Council Quickies: Proposed CATS Budget, New Street Vending Regulations

Charlotte City Council held a business meeting on Monday night, preceded by an action preview segment with a number of important presentations. 

Action previews comprise presentations that aim to better inform council members about issues that will be voted on in future meetings, giving a chance for them to ask questions and discuss the topics at length. Below, we’ve included some of Monday night’s most notable discussions and decisions, including the action preview portion and business meeting that followed. 

On the Agenda:

• CATS proposed budget
• Street vendor regulation
• Affordable housing proposals

CATS proposed budget

The first presentation of the action preview portion of Monday night’s meeting involved the proposed CATS budget, covering fiscal years 2027-31. 

The presentation showed proposed expenditures totaling $572 million for fiscal year 2027, $314 million of which for operating expenditures and $225 million for capital projects. That’s an increase from $351 million total in Fiscal Year 2026. 

The increase is justified by a proposed jump in revenue thanks to the sales tax increase approved by voters in 2025, which is expected to bring revenue from $167 million in the current fiscal year to $365 million in FY2027.  

If approved, spending on public safety measures will increase by $10 million, including $5 million for paying off-duty CMPD officers to patrol CATS properties and $5 million to fund fare enforcement teams.

The budget would also provide $20 million in funding over two years for construction of the South End Station along the Blue Line, $206 million over five years to begin work on the Silver Line to the airport, and 11.7 million in FY27 for construction of a Hambright Park & Ride hub in Huntersville.

Discussing the use of electric battery buses as part of the city’s Strategic Energy Action Plan, CATS interim CEO Brent Cagle told Dimple Ajmera the city has run into issues with times and capacity related to charging the buses it does have in its fleet. 

About 30% of CATS routes are longer than an electric bus can operate on a single charge. The fact that a bus takes three to six hours to fully charge also imposes issues, as CATS operates 20 hours a day.

Cagle added that the city will continue to roll out an electric bus program based on feasibility as technology and capacity improve.

You can view the details of the CATS budget proposal here.

Street vendor regulation

Members of the city’s Safety Committee are proposing two actions for city council to vote on in a future meeting: 1) extend the regulations prohibiting unlicensed street vending that currently exist in Uptown and NoDa to take effect citywide, and 2) establish a criminal penalty option, making illegal street vending a Class III misdemeanor and granting CMPD wide discretion on when to issue citations or make an arrest.

“This is about leveling the playing field and not tipping the scale in any direction,” said Dimple Ajmera, who supports regulating street vending citywide but not establishing a criminal penalty option. 

Ajmera said she would like to see a streamlined permitting process for creatives and artists that’s not as stringent as it would be for someone selling consumable goods.

JD Mazuera Arias said neither of the proposed measures would directly address the underlying issues, which involve a lack of opportunity/insufficient designated spaces for vendors and unclear rules. 

“Instead of criminalizing, we should be thinking of better ways to create solutions to the problem,” said Mazuera Arias. 

He suggested that the city look into creating more designated spaces for street vending similar to the NoDa pilot program, which has already been canceled. The Tryon Street Mall street vending program is still operational. 

Mazuera mentioned outdoor markets as another potential option, with Joi Mayo suggesting that the city activate parcels it owns for such opportunities.

LaWana Mayfield said she wants to provide opportunities to vendors to operate in good faith but she does not support those who set up in front of brick-and-mortar businesses and sometimes even plug into their power sources. She does not support criminalization but said vendors cannot be allowed to set up wherever they want.

Ed Driggs echoed Mayfield in saying that some vendors are small-business entrepreneurs that enhance the areas where they operate and should be encouraged while “on the other hand, some are genuinely bad actors. They set up in a place that impairs a business or they create a nuisance. Where do we draw that line? That’s the hard part.”

Affordable housing proposals

Council got its first look at proposals for the latest round of affordable housing developments seeking Housing Trust Fund dollars. 

City staff is recommending 13 of the 16 proposals received during the RFP period. With an estimated usable balance of just over $35 million currently in the Housing Trust Fund, the recommended projects would cost the city about $27.7 million for a total of 703 affordable units. 

You can view the details of each proposal, including location and cost, in this slideshow. Council will vote on the proposals during its April 27 meeting.

During its business meeting, council voted to approve two affordable housing developments. 

One involved two for-sale affordable housing units that will be included on a 0.6-acre parcel on Johnette Drive in the Farm pond area of east Charlotte as part of the development of the Harvest Hill Drive subdivision, which is already under way. 

The second vote approved $3.5 million from the Housing Trust Fund to an affiliate of Community Solutions International, Inc., which will acquire 1001 Tyvola Apartments, an existing 297-unit affordable development originally constructed in 2021 and situated on approximately 6.6 acres at 2051 Establishment Way near the interchange of Tyvola Road and I-77. 

The deal includes new deed restrictions that ensures the units will remain affordable for people making between 30-80% area median income for at least 20 years, and in some cases 60 years.