Minutes 12-11-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner McKee said that if the Board passes this motion they would be making the same mistake they have been doing for years and getting the priorities out of order. He said that Orange County did not coordinate with the Towns regarding the plans for transit before approving the Implementation Agreement. He said that the County did not work in concert with the Towns. Also, the County approved the $7 vehicle registration fee that has not been levied. Commissioner Gordon said that it is appropriate to consider recommendations to approve the three attached resolutions. Chair Jacobs said that the abstract is confusing and it does not lay the order of actions that Commissioner McKee is advocating. Commissioner Dorosin said that it was not clear that Commissioner Gordon was making a motion to levy the fee. He echoed what Commissioner Gordon said about the agreements and negotiations that had been made and the vibrant discussion of the community. He said that it would represent bad faith if the Board now backtracked. He said that Orange County would get into a bad place as a community if they only want to pay taxes for services that they do not need. He said that a lot of people pay school taxes and they do not have children. He said that he is in favor of approving the resolutions. Commissioner Price said that she is leaning toward Commissioner McKee's concerns. She said that the vehicle registration fee is a burden to some people. She said that there needs to be more robust bus service. She said that it is a lot of money to put into light rail at this time. Commissioner Rich said that she was on the Chapel Hill Town Council and they spoke about this plan in depth. She said that it is her understanding that the first monies that come in will go to bus transit. Wib Gulley verified this. Commissioner Rich asked how quickly the funds will be coming in and Wib Gulley said that it would be as soon as summer or early fall. Commissioner Rich said that she is strongly in favor of this and she is excited to vote for this. Commissioner Price said that the rural areas of the County are not getting the bus service that they deserve. She is really concerned that most of the funds are going to Chapel Hill. She would like to see more because Hillsborough and Efland have grown. There needs to be a more comprehensive bus service in this area. Chair Jacobs said that Chair Pelissier could not be here tonight but she has been supportive of this plan throughout. He made reference to Commissioner Gordon's point that the Board has already made all of these decisions. He said that there will be more robust bus service as the additional funds come forward. He suggested that these concerns be made known to Triangle Transit. He said that the light rail system will particularly serve workers. He said that he does not believe Triangle Transit has been forthcoming about implementing park and ride lots in Cedar Grove, Buckhorn, and the Eno EDD. These things are planned. He said that everything they do is not a quid pro quo and is not always based on where we live. He said that it is a group effort. Chair Jacobs said that he would suggest that the Board look at the second page of the abstract and the first decision is approving the '/2-cent transit tax; the second decision would be the $7 vehicle registration fee, which has two options and Commissioner Gordon made a motion regarding which option to use; and the third decision would be the $3 Triangle Transit vehicle registration tax. Commissioner McKee agreed with Commissioner Rich that the future is now. He said that approximately 30,000 people in Orange County said `no' to the '/2-cent sales tax. He made reference to the $7 vehicle registration fee and said that he is not aware of any other fee where people without access to cars will have to pay a fee for a service that will be provided