Orange County NC Website
<br />She wanted to highlight haw little Orange County is getting in the State TIP. Orange County <br />does not ask for a lot of money, partly because we emphasize alternative modes of <br />transportation, and she said that she understands that money is tight. She distributed some <br />information about the STIP, which included allocations to counties. She said that Doug Galyon <br />of the N.C. Board of Transportation agreed that Orange County was not getting very much, and <br />that he would keep that in mind. <br />Commissioner Gordon distributed another chart that shows N.C. Transportation Tax <br />Return Rates by county. She said that Orange County is a donor county in this context. She <br />said that she thought that the Board of County Commissioners needed to know this. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that there is an initiative going on to look at transit again, <br />since the Triangle Transit Authority decided not to pursue funding far the regional rail project. <br />The Metropolitan Planning Organizations are charged with long-range transportation plans. <br />She said that they are trying to look at a joint effort with the two MPO's cooperating. There has <br />been agreement that CAMPO and DCHC will have a joint committee for recommending regional <br />transit projects. The details have not been finalized, but DCHC will be appointing ten people <br />and CAMPO will appoint fourteen people. The deadline for submitting nominations for this <br />committee will be February 7tn <br />Commissioner Jacobs thanked Commissioner Gordon far all of her work on <br />transportation. He thinks that Orange County taxpayers should get their fair share, but he thinks <br />that it is clear that there are other counties that need help. Regarding regional planning, he <br />would hope that the County Commissioners start talking about the fact that the tang-range <br />transportation plans that have been on the table so far are not going to bring any equity to <br />Orange County anytime soon. He said that he is in favor of regional solutions, but he does not <br />know how it helps him to have a rail between Durham and Raleigh. He thinks that with Carolina <br />North and the need for public transportation, it may be important to try and realize some of the <br />funding for public transportation that addresses directly what will happen in Orange County. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that an February 5th, the EflandlMebane Work Group will <br />have a meeting at Gravelly Hill's library at 6:30 p.m. to bring to the people who live in the <br />economic development district the zoning proposal that addresses concerns about maintaining <br />a residential presence in an area that is currently zoned commercial. He said that if three <br />County Commissioners want to attend, he will ask the Clerk to advertise it as a County <br />Commissioners' meeting. <br />Commissioner Jacobs thanked Commissioner Foushee, Jay Bryan, Bernadette <br />Pelissier, Lisa Stuckey, Craig Benedict, and others who participated in the Carolina North <br />meetings. He said that the papers ignore the fact that Orange County was at the table. He said <br />that there was discussion about achieving full cost of services and agreed that since there is <br />going to be a technical study of what service costs are going to be, then it would not be <br />specified. However, they made the strong case that the County expects to recover the full cost <br />of services provided, just as in the case of the University insisting that OWASA achieve full cost <br />of services from all of its customers. He said that the Orange County representatives also <br />advocated for public transportation as a default option for Carolina North, and the other <br />governments embraced this. They also made the argument that open space had an inherent <br />value in and of itself. He said that in the last iteration, the University agreed without comment to <br />put a conservation easement on those natural areas that are identified through study as the <br />most significant, and to allow another party to bald the easement. This totally passed by the <br />media. He said that the Orange County representatives also advocated for a living wage, <br />childcare, and a sustainable community. <br />Commissioner Jacobs reported on the Hillsborough Strategic Plan and distributed a <br />handout. The group met again after the public hearings and decided to do away with maps. <br />There will be a simple bubble map showing what was envisioned and a second step would be <br />