Casey Scheiner
The proposed Red Line will run parallel to Main Street along existing tracks.
Mecklenburg County will vote on a referendum on Nov. 4 that would raise the sales tax rate from 7.25% to 8.25% to fund public transportation projects, including a commuter rail line connecting Davidson and Charlotte. If approved, the tax increase would generate an estimated $19.4 billion for transportation investments over the next 30 years. Railway and road developments would each receive 40% of the money raised, with buses receiving 20%.
The most publicized component of the spending plan is the Red Line, a proposed commuter rail line connecting North Mecklenburg suburbs, including Davidson, to Charlotte. The City of Charlotte bought the tracks in September 2024 from Norfolk Southern. The referendum would partially fund the Red Line construction. If it passes, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) projects an eight to ten year period before the Red Line becomes operational.
Rusty Knox, Mayor of Davidson, is a member of the Metropolitan Transit Commission, the policy board for CATS. Speaking as a private citizen, however, he said he supports the sales tax increase and concurrent Red Line project.
“I can’t endorse it as the mayor, but as Rusty Knox the voter, I’m voting for it,” Knox said. “I believe in it. I believe in public transit. I believe it works. I believe it takes cars off the road. I believe it provides better opportunities for people to get to and from health care and jobs and entertainment is great.”
Knox highlighted the Red Line’s potential to not only provide students fun excursions, but enrich their educational experience.
“I know that lots of students are like, we can go to Charlotte. And that’s true, but there’s so many more things; you look at the links to education, how you potentially can link Davidson College to Johnson C. Smith, Johnson & Wales, Central Piedmont [Community College] , UNC Charlotte, and even the Wake Forest School of Medicine. Those things are far more important than being able to take the train to see the Panthers.”
As executive director of the Davidson Housing Coalition (DHC), and a Town of Davidson resident, Connie Wessner said she thinks about the referendum tax in relation to the residents the DHC serves. Wessner said she sees the importance in establishing public transportation, but said that it will dramatically impact lower-income residents.
“I’m gonna vote for that increase,” Wessner said. “Our state, especially this area of the state, has struggled for so long to sensibly fund transportation infrastructure. We need it desperately. I’m not in favor of building public goods with regressive taxes because the people who most need the service end up paying the most for it.”
Wessner believes that the local government needs to prepare to work closely with non-profits should the referendum pass.
“It’s going to be incumbent on local leaders to acknowledge that if the referendum passes, we are going to have to have a heightened awareness and a heightened sense of cooperation and collaboration with the nonprofits who serve this area and serve people who are on limited incomes, to try to find a way to compensate [them],” Wessner said.
Patrick Plaehn ‘28 concurred with Wessner’s assessment of the sales tax as a regressive measure.
“I will definitely be voting yes on [the referendum], because I believe in public transportation, and I think we need more public transportation in this country. I’m just a little bit frustrated that they decided to use a sales tax instead of any other form of tax, because sales taxes have been proven to disproportionately affect people of lower incomes,” Plaehn said. “If your gallon of milk costs an extra ten cents, that’s not going to affect anyone in the upper echelons, but for working class people that can start to add up make their groceries cost more and more..”
Andrew Golden is the Town of Davidson Transportation Planner. He said the sales tax as a funding mechanism is less burdensome on Davidson residents than other alternatives.
“First, a sales tax itself mitigates impacts from a more direct tax, such as an increase in property taxes,” Golden said. “Second, it is estimated that approximately 30% of the revenue generated from this sales tax will be paid by visitors and businesses outside of Mecklenburg County. Third, there are exceptions to the sales tax, such as prescription medicines, vehicles, and qualifying food items.”
Knox agreed that the sales tax will have a minimal impact on voters’ wallets.
“The naysayers talk about this one cent being a regressive tax. The average household will spend about $240 more a year. It’s not a lot of money. If you look at going out to the Soda Shop, you’re going to spend $10 on an orangeade and an egg salad. It’s going to cost you ten cents extra,” he said.
While a sales tax may not be the most appealing solution to students and low income residents who will face higher prices at local businesses, state lawmakers saw it as a politically crucial step. Efforts to raise money through taxation internally in Mecklenburg County were necessary given opposition in Raleigh to appropriate state funding towards the Red Line.
“The state can’t continue to fund everywhere. So this is a great opportunity to give the citizens of Mecklenburg an opportunity to have a say in funding their transportation needs,” State House Majority Leader Brenden Jones (R–Columbus) said in a Transportation Committee meeting.
A semantic dispute is ongoing over the Red Line name. According to Knox, the name was supposed to be a tribute to the College’s colors, but it sparked controversy due to its association with the discriminatory practice of redlining, where banks and insurers systematically denied housing to people of color.
“Red was chosen because of the school colors of Davidson. That’s the only reason Red was chosen was the red line. It had nothing to do with redlining and segregation and things like that,” Knox said. “We’re not gonna change it now. There are too many place markers that say Red Line to change it in mid stride.”
Some current students embrace the opportunity to support a public transit project despite knowing it will not come to fruition during their time at Davidson.
“This is my chance to tell my government that I believe in the expansion of public transportation. I think that I have a responsibility to say yes, even though I won’t get to use the railway at all,” Plaehn said.
Tracy Mattison Brandon, who sits on the Town Board of Commissioners, said that the referendum represents an investment for students in the future of the College.
“The transportation referendum is going to affect this campus,” Brandon said. “I’m saying come out and vote for the transportation tax because although you may not see the rail while you’re here, you’re investing in the experience of future students to come.”