“District 7 needs more roads, less crime, and affordable taxes.”

Shelter Providers Political Action Committee Enterprise (SPPACE) Questionnaire
(replied August 10, 2007)

What is the number one issue your community needs to address? How would you propose to tackle this issue?

Charlotte’s number one issue is reducing traffic congestion. To address it, we should first increase the value given to reducing congestion when evaluating road projects. Next, we should increase funding of road projects by using growth revenue and by reducing non-core expenditures to avoid an increased property tax rate.

Do you support the adoption and use of transfer taxes and/or impact fees? Why or why not?

No to both. In general, I do not support increasing tax revenue by taxing fewer people. A new $150,000 house in Charlotte brings in $687.90 to the City and $1,258.05 to the County in new revenue. We should manage our finances to use that new revenue efficiently and effectively.

The proposed Post-Construction Stormwater Ordinance for Charlotte is significantly more stringent and expensive than the state model ordinance. Do you support efforts to adopt a more stringent local ordinance or should Charlotte adopt the state model?

The updates I received on this when I was a Planning Commissioner suggested that it was bordering on being too expensive to impose. If elected, I would certainly consider the state model ordinance when evaluating the proposal, as I do not want to force more development across our borders.

Do you support the half-cent sales tax for transit? Please explain your position.

I reluctantly support the half-cent sales tax for transit because I do not believe the legislature will address our road needs sufficiently if voters repeal it. If they do repeal it, however, I will support developing a new plan instead of continuing our current transit plan with property taxes.

Do you support the implementation of an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance? Please explain your position.

I cannot speak to implementation without knowing the specific language of a proposed ordinance, but I do support considering one. Once we define “adequate” for Charlotte, I believe an APFO could be used as a valuable tool in focusing government on properly meeting its obligation to provide adequate public facilities.

Local governments throughout the region are considering a number of policy changes that will have negative impacts on housing affordability (i.e. Post Construction Storm Water Ordinances, Urban Street Design Guidelines, Adequate Public Facility Ordinances, New Home Architectural and Design Requirements, Open Space Mandates, etc.). What should a local government do to ensure a variety of housing choices exist among all income levels?

That is difficult to answer in fewer words than the question itself. Charlotte should limit its regulations to those that are necessary and beneficial for the whole city. We should evaluate each proposed regulation against the total impact of all regulations, not simply the incremental impact of the proposal.