The Charlotte City Council agreed Monday to increase the NASCAR Hall of Fame budget by $32 million to boost exhibits and pay for unexpected building costs. The 9-2 decision came after council members chastised city staff and other hall planners for not telling them sooner about the price hike. Council members complained of early, “lowball” estimates of the exhibit costs. They asked how the extra money would help attendance. And they said they felt trapped. “It would be helpful if we had a heads-up earlier than we did this time,” said Mayor Pro Tem Susan Burgess. But in the end Burgess voted for the increase, saying the hall should be “whiz-bang on day one.” She also pointed out that paying for it will not affect property taxes. She was joined by council members Warren Cooksey, Andy Dulin, Nancy Carter, Warren Turner, John Lassiter, Edwin Peacock and Anthony Foxx. Council members Patsy Kinsey and Michael Barnes opposed the increase. Kinsey said she could not support it while residents are worrying so much about the economy. “I just in good conscience can't vote for $32 million,” she said. The vote brings the project's total cost to $195 million – all of it paid for by a mix of hospitality taxes and money from land sales. Most of the project's funding comes from a hotel room tax that can not be used for anything else. Of the additional money, $17 million will be used to improve the range of exhibits in the building, which is schedul ...
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