Agenda - 12-08-2011 - Attachment 2

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June 22"d. She said that staffs have givengood overviews tonight. She suggested having a discussion and moving forward on June 215. Chair Pelissier said that she would like to see comments on the balance of the additional bus hours and the capital expenditures and if this plan meets the needs of the Orange County residents. The other area is the cost sharing and what is being proposed. She said that they might want to consider the varying costs of the light rail line versus bus hours. Commissioner McKee said that there seems to be a significant increase in bus hours in the first three years. He asked what these usage projections were based on. Craig Benedict said that the total plan is 75,000 hours distributed regionally, locally, etc., and there are several iterations. Commissioner McKee said that if there is any part of this plan that he supports it is the bus component. He said that he is concerned that routes and bus hours are going to be increased without an increase in unique riders. Craig Benedict explained that this will be reevaluated as it becomes a living document. Commissioner McKee said that the Chapel Hill Transit system is fare free and he asked if it is sustainable in the long run to have a fare free system. Patrick McDonough said that the key point is that the fare is being paid for by taxes but this policy drives the ridership. It is the assumption that only Chapel Hill Transit will remain fare free. Commissioner Yuhasz said that this is overwhelming since he has not been involved in this process over time. He asked to see a chart with the numbers of the different levels of spending. He said that this financial plan assumes something greater than 90% funding is coming from someone else. He asked if there was a Plan B if the.90% disappears. David King said that this is the question that is on everyone's mind. He said that they are on version 8 of this plan. If the funding falls through, then there would only be buses and no light rail. Discussion ensued on the different financial iterations. Chair Pelissier asked for Commissioner Cordon's perception on bus hours with this financial plan. Commissioner Gordon said that she would like for the County Commissioners to look at the information and give her some feedback. She would like to move forward as a Board with this when there is consensus. This plan is important for mobility and for the environment. Chair Pelissier said that the County Commissioners should keep in mind that both the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro have endorsed this financial plan, which means that they like the number of bus hours. This is an important point. The Town of Hillsborough has not yet reviewed it. UNC is also supportive of this financial plan. There certainly needs to be public input on the bus plan. Commissioner Foushee said she agreed with all the points made by Commissioner Gordon and she would not want to miss an opportunity to put a plan forward. She said that she has some of the same concerns as Commissioner McKee related to what to expect from the federal government. As the region grows, she wants the County to be a part of the planning process. She wants to move forward with a transportation plan that works for Orange County. Commissioner Jacobs said that, for the most part, he agreed with Commissioner Foushee. He also wants to ratify the comment that the Chair made regarding the fact that the Board has not heard from the public yet. He said that he would like to try and have a schedule to make a decision in some manner that the County Commissioners can signal to Durham County so that it can put it on the ballot knowing that Orange County is supportive too. Fie said that no one can predict the future, but they should try and get to a place where they are 15