Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC)
Citizens Transit Advisory Group (CTAG)
Transit Services Advisory Committee (TSAC)
Long-term development planning of the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) as a regional system is based on the July 1998 "2025 Integrated Transit/Land-Use Plan for Charlotte-Mecklenburg", created by the City and County, with significant participation by the six suburban Towns (Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius, Pineville, Matthews, and Mint Hill). In November 1998, the citizens of Mecklenburg County approved the levy of a one-half cent sales tax to be used to finance public transportation systems. A Transit Governance Interlocal Agreement was negotiated and then signed in February 1999 between the County, the City and the six Towns. The Interlocal Agreement defines the relationships and mechanisms which guide the planning, financing and implementation of the 2025 Transit/Land-Use Plan.
The 2025 Plan and the Interlocal Agreement call for the involved local governments to share responsibility and accountability for regional transit services under five guiding principles:
- Coordinated transit operations on a countywide basis;
- Elected bodies to retain the responsibility of approving long-range transit planning and implementation;
- Public involvement;
- Representation of Town interests; and
- Flexibility and expandability to allow for integration of areas outside the County.
In order to facilitate fulfillment of the 2025 Plan in accordance with these guiding principles, the Interlocal Agreement mandated the establishment of a policy board, the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC). The MTC is composed of the mayors and managers of the City, the County and the Towns; and includes five non-voting members representing local governments outside Mecklenburg County to ensure regional involvement, and one non-voting member each from the North Carolina and South Carolina Departments of Transportation.
The MTC has responsibility for reviewing and recommending all long-range public transportation plans. It is staffed by the City of Charlotte Public Transit Department, and sets policy for transit planning and decision-making. The MTC reviews the transit system's operating and capital programs, and makes recommendations to the affected governments for their approval and funding of those programs. The MTC is a public body, and in addition to holding monthly public meetings, it conducts public involvement programs designed to gain community input on transit planning.
Current Members of MTC
MTC Meetings
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The Interlocal Agreement also called for the creation of the Citizens Transit Advisory Group (CTAG). This advisory body is made up of members of the community appointed by the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, the Charlotte City Council, each of the six Towns, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. It may include no elected official, and its members serve staggered two-year terms. The CTAG reviews long-range transit system planning and proposed operating and capital programs from the community's perspective, and makes recommendations to the MTC. While it is not a policy-making body, its recommendations to the MTC fulfill the requirement levied by the Interlocal Agreement that the MTC ensure public involvement in transit planning.
Current Members of CTAG
CTAG Meetings
CTAG Governance Study
A second advisory group has been established to review and make recommendations and provide input into short-range transit operations. The Transit Services Advisory Committee (TSAC) is made up of representatives appointed by the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and the six Towns. The TSAC focuses on day-to-day operations of the transit service to ensure that it meets the needs of the community. It makes recommendations to the MTC on issues within its sphere of interest, and acts as a vehicle to promote public involvement in short-term transit planning.
Current Members of TSAC
TSAC Meetings
