Minutes 11-09-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Pelissier asked if there were any plans for RTP adding residential in the area. Craig Benedict said that there have been some meetings with the mayors and chairs in the RTP area and they are working on a master plan to try and plug in additional residential development. This is just a plan and has not hit the ground yet. Commissioner Gordon said that the entire segment in either Wake or Durham-Orange will not be put forward for federal funding. Whatever works the best will be chosen. Commissioner Jacobs said that there are three assumptions. One is that if these segments do not connect the County to the regional rail system, then what is the value in investing huge amounts of money in it? Secondly, if the %2-cent sales tax cannot be advanced next year, is there a geometric impact on the way in which this has been modeled? Third, if there is less or not federal and state support for mass transit, then where does this leave the transit plan? He said that maybe the County should go ahead and enact the license fee to help make public transit in Orange County more robust. This could be a parallel thought process. Craig Benedict said that they are working on some alternate scenarios such as if there is no light rail. He said that he could bring to the partnership some other alternatives. Commissioner Gordon said that there are two different questions: what can be done now according to the financial model, and what can be done with the revenues available without federal and state support. Chair Foushee said that the regional plan only works for Orange County if it makes sense to Orange County. She said that the County Commissioners need to move forward to make sure that how they feel about this regional plan becomes clear early. She said that she is not for a plan that does not make sense for Orange County. Commissioner Pelissier said that she has been worried about the speed at which this plan has been unfolding from the regional level. She said that she sees this as an opportunity to do the comprehensive planning at the local level since the referendum failed and there are no other monies at this time. She said that what was discussed in the Special Transit Advisory Commission was that the goal was to get people used to public transit and have it be successful before having the light rail. She thinks that it will be hard for Orange County citizens to accept that they will be paying for light rail in another county. Commissioner Jacobs said that he had made comments about how this would need to work for Orange County. If this light rail will not connect to RTP and other sites, then it cannot be promoted as regional rail. He said that the 1%-cent sales tax should come before the %2-cent for rail. He would rather have a lower grade plan that focuses on bus transit. He said that one entity that is missing is Duke, which is a huge employer for Orange County. He said that he would like to know from staff how they go about enacting a license fee. If there is a political philosophy in Raleigh of no new taxes, then the ability to enact this license in the future may be negated. Commissioner Gordon said it would be important to continue to have a regional approach transit. Commissioner Gordon also said that there are certain conditions that a county would need to meet before enacting a license fee. The Board agreed by consensus to allow staff to get information on the process for enacting this license fee. Commissioner Pelissier said that the County should still look at the long-range light rail planning and be ready in case the monies start flowing again in two years for transit. She would also like to work at the County level on the issue of fares. Chapel Hill is fare free, but the 420 line is not. She would like to have a model that is fair and equitable for everyone.