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14 <br /> 1 Commissioner Price said climate change is going to lead to migration of people groups, <br /> 2 and she feels this is often overlooked. <br /> 3 <br /> 4 5. Public Hearings <br /> 5 NONE <br /> 6 <br /> 7 6. Regular Agenda <br /> 8 NONE <br /> 9 <br /> 10 7. Reports <br /> 11 <br /> 12 a. Orange County Public Transportation Short Range Transit Plan <br /> 13 The Board received a report on the Orange County Public Transportation Short Range <br /> 14 Transit Plan (draft) and recommendations for the final Report, in preparation for further <br /> 15 discussion and feedback at the Board's January 25, 2019 Retreat. <br /> 16 Theo Letman, Transit Director, reviewed the following information: <br /> 17 <br /> 18 BACKGROUND: <br /> 19 Orange County Public Transportation (OCPT) currently operates three fixed routes: <br /> 20 Hillsborough Circulator, Orange — Chapel Hill Mid-Day Connector, and Orange—Alamance <br /> 21 Mid-Day Connector. These OCPT fixed routes are financed through the Article 43 Tax District <br /> 22 funds. <br /> 23 <br /> 24 Article 43 Tax District funds provide an opportunity for Orange County residents, customers and <br /> 25 community partners to access an additional source of revenue with which to meet the needs for <br /> 26 financing public transportation systems. Recommendations are provided to maintain and <br /> 27 expand upon current service levels, based upon qualitative analysis and public outreach, <br /> 28 conducted over the course of a year, utilizing surveys, public meetings, information sessions <br /> 29 and websites. <br /> 30 <br /> 31 Due to the amount of new information contained in the report, staff will present the findings and <br /> 32 recommendations in anticipation of a policy discussion at the Board's annual retreat. <br /> 33 <br /> 34 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br /> 35 Orange County Public Transportation (OPT) provides transit service throughout Orange <br /> 36 County, <br /> 37 including both demand response and fixed-route service. Identifying performance of the existing <br /> 38 system, areas of unmet transit demand, assessing priorities of passengers, and prioritizing <br /> 39 service improvements with a limited budget are keys to addressing the needs of the community. <br /> 40 To ensure integrated, high performing transit service across the region, OPT's Short Range <br /> 41 Transit Plan (SRTP) assesses the market for transit service, operations in Orange County, and <br /> 42 prioritizes future recommendations. <br /> 43 <br /> 44 Existing Conditions <br /> 45 OPT currently operates three midday/off peak, weekday, fixed-route bus services in Orange <br /> 46 County—the Hillsborough Circulator, the Orange-Chapel Hill Midday Connector, and the <br /> 47 Orange-Alamance Connector, as shown in Figure ES-1. <br /> 48 <br /> 49 As part of the SRTP, an analysis was conducted to provide an overview of the operating <br /> 50 context <br />