WFAE With apologies to Tennyson, in the spring a local government's fancy turns to budgets. The city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County released their spending plans this week, and the city budget moved forward with a plan to bypass the Arts & Science Council in funding local arts. Buried in the city budget proposal were details of a pay raise for the mayor and City Council members, one of whom apologized for comments about the 2040 plan. Mecklenburg County's budget proposal included a $56 million ultimatum for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. That's the amount the county is proposing to withhold from the school district until it provides a plan to close achievement gaps.