Minutes 04-17-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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of Chapel Hill Transit in 1974 and the successful transit property tax referenda in Chapel Hill in 1974 and Carrboro in 1975. My wife has lived in Durham, Orange, and Wake Counties since 1977, and my father lived in Orange County from 1941 to 1943. 1 urge you to place the issue before the voters of Orange County in a referendum. The local motor vehicle registration fee that you can separately implement will be totally up to local discretion within Orange County on its expenditure, but the half-cent sales tax is a part of a regional plan to improve mobility within and between the three Triangle counties. The authorization was approved by wide margins in the General Assembly after a comprehensive study. The proposed light rail between Durham and Orange County will be built ONLY if there is federal funding. While we do not know if this will be approved by Congress, we do know that without a successful referendum it will not be approved. Regardless, in the early years the sales tax money will be used, as it was in Mecklenburg County in the eight years before their light rail opened, for a rapid expansion of inner-city and intra-city bus service. The light rail is currently planned to stop at UNC Hospitals because that is the biggest employee and visitor destination in the county. A stop at the Smith Center will also serve events there and at Kenan Stadium. Durham County voters approved by a more than 60-40% margin last October the tax based on the plan for expansion of bus service, light rail to Orange County, and commuter rail to Wake County. I know there is concern with rural vs. urban issues within Orange County, but this is at heart an urban transit program. You should simultaneously be urging a greater proportion of your bus funds with the registration fee and bus hours under the sales tax to improve mobility for your many rural residents who work in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Durham, and connectivity along the Mebane-Hillsborough-Durham corridor. Rural vs. urban funding was an active issue 40 years ago when I held elective office in Orange County—for example, Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents pay through their property tax most of the costs of the Sheriff's Department, yet its patrolling benefits almost solely the unincorporated areas. Additionally, the sales tax allows capture of revenue from many Chapel Hill/Carrboro residents who may live in tax exempt housing but are consumers. I'll also echo past remarks of some residents who may in fact not favor the tax itself— let's vote at the time of highest turnout, not in the 2013 municipal elections. Let's look at the big picture." Jason Baker asked on behalf of the Orange/Chatham Sierra Club to place this item on the referendum for the public to vote on. He said that he is a commuter by bus on a daily basis to Raleigh but buses are not enough because of traffic congestion. He said that they need light rail and people need to be given a choice. It is important to move forward as soon as possible. Harry Johnson is a member of the Tarheels for Transit at UNC and he said his roommate graduated from UNC Asheville in 2009 and now lives in Chapel Hill and has trouble finding a job, so he works weekends and nights and does not have a car. Since he does not have a car, this limits his options and the area needs more bus hours and light rail. Travis Creighton echoed what had been said. He said that buses are not enough. He asked the Board to put this referendum on the ballot. Marty Mandell said that the heart of this issue is growth. She said that light rail in Orange County would not be improving the quality of life at this time. She would like Orange County to get better and not necessarily bigger. She is in favor of a green solution. She suggested a loan guarantee program for fuel-efficient cars. She also suggested a for-profit ride share program for commuters. She said that she does support the '/2-cent sales tax, but she hopes it will be used in the right manner.