North Carolina General Assembly
People
- Mary Belk, Representative, HD-88
- Woodson Bradley, Senator, SD-42
- Terry Brown Jr., Representative, HD-92
- Laura Budd, Representative, HD-103
- Becky Carney, Representative, HD-102
- Tricia Cotham, Representative, HD-105
- Carla Cunningham, Representative, HD-106
- Aisha Dew, Representative, HD-107
- Julia Greenfield, Representative, HD-100
- Destin Hall, Speaker of the House
- Beth Helfrich, Representative, HD-98
- Brandon Lofton, Representative, HD-104
- Carolyn Logan, Representative, HD-101
- Jordan Lopez, Representative, HD-112
- Nasif Majeed, Representative, HD-99
- Mujtaba Mohammed, Senator, SD-38
- Robert Reives, House Minority Leader
- DeAndrea Salvador, Senator, SD-39
- Vickie Sawyer, Senator, SD-37
- Caleb Theodros, Senator, SD-41
- Joyce Waddell, Senator, SD-40
Other coverage in the Mercury Local network
Charlotte Extends Data Center Pause to Oct. 18, 2027
Charlotte City Council voted unanimously to keep its pause on new data centers for almost another year. Two campuses already under construction, approved for up to 5.5 million square feet, are not covered.
Charlotte E-Bike Crashes Nearly Double as City Weighs Rules
E-bike crashes in Charlotte have nearly doubled from a year ago. City staff want helmets for young riders, lights at night and rules for sidewalk riding. Council has not voted.
CMS Renames Its Equity Policy and Drops Race Data Rules, 7-2
Board member Lenora Shipp's motion cited Session Law 2026-41, and no one at the dais mentioned the race data before the vote.
SNAP Penalty Could Cost Mecklenburg Up to $42 Million a Year
A federal penalty tied to North Carolina's food-assistance error rate could take $30 million to $42 million a year out of Mecklenburg County's budget, and the county will owe a share of it even if its own error rate stays under the federal limit. The county's budget director called it a shift of federal costs onto local residents, from a program funded by income tax onto a county whose revenue levers are "really limited to property tax." Whether the General Assembly must cap property tax is the question on the November 3 ballot.
Charlotte council approves 150-day data center moratorium
The pause runs through about November 5, and the city attorney said state law exempts projects that already hold valid building permits.
NC Budget Framework: Most Workers' Raises Trail Inflation
Senate Pres. Pro Tem Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall announced a budget framework Tuesday afternoon, ending a ten-month standoff. Teachers get an 8 percent raise and a $48,000 starting floor. Most state employees get 3 percent, below the 3.8 percent inflation rate reported the same morning. The income tax steps down through 2034, and a constitutional amendment capping the rate at 3.5 percent goes on the November ballot.
CMS Board Unanimously Approves Hill's Amended Budget
Two weeks after rejecting Superintendent Crystal Hill's $2.1 billion budget 8-1, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education unanimously approved her amended version on Tuesday. The same operating envelope now carries six negotiated changes, including the elimination of the $2.4 million Capturing Kids Hearts contract and the reinstatement of all four CMS-DSS educational liaison positions. The state budget remains the variable holding everything else still.
CMS's $6.6 Million Hedge May Not Cover a State Raise
CFO Kelly Kluttz told the board the district's $6.6 million salary reserve covers them to about 5 percent, but bills in Raleigh propose up to 9, the state hasn't passed a budget, and the county can't backfill after June.