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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: March 22, 2012 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~_ <br />SUBJECT: Orange County Transit Plan - Oran e/Durham Transit Cost Share <br />DEPARTMENT: Commissioners Office PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENTS: INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Bernadette Pelissier, BOCC Chair, <br />245-2130 <br />Frank W. Clifton, Jr., Manager, 245-2300 <br />Craig N. Benedict, Planning Director, <br />245-2592 <br />PURPOSE: To consider authorizing the Board Chair to continue discussions with Durham <br />County officials towards a mutually agreed Light Rail Transit (LRT) finro county cost share <br />agreement. <br />BACKGROUND: Orange County's proposed Bus and Rail Investment Plan (OCBRIP) is a <br />mixture of transit modes; LRT, additional new and expanded bus service, dedicated bus lanes, <br />and small capital projects (such as park and ride lots and/or train or bus stations). The OCBRIP <br />is constrained by the revenue sources of a potential '/ cent sales tax and vehicle registration <br />fees. Therein, how much monies are allocated to the different transit modes are critical to <br />balance the comprehensive transit program. <br />The largest portion of the revenue would be expended on the construction and operation of LRT <br />which is proposed as a 17.4 mile segment between UNC Chapel Hill and Alston Avenue in <br />Durham. This expenditure is the vast majority of the revenue stream depending on how the <br />cost of the entire LRT line is shared between Orange County and Durham County (i.e. Orange <br />County/Durham County Cost Sharing Agreement). What cost share to Orange County affects <br />the revenues remaining for investment in the other elements of the OCBRIP. <br />OPTIONS <br />A contingent of Orange County and Durham County officials have been meeting over the last <br />couple months to `fine tune' an equitable cost sharing agreement. On March 15, 2012 at a <br />BOCC work session, five options were discussed and the middle or third option from the March <br />2, 2012 Orange County/Durham County informal meeting was conceptually chosen to proceed <br />towards finalization. This option proposes $316.2 million (100% with 50% federal, 25% state <br />and local shares each), or $79.05 million local Orange County share. Durham's complementary <br />share would be $1.0618 billion total which includes their $265.45 million local share. <br />