Sixty-four to five. That's how the regional planning board voted Wednesday night to put the I-77 South toll lanes back on track — and the number hides more than it tells.

Davidson Mayor Rusty Knox, the board's vice chair, resigned after the vote. Matthews Mayor John Higdon resigned the day before it. Davidson voted yes and said on the record it was voting under duress. Mecklenburg County and Matthews voted no.

Today's episode walks the mechanism: a provision lawmakers slipped into the July state budget that makes local governments repay what the state has already spent if they kill a project. Charlotte was staring at a bill between $59 and $69 million. The board that voted no in May voted yes in September. Whether you call that good governance or coercion probably depends on what you already thought about toll lanes.

Plus: Mecklenburg County Commissioner Leah Altman on why she doesn't think the $300 million community benefits agreement is airtight.

Also in today's briefing:

— State Auditor Dave Boliek walked into CMS unannounced and confirmed a financial investigation that has been running three weeks — predating both the DA's SBI referral and the superintendent's firing.

— Queens University of Charlotte is merging into Elon and becoming "Elon University | Queens College." The presidents did not rule out job cuts.

— Festival in the Park opens Friday at Freedom Park.

CLT Daily is an independent daily news briefing for Charlotte, hosted by Steve Bouboulis. New episode every morning.

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The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board fired Superintendent Crystal Hill Tuesday night, 5-4, after a separate 5-4 vote just to put the firing on an agenda it wasn't on. The termination was "for convenience" — a contract term meaning no reason is required, and none was given. Hours earlier, board chair Stephanie Sneed resigned the chairmanship but kept her seat. The district's acting superintendent is Melissa Balknight, who announced her own retirement nine days ago, effective January 1. Also: the regional planning board votes tonight on the I-77 toll lanes, and a question about the investigation summary the board promised by September 30 — which came off Tuesday's agenda.

CLT Daily — Charlotte's independent daily briefing. New episodes every morning. cltdaily.com

Sources this episode: WFAE, WBTV, WSOC, WCCB, City of Charlotte, Festival in the Park.

CLT Daily is written, hosted and produced by Steve Bouboulis, an independent journalist covering the Queen City. Got a tip, a document, or a story the city isn't telling? Reach him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebouboulis/

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Charlotte City Council voted 7-4 Monday night to put the I-77 South toll lanes back in motion, reversing May's 6-5 decision to kill the $4 billion project. The two votes that moved were Malcolm Graham and Joi Mayo — and Graham explained his by saying he understands the power of the state, understands the legislation, and doesn't agree with it either. That's a councilman voting yes while telling you the law left him no room. The regional planning board votes Wednesday. Also: the CMS board meets tonight on removing its chair, with the superintendent investigation summary quietly off the agenda; state regulators deny Duke Energy a $584 million gas turbine next to Amazon's data center campus; and Charlotte's first Wegmans gets an opening date.

CLT Daily — Charlotte's independent daily briefing. New episodes every morning. cltdaily.com

Sources this episode: WFAE, WCCB, WRAL, WSOC, The Charlotte Ledger, NC Utilities Commission, Wegmans.

CLT Daily is written, hosted and produced by Steve Bouboulis, an independent journalist covering the Queen City. Got a tip, a document, or a story the city isn't telling? Reach him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebouboulis/

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.