Voters will decide billions in bond measures

Voters in Baltimore, Raleigh and Wake County, and Charlotte are being asked to approve substantial bond borrowing for affordable housing, transportation and infrastructure, with education projects also on ballots in Baltimore and Wake County. Baltimore’s $280 million package has drawn criticism from a fiscal watchdog who says spending is difficult to track and that some routine school repairs should be funded through annual budgets; the city already carries about $3 billion in debt. Raleigh’s two $101.5 million bonds would fund housing and transportation, and the city says they would not directly raise taxes, although its budget includes a separate property-tax increase. Wake County’s school and community-college bonds would raise property taxes, while Charlotte’s $425 million package for housing, transportation and neighborhood projects is designed to avoid a tax increase. Across the proposals, the scale and uses of borrowing—and how transparently projects are funded—are central considerations for voters.