Orange County NC Website
The Board considered a resolution endorsing the Regional Transportation Strategy report <br />for the Research Triangle region. <br />Planning Director Craig Benedict said that the Mayors of Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, <br />and Cary recognize that traffic patterns in the triangle are a regional issue. They set forth a <br />commission to study the problem, identify the issues, look at adopted plans, and put forth same ideas <br />concerning funding constraints and what options there are to resolve some of the long-term regional <br />issues. The report accented that they did not want to just focus on adding lanes to accommodate <br />more traffic, but that there should be different solutions such as managed traffic lanes, pedestrian <br />ways, bike ways, public transit, etc. The resolution is to endorse the regional plan. <br />Commissioner Brown expressed a concern that the report identifies new state funding <br />sources and suggests that possible revenues could be generated in the triangle region through <br />property taxes and the transfer tax. She asked if this has been discussed in depth. She is concerned <br />that property taxes or transfer taxes would be used to build mare roads. <br />Commissioner Gordon made reference to page 13 and the additional transportation <br />investments involved. She said that the surface streets were thought to be a local investment. She <br />suggested having a transportation work session to discuss the implications. She made reference to <br />pages 4, 5, 6 and 7 of Mayor Waldorf's memo that is made a part of these minutes by reference. <br />Page 5 explains what the regional transportation strategy is and is not. She quoted the memo as <br />follows: "It is not a proposal far any particular revenue source, however, it does assume that there <br />would be some revenue sources forthcoming." She said that this proposal would not be the final word <br />and each municipality would make the decisions about transportation in their community. She made <br />several modifications to the resolution, which were so noted by the staff. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he shares the concern about using property and transfer <br />taxes for funding transportation. <br />Commissioner Brown said that the hang up seems to be haw to pay far the transportation <br />improvements. She does not feel like she can buy into this because she could never support what it <br />says about using property taxes. More discussion is needed. <br />Commissioner Gordon suggested waiting until a work session to discuss this rather than <br />deciding it tonight. <br />Chair Halkiotis said that the issue of using property taxes far this kind of transportation <br />infrastructure may be okay far the Town of Cary, but the County has to worry about funding schools. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Carey to table <br />the resolution, work on it, and bring it back at a later time. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />c. Resolution Acknowledaina Durham Citv Sewer Facilities beina Extended into <br />Orange County for L&W Mobile Home Park <br />The Board considered acknowledging and granting permission for the extension of <br />Durham City public utilities into Orange County, as required by State statute, to serve L&W Mobile <br />Home Park. <br />County Engineer Paul Thames said that there are two areas in Orange County which are <br />served by Durham City public utilities -Duke Forest Mobile Home Park and the Bereny Mobile Home <br />Park an the north side of I-85. Piney Mountain is actually an OWASA operation in which there is a <br />collection system that pumps down Mt. Sinani Road. <br />Paul Thames said that the L&W Mobile Home Park is located just inside the eastern <br />border of Orange County between US 70 and Old NC 10. It is over 30 years old and has space for 41 <br />mobile units. The mobile homes in the park have been traditionally provided with wastewater <br />treatment services by several community conventional septic tank systems. These systems have <br />begun to fail over the last several years. The Orange County Health Department has been working <br />with the L&W Mobile Home Park to rectify the problems. There are two alternatives -require that the <br />mobile homes attached to a failing septic system be relocated out of the park ar to a portion of the <br />park that does not have failing septic systems; or extend sewer from Durham. Already seven homes <br />have been located out of the park and the Mobile Hame Park has been ordered to move another 14 <br />units from the park. The owner has appealed this order. There are some issues involved with the <br />