Minutes 02-23-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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such as park and ride lots, bus and rail transfer stations, etc. The Transit Plan is part of a process required by State law and must be approved by the Orange County Board of Commissioners, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (2), and the Triangle Transit Board of Trustees. Orange County intends to have a financial plan and "Interlocal Agreements" or Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with Durham, local governments, and Triangle Transit prior to the implementation of a tax if a potential public referendum is approved by voters. Staff will provide any other information at the meeting, and the Boards can discuss issues related to this item as necessary. Attachment 1-a-1 - Locally Preferred Alternative Summary Attachment 1-a-2 - Light Rail Transit Map Craig Benedict presented a map of Orange County and said that the red line is the train track that runs through Orange County. He said that the'h-cent mobility tax has been authorized by the State to put on a referendum to pay for regional mobility. The mobility should be spent on underserved areas and for human service needs. It could be used for augmented bus service and also light rail. Two weeks ago, Orange County agreed with the consent for a recommendation that the Locally Preferred Alternative on where the alignment of this fixed route service could be something from UNC South, to Mason Farm Road, out NC 54, past Meadowmont, up to a future village, up I-40, to Chapel Hill, and around the horn to Duke and over to Alston Avenue. The entities still need to decide on the financial plan for the Locally Preferred Alternative. The cost of this system is $1.4 billion overall, which would be paid 25% by the state, 50% by the federal government, and 25% by the local'h-cent sales tax. The Triangle Transit Authority wants to submit an application by August to ask for the funds for the light rail project. There will be a series of public hearings. Chair Pelissier thanked the citizens in Hillsborough that came forth at an earlier meeting about a train station in Hillsborough. She understands that a train station in Hillsborough is a high priority from DOT's perspective. Commissioner McKee asked if some of the money could be redirected to a commuter rail rather than all of it going to light rail and bus rapid transit. Craig Benedict said that there is a certain pool of money that would be created from the 'h-cent sales tax. It is hard to find more money besides the'/z-cent sales tax. Durham County would have more money for commuter rail because of the economic development in that area. Commuter rail is $20 million/mile and light rail is $8 million/mile. Commissioner McKee said that he is advocating for underserved areas if they are a priority in this issue. He wants to make sure they are serving all of the citizens of Orange County. Mayor Stevens said that there is interest in bus and circulator routes for this area and he said that the Town Board was also approached by the same group of citizens. Commissioner Jacobs agreed with Commissioner McKee to add it the commuter rail. He asked about the reaction of other Orange County transit partners to the idea that money would be taken out of the pie and put toward a train station in Hillsborough. Chair Pelissier said that monies would not come out of the bus pie. b) Hillsborough Circulator Route Update The in-town Hillsborough Circulator route began June 6, 2011 with a three year grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program. For the first year, NCDOT has waived the local match requirement of 20