Charlotte has a county-manager form of government with a mayor and 11 council members elected every two years in November, and a professional city manager to run the day-to-day operations. It is the city manager’s responsibility to ensure that all City services are delivered in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

The City of Charlotte is currently divided into seven districts, each one having a district representative on City Council. Each representative is elected by the voters living in that district. Not sure what district you’re in?

The nine-member Board of County Commissioners is the governing body of Mecklenburg County. Elections are held in November of even-numbered years with six commissioners elected by district and three commissioners elected at-large.

Routes are color coded for the type of service. Local and neighborhood shuttles are represented by GREEN, express routes are in RED and the rail line is represented by the line color, BLUE.

LYNX has 26 stations, including 11 Park and Ride locations. Parking is free at most of the LYNX park and ride locations. To determine which stations have a park and ride, look for the “P” Sign on the LYNX Blue Line map.

The Gold Line connects to the Charlotte Transit Center, providing easy connection to the LYNX Blue Line and CATS bus services. This is a free service, so there is no pass needed. Simply arrive at the station and wait for the rail vehicle behind the yellow textured warning strips.

The Mecklenburg County greenway system is quickly becoming one of the finest in the nation. Greenways are linear parks that connect people and places. Greenways are vegetated natural buffers that promote water quality, help reduce the impacts of flooding, and provide wildlife habitat. Greenway trails provide recreation, transportation, fitness, and economic benefits for all to enjoy. There are currently 49 miles of developed greenway trails in Mecklenburg County, with more being built every year.

Mecklenburg County has over 200 public, magnet, charter, and private schools which serve over 200,000 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) operates the public schools, as well as several nontraditional schooling options.

Garbage and yard waste are collected weekly, on your assigned day. If you aren’t sure, you can use the address search to find your day. All collection items need to be placed curbside no sooner than the day before your scheduled collection day and no later than 6:00 am day of collection.

Recycling is picked up every other week on your assigned day. This service is free for residents and a bin is provided. Mecklenburg County has a robust recycling program that ranks in the top 10 out of 100 Counties in N.C. for the successful recovery of recyclable materials per person.