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At its Monday meeting, Charlotte leaders approved next year’s $2.7 billion budget. Included are efforts to cut down on crime and funding for the arts as the city tries to come back after a year of COVID lockdown. Also, pay raises bring up salaries that had ranked low among comparable cities in the country.
WCCB Political Contributor, Mary C. Curtis is breaking down the budget for 2022 fiscal year and why you should care.
CHARLOTTE, NC — The latest budget proposal for Charlotte includes no plans for a property tax increase, a new way to fund the arts, and more money for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
WCCB Political Contributor Mary. C. Curtis is breaking down the $2.7 billion plan.
You can catch Mary C. Curtis on Sunday nights at 6:30 PM on WCCB Charlotte’s CW discussing the biggest issues in local and national politics and also giving us a look at what’s ahead for the week.
You can also check out Mary’s podcast ‘Equal Time.’
… when most people think arts and humanities, it usually conjures something a little snooty, out of reach and not at all essential. Cue video of the Broadway “Hamilton” cast, with the approval of audience members who have paid hundreds of dollars for a ticket, lecturing Vice President Mike Pence, and it certainly confirms a stereotype.
Truly, though, as someone who has sat in those orchestra seats — and that’s a show that needs no help surviving — the road there was paved with more than a few federal dollars.
CHARLOTTE, NC: The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is reaching out to the next generation of arts lovers. They’re holding a Family Day on January 11 from noon to 4:30 PM. It’s a chance for families to enjoy the museum and get hands on with creativity. It’s another event that Mary Curtis says is “Keeping It Positive”!
More Information: Discovery Place Science After Dark Improv Event
The subject of an HBO film and a Charlotte exhibition at the Mint Museum Uptown — which closes Jan. 6 — McIver opens up about her work, family and more.
Amanda Smith, 22, always knew that she loved to dance — to music, to TV shows, in grocery stores, everywhere — when she was a young girl growing up in Orange County, Calif. When she was 12, she got serious. That’s when she decided, she said, “I want to do this as a profession. … This had my heart.” She swept her computer analyst mother and accountant dad (“very analytical people”) into her dream and overcame their misgivings about the entertainment world, particularly classical ballet, the slice that still lacks many prominent role models for African American women.
