Minutes 01-25-2022 Virtual Assembly of Governments Meeting

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20 ridership. He said he would also send that information to the governing boards. He said Sunday service has been asked for by the public for years. Commissioner Hamilton asked why the state's funding has been delayed. Craig Benedict said the state received less gas tax and has only let 1 in 10 projects go through. He said the funding program is starting over and that Chapel Hill's project will compete in the next round. Brian Litchfield said prior to the pandemic, NCDOT had significant funding challenges, which were exacerbated by the pandemic and the drop in driving and gas tax revenues. He said NCDOT has a $5 billion budget, of which $58 million goes to transit. Commissioner McKee noted the dire financial issues of NCDOT of recent years and said they have really struggled with finances. He said the transit tax is still in place and we are slowly building a fund balance. Craig Benedict said the county receives $9 million a year for transit planning purposes. He said those come from Article 43 and car rental and registration taxes. He said that over half goes to support existing services. The other half has been allocated for bus rapid transit. He said $4 million a year does not generate a lot of service. He said those funds are being placed in fund balance to plan for the next 3-4 years and hopefully be used in conjunction with federal funding. He said after the commitment to bus-rapid transit is completed, then they can open additional bus services to the county. He said there is also $1 million for the Hillsborough train station. He said the light rail was paid for with long-term loans but when you strip away those loans and the revenue base, there is only about $9-$10 million going forward. Commissioner McKee said that inflation also must be factored in and noted that those revenues will not actually be available to spend at their estimated dollar amount. Commissioner Fowler said she agreed with Commissioner Greene about combining the land use plan and transit plan. She said she was pleased that the bus drivers are going to be offered more pay but that she was concerned about stealing bus drivers from the school system and that a reduction in bus drivers could result in additional cars idling in the student pickup lines. She praised the Mobility on Demand service for providing vaccination transportation and waiting for patients while they are being observed. She also expressed appreciation for making bus stops more accessible. Council Member Miller-Foushee asked about transit connectivity to trails. Brian Litchfield said many bus stop improvements are related to connectivity. He said they work with Parks and Recreation departments closely to look at connectivity to greenways and trails. He said they also work closely with development projects to make sure bus stop access is available. He said that the short-range transit plan focus is built around providing access to financial and environmentally sustainable transit. Theo Letman said that Mobility on Demand and Mobility as Service are both concepts. He said the pandemic has forced transportation agencies to do things differently. He gave an example of a house-bound person who could receive groceries and supplies via a public transportation system. He said they need to hear from the public about their needs and what future service might look like. Council Member Slade said he wanted to make sure the elected officials are keeping an eye on the reality that those state funds may not materialize. He said that they should be ready to consider cutting their losses and determining if the costs could be shouldered without those funds and be completed sooner. He said that they should make that assessment because he does not have faith in the state leadership. Mayor Pro Tern Stegman thanked everyone for the comments and staff for their work.