Minutes 01-25-2022 Virtual Assembly of Governments Meeting

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18 infrastructure. He said that this information is reported to the NC Department of Environmental Quality with NCDOT. Theo Letman said his department is involved with the long-range planning that is going on with the county. They are providing surveys and being a resource of information for consultants and residents. He said the department is involved with Medicaid transformation that is going on throughout the state. He explained that Medicaid has been privatized and now those entities provide trips, and they contract with local transportation providers. He said this has been a tough transition but that they continue to meet those challenges and provide services to constituents on Medicaid. Craig Benedict briefly touched on the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). He said that it will tie into how the counties plan is financially feasible and provides what could happen by 2040. Mayor Pro Tern Stegman thanked the presenters and asked for any questions. Council Member Ryan asked about the bus driver shortage and what issues remain. Brian Litchfield said it is still a significant problem for Chapel Hill Transit, as it as across the nation and region. He said any specialized license employment is hard to find right now. He said there are consistently 30-45 fulltime vacancies and that has forced adjustments to services. He said there have also been service adjustments due to absentees due to COVID infection protocols. He said some of those trip reductions are already coming back but that the effort continues. He said they are working with the town to adjust starting pay to 18.60/hour and he believes it will go along way to help but will not solve the shortage. He said the challenges will remain into next year. Mayor Weaver said she participated in an intergovernmental workshop for transit. She said the elected officials that participated did not have a clear understanding of the agreement. She said it was important for everyone to understand their roles and the parameters of the agreement. Mayor Weaver asked about the Orange County Transit Plan Update. She asked about the plan's structure and if it is still set up for a real dollar amount needed for resources while also having a visionary aspect for what the community would like to have. Mayor Weaver also asked about Mobility on Demand. She asked if there was a plan for a second circulator route in the county or if Mobility on Demand is the solution to the one-way circulator. Craig Benedict said the Orange County Transit Plan has moved to a more ambitious and visionary plan and that has been relayed to the consultant and the strategies have been renegotiated with them as well. He said they must start with what they have now and look at what investments could be made in the corridor if there are additional revenues. Theo Letman said there are still plans to expand on the circulator. He said the pandemic and supply chain issues have affected the department's ability to purchase and maintain vehicles. Council Member Berry asked about the increased costs due to delays for the North- South Rapid Transit. She said it seems like we are looking at continued increased costs due to delays associated with the state. She asked if$150 million is the correct cost and if the costs will continue to increase with delays. Brian Litchfield said that is correct and that the figure of$150 million assumes starting construction in 2026 and 2027. He said if they could build the project earlier, it would cost less. He said $150 million is a good estimate within the estimated timeline but that the more the project is delayed, it could increase. He said the challenge is that to ask for$100 million in federal money, they must already have non-federal money lined up. He said the transit plan is providing $14 million, but it does not provide as much revenue as other plans. He said there are