Charlotte council approves MOU to join regional transit authority, agrees to follow-up on appointment rules

Charlotte City Council voted on Tuesday, Sept. 2, to approve a memorandum of understanding intended to align the city’s appointment process with a new regional transit authority created under the state’s PAVE Act, council members said. The motion passed 8-3.

The MOU sets a shared timeline for receiving applications and making appointments to the 27-member authority established by the PAVE Act and adds a provision requiring at least one transit rider be appointed by the city and county. Council members said passage of the MOU does not remove the city’s ability to vet applicants or to replace its appointees later.

Councilmember Ed Driggs (District 7), chair of the Transportation Planning & Development Committee, said his committee recommended the MOU 4–1 and asked the full council to approve the agreement while continuing work on how the city will apply the statute’s qualification language. “By voting for the MOU now, you’re not limiting your ability to engage on behalf of constituents about concerns that they may have,” Driggs said. He told colleagues the state law sets deadlines that will require the region to begin standing up the authority by January and for municipal appointments by December.

Why it matters: the PAVE Act requires a board and a set of studies to be in place by early 2026 if the authority is to receive and administer a half‑cent sales tax proposed for the November ballot. City staff and council members said approving the MOU now preserves Charlotte’s seat at the table while giving the council time to define the screening process, candidate rubric and other local priorities before appointments are finalized.

What council debated and decided

Committ…