Orange County NC Website
not wish to adopt the bus and rail plan since there are several changes that were made to the <br /> document that was delivered to the Board last night. <br /> Commissioner McKee said that this information came out yesterday at 5:30 p.m. and he <br /> thinks that he would be doing a disservice to the citizens of Orange County if they do not <br /> consider this fully. <br /> VOTE: Ayes, 2 (Commissioner Yuhasz and Commissioner McKee); Nays, 5 <br /> MOTION FAILED <br /> Presentation by Triangle Transit: <br /> Triangle Transit General Manager David King said that this started about five years <br /> ago when Commissioner Gordon was Chair of the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan <br /> Planning Organization. The DCHC MPO came up with a vision for Wake, Durham, and <br /> Orange Counties. This vision is incorporated into the plan. He said that 95% of this <br /> information was seen by the Board last year. The only changes are due to a one-year delay in <br /> implementation and the financial adjustments that must be made. <br /> The Orange County plan is a chapter of a three-county regional plan — Durham <br /> County has approved its plan and Wake County is working on a draft. The plan contains <br /> several elements — bus service provided by Chapel Hill Transit, Triangle Transit, and Orange <br /> Public Transportation. The second element includes route enhancements on NC 86 in Chapel <br /> Hill. This will make the buses move more smoothly. The third element is the local share of the <br /> cost of the Hillsborough train station. This station is part of what the North Carolina <br /> Department of Transportation Rail Division was planning to do. The ability to cover the 10% <br /> local share is embedded in this plan. The fourth element is light rail, about three miles of it, <br /> starting at UNC Hospital and proceeding east to the Dean Smith Center and then to NC 54 and <br /> the Friday Center. There is an environmental study going on now to determine whether the <br /> route will continue north through Meadowmont or further east along NC 54. This decision will <br /> be made in the next year and a half. <br /> The financial plan includes the '/�-cent sales tax. This '/2 cent does not apply to food, <br /> medicine, gasoline, or utilities. This will only yield about $5.1 million a year. <br /> Triangle Transit Attorney Wib Gulley went through the two agreements, the "do not <br /> levy agreement" and the "cost sharing agreement." Regarding the Levy of Transit Sales Tax, it <br /> says that this agreement does not indicate approval of the Board of County Commissioners of <br /> the Orange County Transit Plan; it does not require the County Commissioners to schedule for <br /> a referendum; but it does say that Triangle Transit will not levy the transit sales tax in Orange <br /> County pursuant to Article 43 unless the Board of County Commissioners by Resolution <br /> requests TTA to levy this tax. This is Attachment 4, page 41. <br /> The Cost Sharing Agreement is on page 25 and is between Durham County, Orange <br /> County, and Triangle Transit. <br /> John Roberts said that this is the form that Durham County approved last night but is <br /> not in the form the Board of County Commissioners discussed at its work session. <br /> Wib Gulley reviewed the agreement points in the cost sharing agreement, which are <br /> incorporated by reference. Orange County's part of the local share would be $316.2 million. <br /> This reflects the percentages of 77.05% for Durham and 22.95% for Orange. <br /> John Roberts made reference to page 26, sections 3 and 4, and said that this <br /> document should incorporate all of the suggested changes in it with the exception of section 4. <br /> Commissioner Gordon had asked for the fees to be specified. He said that Articles 50 and 51 <br /> in Chapter 105 specifically reference those fees and the authorization of those fees. Rather <br /> than using House Bill 58 with the specific amounts, this section references Articles 50 and 51. <br />