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22 <br /> 1 equipment. She said the simplified boarding would make routes run more quickly, benefiting <br /> 2 passengers and drivers. She said the program would actually save about $32,000 annually. <br /> 3 Commissioner Portie-Ascott said she is supportive of the fare-free option. She asked what <br /> 4 times the fixed routes run, thinking about families who engage with the Juvenile Crime Prevention <br /> 5 Council, who identified transportation as a barrier to accessing services. <br /> 6 Sarah Williamson said the county runs fixed routes from 8:00 am-5:00 pm. She said on- <br /> 7 demand routes cost between $3 and $5, and would be more relevant for those clients. <br /> 8 Vice-Chair Fowler asked whether they'd still have cost savings during a pilot if the <br /> 9 equipment remained <br /> 10 Sarah Williamson explained the timing was particularly good because the operating <br /> 11 contract ended in July and they'd been going month-to-month, plus the fee collection equipment <br /> 12 was "at the end of life." If they were to continue collecting fees, they'd need new equipment <br /> 13 regardless. The $30,000 cost shown was annualized over the equipment lifecycle. <br /> 14 Commissioner McKee asked which company fees are collected through. <br /> 15 Sarah Williamson said UMO. <br /> 16 Commissioner McKee said he would just assume put fare-free fixed routes it in place going <br /> 17 forward instead of a one-year pilot program. <br /> 18 Commissioner Carter asked if savings from this can be applied to Mobility on Demand <br /> 19 rides, which could help with what Commissioner Portie-Ascott was mentioning. <br /> 20 Sarah Williamson said they could look at it, but noted those services cost $70-90 per <br /> 21 response while only charging $3-5. <br /> 22 Commissioner Greene supported the proposal, recalling from her time on the Chapel Hill <br /> 23 Town Council that the fare box was only a very small percentage of what it costs to operate a <br /> 24 system. She wondered why more systems hadn't gone fare-free and said she would be prepared <br /> 25 to vote to make it permanent. <br /> 26 Chair Hamilton said it is important to have a pilot because we don't know what the impact <br /> 27 will be on demand and how that will change the calculation of cost. She said she wants to be able <br /> 28 to manage the expectations of residents. <br /> 29 <br /> 30 A motion was made by Commissioner Bedford, seconded by Commissioner Greene, to <br /> 31 approve the fee changes and the implementation of a one-year pilot program for fare-free fixed- <br /> 32 route transportation service effective January 2, 2026. <br /> 33 <br /> 34 VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 35 <br /> 36 7. Reports <br /> 37 a. Update on Revaluation Appeals and Neighborhood Reviews <br /> 38 The Board approved fee changes to implement a one-year pilot program, making Orange County <br /> 39 Public Transportation (OCPT) fixed routes fare-free. <br /> 40 BACKGROUND: The Board of Commissioners received the second update on property tax <br /> 41 appeals and neighborhood reviews at the October 21, 2025 Business meeting. This report <br /> 42 provides a status update on the property tax appeals and neighborhood reviews that have been <br /> 43 completed through November 26, 2025, the value adjustments resulting from those reviews, and <br /> 44 the geographic distribution of both the informal and formal appeals. <br /> 45 <br /> 46 Appeal Status <br /> 47 The Tax Office received a total of 3,346 informal appeals during the informal appeal window that <br /> 48 was open from March 21 to April 30, 2025. Following the informal appeal window, the Tax Office <br /> 49 received an additional 1,109 formal appeals for a total of 4,455 appeals. Of that total, 3,966 are <br />