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Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />RESOLUTION <br />In Support of <br />"Triangle Transit Authority's Continued Regional Bus Service <br />to Rural Orange County" <br />WHEREAS, according to the latest population figure, more than 52,000 persons <br />reside in rural Orange County (outside the Chapel HilUCarrboro city limits) <br />representing 46% of the county population, with these numbers <br />expected to rise at a rate of 2.5% per year; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commission strives to provide the rural <br />Residents of Orange County with access to needed services and <br />opportunities with transit programs inside and outside of the county; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners established the Orange Public <br />Transportation (OPT) to serve the rural residents of the county with para- <br />transit and public mobility services, and are in the process of updating the <br />Community Transportation Improvement Plan; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners supported the creation of the <br />Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) to improve regional transportation for <br />all of Orange County and has appointed a Commissioner to represent its <br />interest on the TTA Board of Directors; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners supported a Triangle Transit <br />Authority route to connect Hillsborough to Durham/Duke in August, 2001 <br />and opposes the elimination of this route by TTA as proposed due to low <br />ridership and to save TTA $64,500 in operation expenses; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners also supported the collection <br />of a $5.00 annual vehicle registration fees from county residents to support <br />regional transit service, which according to the range County Tax <br />Collector, has provided estimated revenue at over $300,000 (based on over <br />60,000 vehicles registered in the rural sections of the county outside Chapel <br />Hi1UCarrboro) per year to support regional transit services; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners believe that the goals of <br />regional service equity, improved route performance, and increased <br />interagency planning and coordination can all be achieved by allowing <br />evaluation by TTA and OPT of a reconfiguration of the Durham/Duke <br />route, and the absorption of a Chapel HilUCarrboro route, currently being <br />operated by OPT but seen as a regional responsibility of TTA, and <br />