3 Important Things
- Small Biz Supports Raises. According to a poll conducted last month by Public Policy Polling (PPP) for the Small Business Majority, most small business owners support raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020. 52% of the respondents identified as Republicans or Republican-leaning independents. Business owners support the raise to boost economic growth among consumers. Even 58% of business owners responding who now pay some of their workers less than $12 an hour – and thus would be directly affected by a wage hike – support the increase.
- Bungled Budget. The fiscal year ended June 30th, and since then the state continues to run under a temporary budget that maintains current spending levels. The North Carolina House and Senate each formulated a version of this year’s permanent budget, and the next step in the process is for the two to meet to hammer out a compromise version. Usually this happens before the mid-August – when school starts – so that school systems know how much money they have to spend to staff and supply their classrooms. The problem is that the leaders assigned to do the compromising this year haven’t even met yet, much less started compromising. While the process has been known to drag on, the latest date a compromise budget was passed in the last ten years is August 11th.
- Bananas. Chiquita announced in January that it would relocate its headquarters to someplace more tropical. This past week it revealed that at least two of it’s divisions will be relocating to Florida. Bill Cronin, the City’s Economic Development Director recently invoiced Chiquita for the one million dollars it owes the City in incentives. Because Chiquita breached the agreement it made with the City of Charlotte to relocate and keep its headquarters here, Cronin points out, it’s required to repay the incentive money.
2 Happy Things
- For the first time since 1997 Charlotte has met EPA pollution standards for ozone. The EPA says that it will relax requirements that local gas stations sell fuel formulated to reduce ozone producing emissions, which should save you a few bucks at the gas station. When the fuel standards were relaxed in Greensboro and Raleigh last year, gas prices dropped about seven cents a gallon.
- Sugar Creek Brewing Company gained national recognition for its brews in the 2015 US Open Beer Championship!
1 Random Thing
- The deadline for filing campaign finance reports was July 31st and Jennifer Roberts has raised over $300,000.00 giving her a solid fundraising lead over the other candidates for Charlotte mayor.
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"It's good. I promise." - Emma
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"It's good. I promise." - Emma