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CHARLOTTE, NC- Most of the $926 million dollars that would come from the proposed property tax increase would be spent in some of the city's struggling neighborhoods. "If you let one part of Charlotte go, do you think that benefits another part? It's a boat. If one side leaks, the other's going down eventually," said Charlotte City Council Member Claire Fallon But some South Charlotte residents say it's an unbalanced plan. "If you're going to ask this area of the community to pay for about half of it and only about 60 million dollars comes back to this part of the community.. What gives?" said Ken Gjertson, a South Charlotte resident. It's an issue raised by others in Saturday's town hall meeting in South Charlotte. City Councilman Warren Cooksey says there must be a better balance so the city doesn't drive people away. "Raising people's cost of living here too much, too soon may drive them to go elsewhere," said Cooksey. The budget calls for an 8.6 percent property tax hike. That means, if you own a 200-thousand dollar home, you'd pay about $72 dollars more per year. "Where does it reach a tipping point where you're asking too much of the residents of South Charlotte?" said Gjertson. "People will only vote for what they think is going to benefit them. And you know what... you can't let the rest of Charlotte die," said Fallon. Some of the big price tag items the hike would pay for- six new police stations, a Bojangles Coliseum and Ovens Auditorium make-over, extending a planned streetcar line and infrastructure like sidewalks and drainage. Charlotte city council will vote on the budget and proposed tax increase on June 11. |
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