It was a packed house last Wednesday evening at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center as the County Commission conducted a public hearing to determine whether or not to place a proposed referred measure on the November 4th ballot. Of the approximately seventy speakers, only eight turned out to oppose the measure including Jennifer Roberts, a one-term former Mayor of Charlotte and John Autry, a former Charlotte City Council Member and Representative in the North Carolina General Assembly representing East Charlotte. The rest was all positive noise!
Supporting the proposal was a broad group of individuals representing a cross section of Mecklenburg County. Mayors and Town Board members from around the region showed up to weigh in with their support. Others representing community interest groups such as Sustain Charlotte and the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance also spoke in favor as did Charisma Southerland, 2025 Canopy Realtor® Association President, Allen Dargins, Canopy Government Affairs Chair, Michael Foess, 2025 REBIC Chair, and Bryan Morales Casiano, NAHREP Charlotte Government Affairs Director.
The final vote was 8 to 1 to move the measure to the ballot which will allow the voters to decide whether or not to approve a one cent sales tax increase to fund major transportation infrastructure improvements within the region. Commissioner Susan Rodriguez McDowell, representing District 6, was the lone “no” vote.
Watch for the launch of the campaign to bring this goal to fruition on August 20th with “Yes FOR Meck.”
CHECK OUT THESE VALUABLE LINKS BELOW:
Charlotte Business Alliance PPT presentation outlining the entire referendum intentions.
Full video of the Charlotte Mecklenburg County Commissioners Meeting (August 6, 2025)
My Take: REBIC is proud of the way our members rallied to support us on August 6th. And it is proof that engagement along with focused advocacy can truly result in positive outcomes. We encourage you to look for, and participate in the launch of the “Yes FOR Meck” campaign on August 20th. Following the launch, toolkits and other campaign materials will be available for distribution. These materials will help you leverage and garner support within your sphere of influence. Let’s turn out the vote on November 4th and make this a reality!
Reproduced from NAHB.
Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Texas) has introduced the Homeowner Energy Freedom Act (H.R. 4758), NAHB-supported legislation that would repeal burdensome provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including a provision that provides states $1 billion to incentivize the adoption of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
Compliance with the 2021 IECC would make it much harder for home builders and multifamily developers to build housing that is available and affordable for American families. In fact, Home Innovation Research Labs has found that compliance with the 2021 IECC can add more than $20,000 to the price of a new home, but in practice, home builders have estimated increased costs of up to $31,000.
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced a companion bill (S. 333) in the Senate earlier this year.
My Take: The cost of housing continues to go up. Even as the regulatory burden, reflected in the cost of a new home, sits at about 25%. It’s higher than that for most multi-family units. We appreciate NAHB’s efforts in its attempts to scale back some of these misguided mandates and encourage you to review the bill and stay informed. And as always, REBIC will be watching the progress and providing input as those opportunities arise.
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