the next decade when they step into the voting booth.
"If you really think about it, the Charlotte that we enjoy today came from investments of the past," Rai Glover, Truist Financial Market President, who is also one of three co-chairs of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance's Vote Yes for City Bonds campaign, said.
The Streets Bond would pay for road and intersection projects, upgrades to traffic control system, walkability and pedestrian safety enhancements and repairs to bridges, sidewalks, and bikeways.
From Ballantyne in the south to UNC Charlotte in the north and points east, west and in between, the entire city could see improvements. More than $50 million would go to sidewalks and pedestrian safety and $20 million would improve intersections -- while the city would reserve $6 million for the Northeast Corridor Infrastructure.
"Residents often wonder, will this impact positively my community? My answer is yes," Glover explained.
The Streets Bond is one of a trio of bond referenda adding up to $226 million which focuses on three major issues for the city. If all are approved, $29.6 million would improve neighborhoods and $50 million would support Charlotte's Housing Trust Fund.
"The whole city is looked at, and there's different opportunities for different parts of the city," Charlotte Regional Business Alliance President Kelly O'Brien told WCNC Charlotte.
Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones has touted all the bonds on the ballot as wise investments because the money comes at no additional cost to taxpayers by way of the Capital Investment Plan. The CIP is a long-range investment program designed to meet the community's needs brought on by growth.
"He allocates line items in the budget, but only the citizens of the community get to vote to pass it in and release those dollars," Glover said about Jones.
Glover said it’s important to look for the bond referenda at the bottom of the ballot when voters go to the polls to consider supporting what she calls a "selfless act" to keep Charlotte an attractive and thriving community for years to come.
"Think about our children and our children's children, children's children's children to come," Glover said. "And what type of city would we like to leave for them?"
Contact Fred Shropshire at fred@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.