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2 <br /> Upon completion of the public comment period and subsequent Work Plan adjustments, the <br /> Staff Working Group will make a recommendation to the GoTriangle Board of Trustees which <br /> administers the Transit Tax District Funds and adopts the Work Plan as part of the GoTriangle <br /> Annual Budget. <br /> The draft FY20 Draft Work Plan is the first to be recommended following the discontinuation of <br /> the Durham-Orange Light Rail Project. No funding is recommended in the FY20 Draft Work <br /> Plan for this project. The Draft Work Plan contains several highlights that are intended to revise <br /> the long term strategy for public transportation in Orange County and result in a revised Orange <br /> County Transit Plan. Specific highlights include: <br /> 1. Funding to Develop a New Orange County Transit Plan <br /> The Work Plan recommends an initial investment of $500,000 to facilitate the process of <br /> creating a new Transit Plan. Using this framework, the County would provide funding to <br /> a third party consultant to assist with the transportation planning elements of the plan and <br /> to coordinate a public information process according to direction provided by Orange <br /> County. The contracting process may flow through the DCHC MPO to provide regional <br /> context while a local oversight group will guide and define local priorities. If this initial <br /> investment is approved, a more detailed scope will be developed in cooperation with the <br /> County's regional and local transit stakeholders, and a more detailed cost estimate will be <br /> established. <br /> 2. Future Funding Flexibility <br /> The FY20 Draft Work Plan does not spend all of the available estimated revenue. The <br /> Draft Plan currently projects a surplus of $3.8 million for FY20. These funds will rollover <br /> to future years and would be invested in the new transit priorities identified through the <br /> new Transit Plan. <br /> 3. Mobility on Demand <br /> The recommendations for Orange County Public Transit include the initial investments to <br /> advance a mobility on demand model to better and more efficiently serve the less <br /> densely populated portions of the County. This model will also be leveraged to serve the <br /> commuting population through the use of van pools and other smaller, more flexible <br /> modes of transportation. <br /> Proposed Participation in the Triangle Commuter Rail Feasibility Study <br /> The Transit Plans adopted by Wake County and Durham County included initial investments in <br /> a Commuter Rail Transit (CRT) project. Commuter Rail Transit uses existing railroad tracks to <br /> provide passenger rail service focused on peak commuting times. The initial scope of this <br /> project is envisioned to run thirty-seven (37) miles from Garner to downtown Raleigh, N.C. State <br /> University, Cary, Morrisville and the Research Triangle Park continuing to Durham. The longer <br /> term vision for this system would extend commuter rail service through Orange County to <br /> Alamance County. <br /> After the Draft Work Plan was developed, the GoTriangle Board of Trustees discussed including <br /> Orange County in the initial feasibility study to extend commuter rail in the Triangle region. <br />