{"id":2986,"date":"2026-07-08T09:03:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T09:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2986"},"modified":"2026-07-08T09:03:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T09:03:51","slug":"nc-budget-requiring-charlotte-to-repay-i-77-tolls-costs-becomes-law-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2986","title":{"rendered":"NC budget requiring Charlotte to repay I-77 tolls costs becomes law. What\u2019s next?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new state budget that includes a plan to make the Charlotte-area municipalities who voted down adding toll lanes to Interstate 77 pay back millions is now law<\/a>, leaving the city and local towns to figure out their next step.<\/p>\n

Read more NC prison staff will get raises, but still among nation\u2019s lowest-paid, agency says<\/a><\/p>\n

Republican lawmakers released and quickly passed their long-awaited budget last week. It included a version of a proposal<\/a> to put Charlotte and other local governments on the hook for tens of millions of dollars unless they reverse their position on the controversial highway project.<\/p>\n

Democratic Gov. Josh Stein signed the budget, which was more than a year overdue, Tuesday despite what he said were some \u201cflaws\u201d in the plan, including the I-77 provision.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe budget makes real the General Assembly\u2019s wrong-headed threats of retribution against Charlotte,\u201d Stein said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer. \u201cCharlotte needs to enhance road safety and minimize community impact; that balancing process should be collaborative.\u201d<\/p>\n

The state Department of Transportation planned to add toll lanes to an 11-mile stretch of I-77<\/a> from uptown to the South Carolina state line, and local officials approved a public-private partnership<\/a> to pay for it in 2024. But the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization voted in May to rescind support<\/a> for the project after months of consternation in the community<\/a> over the impacts of the new lanes on neighborhoods and the environment.<\/p>\n

NCDOT spent about $60 million on the project before CRTPO reversed its decision.<\/p>\n

The provision that made the budget, originally proposed by Charlotte-area Republican Sen. Vickie Sawyer<\/a>, says those who voted to kill the plan must reimburse the state or see other transportation funding withheld. The plan calls for local governments to divide the cost based on the value of their weighted CRTPO votes.<\/p>\n

Representatives of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Davidson, Monroe, Cornelius, Matthews, Mint Hill, Huntersville and the Metropolitan Transit Commission voted to rescind support in May. Monroe reversed its position<\/a> after Sawyer\u2019s amendment became public and called for the CRTPO to vote again on the issue, but the push to reopen the discussion failed.<\/a><\/p>\n

Asked about Stein\u2019s decision to sign the budget despite the I-77 provision, Mecklenburg County Commission Chairman Mark Jerrell told the Observer he was \u201cmore disappointed\u201d the measure was put in the budget in the first place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should actually have a say over what\u2019s good for us at the local level, and I wish that would be respected by others that are outside the community, or, you know, not here. I wish they would listen to the voices of our constituents,\u201d said Jerrell, whose board reiterated its opposition<\/a> to the toll lanes after Sawyer\u2019s proposal became public.<\/p>\n

Read more What Jeff Peterson said about Charlotte Hornets\u2019 offseason moves<\/a><\/p>\n

Jerrell would \u201clike to see the governor stand with the community unequivocally and understand the issues that are being presented.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one is saying that we shouldn\u2019t address congestion. No one\u2019s saying it\u2019s not a problem,\u201d the east Mecklenburg Democrat said. \u201cWhat we are saying is that we shouldn\u2019t be repeating the mistakes of the past. We should listen to the community, and we shouldn\u2019t be penalized when we\u2019ve been given false choices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jerrell said county commissioners have not yet discussed where they\u2019d find the money to reimburse the state if things move forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cHitting us with that kind of tab would certainly have an adverse impact on our residents,\u201d he said. \u201c… We\u2019re going to have those conversations. We\u2019re going to understand how we move forward. I\u2019m going to make sure that we have an outcome that is fair, that\u2019s equitable and that serves the residents of Mecklenburg County.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other local governments are also working to figure out their next step.<\/p>\n

Huntersville\u2019s Town Board \u201chas not yet had the opportunity to discuss this issue or its potential implications,\u201d spokesman Ethan Smith told the Observer.<\/p>\n

\u201cTown leadership will examine the options and determine the best path forward for the town in the near future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Spokespersons for Davidson, Cornelius, Matthews and Mint Hill did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the budget becoming law with the I-77 provision and any planning for how they plan to potentially pay back the state.<\/p>\n

Read more Spot off the NC Coast ranks among nation\u2019s best island getaways, survey says<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gov. Josh Stein signed state budget into law despite opposition to I 77 toll lanes provision. Charlotte, Mecklenburg County would owe NCDOT millions under law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nNC budget requiring Charlotte to repay I-77 tolls costs becomes law. 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