[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6562379,"mediaKeyId","3276501-630f58d17d25405cc488f2d786449905","parentId",3276501,"title","Charlotte council approves annexations, grants and agreements; 2040 plan and budget hearings draw heavy public comment","audioSeconds",12603,"startMs",1977000,"endMs",14580000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3276501-630f58d17d25405cc488f2d786449905&start=1977&end=14580","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3276501-630f58d17d25405cc488f2d786449905/thumbnail_1977000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6562379/Charlotte/Mecklenburg-County/North-Carolina/Charlotte-council-approves-annexations-grants-and-agreements-2040-plan-and-budget-hearings-draw-heavy-public-comment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6562379-558ba27b7f07cda5ba7463c170c2017e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770594149&Signature=aAZTlgmeJYpEV8hGT9wvFlaPficOzJaoHNiYZ~ioDK8buof28-nHGcava9IMIIpoB99aK-aOCeUkUh~aZ2V4haBQ5XGoOUFk6LhWqi~4LkrKvvosj~uprbN05CM70Rcrp2eU0NIcmxbIJM-3Rql132G2Mbolp5e0r9XfLg6PNuezkpXINKcnz7kcdnLyl6XcuzIr~qfE8EI9N2b8VuYLxWSzzlDPTWyH2qXaAccd5a7Mh-Q9dZcbKwrCST5dLvDtyDfxTbH-DhFRZgN9NoT3W6YAkj7oxu0FA21u~HdIIuThBPrYRVUO8~GINKc2mvbCwJXGv7PBWSRqm~joOKjmtg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Charlotte","date","2025-05-13T01:16:51Z","article","The Charlotte City Council unanimously approved a series of procedural and action items during its May 12 meeting, adopting several voluntary annexations and authorizing grants and intergovernmental agreements. The meeting also drew extended public comment on the city’s proposed community area plan updates and the fiscal year 2026 budget; council closed public hearings and asked staff to publish and respond to public comments before returning with adoption items.

Votes and approvals at a glance

- Consent agenda: Council approved the consent agenda (items 28–35) by voice vote with no opposition.

- Annexations: Council adopted annexation ordinances effective May 12, 2025, for multiple properties after public hearings. Bright Side Commons (annexation ordinance adopted; development not yet complete, developer Peggy Hay of David Weekley Homes told council it has received land disturbance and Charlotte Water approvals and will begin site work once contracts are in place). Project Lemon was annexed and assigned to Council District 5. The Steel Creek Park area annexation was also adopted effective May 12.

- Charlotte Water revenue manual: Council opened and closed a public hearing on proposed Charlotte Water revenue manual revisions; staff said the manual will be considered with the FY26 budget on June 9. No final action was taken at this meeting.

- Municipal Service Districts (Uptown MSDs): Two Uptown residents spoke in favor of a small millage increase for MSD 2 and 3 to support the Center City Partners Uptown Vibrancy Initiative. Council closed the public comment period; the proposed municipal service district contracts and any related millage changes will be considered by council at a June meeting.

- Federal and state agreements: Council adopted a resolution authorizing the city manager to negotiate and execute grant agreements with the Federal Railroad Administration and appropriated $3,000,000 for a related project. The council also authorized the manager to execute a municipal agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to advance a roadway project.

- Helping Hands Outreach agreement: Council authorized an agreement with Helping Hands Outreach (H20 Foundation) that allows the organization to receive payments equivalent to communications rental revenue from Charlotte Water towers for the duration of the agreement; the manager is authorized to renew and amend the agreement consistent with its purpose.

- Donation to Mecklenburg County: Council adopted a resolution authorizing the donation of a city van to Mecklenburg County for CARES team operations.

- Boards and commissions: Council nominated and approved by acclamation several appointments: Manuel Campbell, Michelle Cofino and incumbent Christopher Dayberry to the Business Advisory Committee; Daniel Freeman to the Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Public Access Corporation; Heather Woshek, Brett Taylor and Cameron Holtz to the Historic District Commission; and Lucy Cruz, Montrevious King and incumbent Jacqueline Roseborough to Keep Charlotte Beautiful. The Firefighters Relief Fund board of trustees appointment was deferred to May 27.

Public hearings and community area plans

Council heard an extended and diverse set of public comments on the Charlotte Future 2040 community area plans and the revised policy map. Speakers represented neighborhoods and civic groups across the city. Common themes included requests for clearer protections where residential neighborhoods adjoin manufacturing/logistics areas, concerns about tree canopy and heat‑vulnerable neighborhoods, calls for more local jobs and amenities in concert with housing growth, and requests that staff and council slow the process to ensure broader community input.

Monica Holmes, a Planning Department staff member, told council staff will host a public webinar on May 15 with breakout rooms on each of the 14 area plans, and staff plans to publish all public comments and staff responses beginning May 19. Holmes said staff had tentatively scheduled the area plans for council consideration on May 27 but that schedule could be adjusted to allow additional community outreach.

Budget public hearing

Council held a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budget and received many public comments, including support for the \"People's Budget\" priorities: funding for a pilot program to add air conditioning to apartments in heat‑vulnerable housing, shelter and homelessness services, adoption center and shelter expansion funding for Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control, and raises or wage targets for city employees and first responders. Speakers included neighborhood activists, nonprofit executives, shelter volunteers and representatives from housing assistance organizations. Council closed the hearing and directed staff to continue compiling public input and to present budget adoption items in upcoming meetings.

What’s next

Staff will publish public comments and staff responses for the 14 community area plans around May 19 and is available to meet one‑on‑one with neighborhoods that requested further conversation. Several action items that require further council action — the Charlotte Future 2040 plan adoptions and the FY26 budget — are scheduled for future council consideration after staff compiles and integrates public feedback.
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Charlotte City Council Meeting - May 12, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Council approved three voluntary annexations and several grant/municipal agreements, heard public testimony on the Charlotte Future 2040 community area plans and the FY26 budget and closed several public comment periods. Staff will publish comment responses and return with final adoption items at later meetings.","taxTitle","Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina","taxId",4848,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6562384,"Charlotte council hears updated Strategic Energy Action Plan; adoption scheduled for May 27",1682,2037000,3719000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3276501-630f58d17d25405cc488f2d786449905&start=2037&end=3719","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3276501-630f58d17d25405cc488f2d786449905/thumbnail_2037000.jpg","/articles/6562384/Charlotte/Mecklenburg-County/North-Carolina/Charlotte-council-hears-updated-Strategic-Energy-Action-Plan-adoption-scheduled-for-May-27","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6562384-2811349fb40ab411b2090f2a778773db/orig.mp4?Expires=1770594149&Signature=GdyakBZ8mpjlecsrCGa36XY1HG5OKOvgj2zp-riz25M0JQU3reEFHdkjniMwMEzfuqwWoz4uKpduMXqrJ8CO9aLhjWVnKJevpdZqsMTDIdDp1ETfgbwtLTHObvGmKteYAeGsvIF5egyKzqV0fYulPTQXGqwQBrfFj044rRU-AcntRc~33xafT5Bw7xSscoKr8q6iPv15ic~zu6isq8DTCuUDf1aEHhcOqYXOacbKxURIutTKcP4P1fo-FcoYlF0F7WRJrISD21m7t2EKYNZd9E4s140JjOfKpHDxvxqNZ0kiN1D16-qLiM7YMFYVN7bS1WNuiUDeNeZiBSRZBQv0fQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Heather Bullock, the city of Charlotte’s chief sustainability and resiliency officer, presented an updated Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP/CIAP update) Tuesday, asking the City Council to consider adoption at its May 27 meeting.

Bullock told the council the update builds on the 2018 plan and sets new, science‑aligned targets for community and municipal emissions while adding a goal for distributed renewables. \"The CIAP update is an update to the 2018 strategic energy action plan,\" Bullock said, and she described the document as a “roadmap for sustainability” developed with technical advisors, community ambassadors and internal city staff.

The plan sets new community goals to reduce citywide greenhouse gas emissions 72% by 2035 and reach net zero by 2050, and it adds a target to install 600 megawatts of distributed renewable energy in Charlotte by 2035. Municipal goals in the plan call for Charlotte to source 100% of municipal building electricity from zero‑carbon sources by 2030, reach net zero emissions in municipal buildings by 2050, bring the city’s light‑duty fleet to net zero by 2035 and its full fleet by 2050. Bullock highlighted examples of progress the city said it already has achieved, including 330 city‑owned EV charging ports, several on‑site solar systems (with two more expected online this year) and a secured off‑site 80‑megawatt solar project coming online next year.

Why it matters: the plan is the city’s principal framework for aligning energy, building, transportation and resilience work across departments and community partners. The draft ties greenhouse gas reduction goals to concrete program priorities — buildings, energy generation, and transportation — and adds workforce development and equity measures intended to center vulnerable neighborhoods.

Council response and questions

Council members praised the outreach and the plan’s emphasis on equity. Council Member Marjorie Molina (District 5) said she appreciated the reach of community engagement and noted the plan previously passed unanimously out of the Transportation Planning and Development (TPD) Committee. \"Thank you, Miss Bullock, for all of your work,\" Molina said.

Council Member Dimple Ajmera thanked staff for implementation steps and for incorporating the tree canopy work into the energy document: \"First let me first thank Heather, Sarah, and the entire team for a great job with the implementation,\" Ajmera said.

Council Member LaJuana Mayfield pressed staff on environmental tradeoffs linked to growth and new industries, including potential data centers and battery‑electrification impacts. Mayfield asked whether staff were assessing the cumulative environmental footprint of large industrial projects and whether the city is tracking electric vehicle (EV) battery end‑of‑life and recycling. \"I do not want them bringing all their pollution with them,\" Mayfield said of prospective large facilities. Bullock replied that the team is beginning to track battery end‑of‑life as EVs enter retirement and that staff would follow up with departments to improve tracking.

Bullock also described targeted pilots and programs cited in the update: the Power Down the Crown commercial benchmarking and recognition program, an upcoming Solarize residential outreach campaign, an energy‑efficiency pilot using Duke Energy programs to assist low‑income residents, and the Pepper Tree affordable housing demonstration that pairs energy retrofits, a health clinic and an on‑site car‑share program.

What’s next

Bullock asked the council to schedule a vote to adopt the plan on May 27 so staff can begin immediate development of implementation strategies in 2025. She told the council the plan was developed using community input and technical review and that public comments “support the overall intention” of the update.

Ending

Council members gave generally positive feedback and asked for follow‑up on several technical points: the city’s approach to cumulative environmental impacts when large facilities are proposed, details on EV battery recycling and landfill risk, and more information on workforce and private‑sector partnerships. Staff said they will publish detailed responses to public comments and continue one‑on‑one conversations with neighborhoods before the May 27 council vote.
","City staff reviewed an updated Strategic Energy Action Plan that tightens community and municipal greenhouse gas targets, adds a distributed renewables goal and implementation steps. Council members praised the work, pressed staff on data centers, EV battery disposal and neighborhood equity, and were asked to vote on adoption May 27.","actionData","errors"]

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Charlotte council approves annexations, grants and agreements; 2040 plan and budget hearings draw heavy public comment

Charlotte council hears updated Strategic Energy Action Plan; adoption scheduled for May 27