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Attachment 2 7 <br /> DURHAM-CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO <br /> UM., METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION <br /> Member Organizations: Town of Carrboro•Town of Chapel Hill County of Chatham•City of Durham <br /> Durham County Town of Hillsborough NC Department of Transportation Orange County <br /> June 25, 2012 <br /> Bernadette Pelissier <br /> Chair <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> 4516 Mystic Lane <br /> Hillsborough, NC 27278 <br /> Dear MsWier; <br /> As you know,on June 13, 2012, the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization <br /> ,At L 4-11, <br /> (DCHC MPO)Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) approved the Orange County Bus and Rail <br /> Investment Plan in concept, stating that the MPO must have a role in the Implementation Agreement. <br /> While the TAC is supportive of the Bus and Rail Investment Plan and Orange County's decision to hold <br /> the sales tax referendum this fall, the TAC deferred final approval of the plan until there is clarification <br /> of the MPO's role in the Implementation Agreement. We directed MPO staff to work with Orange <br /> County and Triangle Transit to bring the agreement and final plan back to the TAC as soon as possible. <br /> As the alternate member for Orange County on the TAC, you participated in the TAC's discussion on this <br /> matter. MPO staff and every TAC member who spoke recommended that the MPO be a party to the <br /> agreement. You were supportive of this concern as well. You will recall that the motion that was passed <br /> was a compromise to the opinion expressed by Alice Gordon (Orange County's member on the TAC)that <br /> the MPO not be a party to the agreement. Other than this issue, no TAC members expressed any <br /> objections to adopting the plan. <br /> There are overwhelming, compelling reasons why the MPO should be a party to this agreement. It <br /> should first be noted that the Bus and Rail Investment Plan speaks to this very important issue. It states <br /> that the Implementation Agreement will detail the following areas: <br /> "(a)Annual review presentations of the activities and progress made in implementation of the <br /> Plan by Triangle Transit to the County and the MPO; <br /> (b)The process for review and vote by the County,the MPO and Triangle Transit's Board of <br /> Trustees or the role of the operating agency regarding any significant or substantial revisions to <br /> the Plan required by changes experienced in revenues received, capital costs, operating <br /> expenses, or other substantial issues affecting the Plan; <br /> (c) A recognition and preservation of decision making responsibilities of the operating agencies; <br /> Page 1 of 3 <br /> City of Durham• Department of Transportation• 101 City Hall Plaza• Durham, NC 27701 • Phone(919) 560-4366•Facsimile(919) 560-4561 <br />