Minutes - 03-06-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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a $4.00 increase in the vehicle registration fee effective 2004. He said that there was a goad chance that TTA may not need all of the $4.00 vehicle registration fee increase. Wake, Orange, and Durham Counties and the special tax boards must all approve the fee increase. He said that TTA would be tripling its bus service. The first phase of the regional rail project will be running in 2008. The project is expected to cast around $750 million - $390 million in federal funds, $100 million in TTA funds, $89 million in debt, and $175 million in state funds. He said that the vehicle registration fee increase was not for the regional rail project. The rental car tax is sufficient to pay far TTA's share and to retire the debt over time. He said that the expansion of the bus service was driving the need for the vehicle registration fee increase. He spoke about a bus route that would be added this summer from Hillsborough to Duke Medical Center. By the year 2005, there will be bus service from Hillsborough to Chapel Hill. He said that the present vehicle registration tax at $5.00 is generating a little over four million dollars a year. It is expected to grow with the rate of population growth to five million dollars a year by 2010. With the bus service expansion, TTA will need close to nine million dollars a year in public subsidies from the local and regional sources to keep the service running. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the buses and Jim Ritchey said that they were diesel- powered. He said that diesel engines were becoming remarkably cleaner over the years. He said that alternative fueled vehicles could not be used because of the range requirements. The buses travel about 450 miles per day. With the railed vehicles, the use of liquefied natural gas is being explored. Commissioner Jacobs asked for an analysis by the County Attorney of quick take authority and the pros and cans. Geoffrey Gledhill said that with quick take authority, the condemning authority owns the property upon filing the condemnation action. He said that if quick take authority is not used, some cases could take years. Commissioner Jacobs asked if Jim Ritchey had seen the analysis done by Karen Lincoln of Orange County's regional transit issues and haw Orange County may be served better in same of the ways in which TTA might soon operate in Orange County. Jim Ritchey would like to see this analysis. Commissioner Gordon said that she wanted to reiterate that, as the years have gone by, the amount of money for phase one has tripled and the time for beginning the project has been put back five years. She is concerned that this additional revenue is going to phase one, when Orange County is in phase two. She is very interested in seeing TTA in conjunction with the Metropolitan Planning Organization work on planning for phase two ar even phase three, and make some commitment about the dedication of the $4.00 fee to phase two at a time certain. Jim Ritchey said that phase two planning has been underway for four or five years in the 15-501 Major Investment Study. He said that he looks forward to working hard to find the dollars to build phase two. He said that the first step was to get the right plan for phase two. Chair Halkiotis would also like to see an analysis of the quick take ramifications to Orange County, and the pros and cons. The Board received the TTA report 11. APPOINTMENTS -NONE 12. MINUTES -NONE 13. CLOSED SESSION A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to go into closed session, "To consult with an attorney retained by the Board in order to preserve the attorney- client privilege between the attorney and the Board pursuant to G. S. 143-318.11(a)(3) in the case of Orange County versus CP&L." VOTE: UNANIMOUS 14. ADJOURNMENT With no further items far the Board to consider, a motion was made by Barry Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to adjourn the meeting.