If the state agrees, there will be a June 5 referendum with Charlotte voters deciding whether to support a multi-million dollar construction, expansion and/or renovation of the uptown arena as well as a handful of cultural projects.
The city of Charlotte originally proposed a $352 million package to keep the National Basketball Association team in the black, but it was rejected by financially-strapped state lawmakers in part because it called for the rebate of $3.2 million annually in players' salary taxes.
The city council left the exact wording of the referendum up to its lobbyist Boyd Cauble. But obtaining approval in time to hold the referendum before the legislature ends its session its unlikely, Cauble admits. The local board of elections needs to know by April 9 whether to start preparing for the June 5 vote.
By rejecting the original proposal, the legislature forced Charlotte to come up with more than 20% of the money for the entire package, which also includes an Afro-American Cultural center and a minor-league baseball stadium. Proposals have included dropping some projects from the package, cutting funding for some or all projects and/or raising the hotel/motel occupancy tax.
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David Wilkening
David Wilkening began his long journalism career as a police reporter for Chicago-area newspapers. He became a writer-editor for major newspapers in Chicago, Washington, Detroit and Florida. He has been a business editor, political editor and travel editor for newspapers and magazines. He tried for a while to be a political operative but did better as an adjunct college professor teaching English and journalism. He is the author of several books, both ghost-written and under his own name. He is also a widely published freelance writer who currently lives in Orlando.
