Agenda 04-16-2019 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

32 1 ■ Durham County included on Regional Project(s) 2 ■ Municipal Partners Involved in Plan Development 3 o Light Rail Discontinuation Plan 4 ■ Process Started 5 ■ Staff Team Meeting to Discuss Operational Details - April 5 6 ■ Go Triangle Board of Trustees Meeting —April 24 7 ■ Eventual Termination of the Cost Share Agreement 8 9 Manager's Recommendation 10 • Board Approval to Discontinue the Durham-Orange Light Rail Project 11 . Authorization for Staff to Define a Process to Amend the Orange County Transit Plan 12 through the Staff Working Group 13 14 Public Comment: 15 Linda Brown said she lives in Chapel Hill, and as Orange County goes forward she 16 requested that Board of County Commissioners build in tax protection for residents of Orange 17 County, and fund new routes and new and a carbon free transportation system. 18 Commissioner McKee asked if GoTriangle will provide the County with shut down costs 19 pretty soon. 20 Travis Myren said he will find out on Friday, and can send the Board an email with the 21 timeline. He said GoTriangle has already started shutting down. 22 Commissioner Marcoplos said John Talmadge, GoTriangle, said the consultant 23 contracts are winding down, and if they were to keep spending, as if the plan was going 24 forward, then borrowing would start in August; as such they are shutting down contracts as 25 quick as they can. 26 Commissioner McKee clarified that there are no termination damages on these 27 contracts. 28 Travis Myren said that is correct 29 Commissioner McKee referred to the interlocal agreement and said a lot of it deals with 30 the light rail portion of the plan. He asked if this plan will be extensively re-negotiated to gain 31 greater input from Orange County as a whole. 32 Travis Myren said the interlocal cost share agreement only applied to the light rail, and 33 once all bills are paid, this agreement will be terminated. He said if there is a subsequent 34 regional project that comes through the amendments to the Durham and Orange transit plans, 35 then another cost share agreement can be completed. He said they need to start from scratch 36 as to what these local plans will look like. He said there will be extensive public participation as 37 transit plans are developed. 38 Commissioner Dorosin asked if in the interim, between now and when the new plans are 39 developed, would the current transit plan remain in place. 40 Travis Myren said yes. 41 Commissioner Price asked if staff can provide an explanation for why the transit tax 42 (previously assigned to light rail expenses) will stay. 43 Travis Myren said there is not an automatic sunset on the transit sales tax, and the 44 funds will be reallocated to an amended transit plan. He said he can provide the Board with the 45 process that would need to occur in order to terminate the article 43 sales tax. 46 Commissioner Price said residents are asking why a tax that was intended for light rail 47 expenses would remain in place when the light rail project is not proceeding. 48 Commissioner McKee said he assumes there would need to be another referendum to 49 terminate the tax.