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Orange County Transit Plan and Proposed Commuter Rail Update.
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Contributor:
Organization:
Brian Litchfield, Director
Chapel Hill Transit
Nick Pittman, Transit Planning Manager
Jay Heikes, Senior Transportation Planner
GoTriangle
Overview: The Orange County Transit Plan (the plan) was last updated and adopted in 2017. It contains a program of transit services and projects to be funded by local revenues for transit in Orange County through 2045.
The plan needs to be updated due to the discontinuation of the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit project and the Interlocal Implementation Agreement for the Plan requires it to be updated every four (4) years. The plan directs the spending of four dedicated revenue streams:
* Article 43: Half-Cent Sales and Use Tax
* Article 50: Five-Percent Vehicle Rental Tax for Regional Transit Authority
* Article 51: Three-Dollar increase to GoTriangle Regional Vehicle Registration Fee
* Article 52: Seven-Dollar County Vehicle Registration Fee
The revenue sources in the plan were expected to generate around $8.5M in FY21 and $8.9M in FY22.
Orange County Transit Plan funding is critical to the annual operating budget of Chapel Hill Transit, providing around 10% of our annual operating budget (including the expansion of Sunday Service). It has helped meet vehicle replacement needs, fund bus stop improvements and provide the local match ($14.1M) for the North South Bus Rapid Transit Project.
The Board of Orange County Commissioners approved a planning framework for updating the Transit Plan in 2019. They also developed a Policy Steering Committee to provide guidance on the vision and goals of the Transit Plan Update and help prioritize the types and quantities of service improvements and infrastructure investments that will best serve the communities they represent. The Committee includes:
* Barbara Foushee, Town of Carrboro Council Member
* Michael Parker, Town of Chapel Hill Mayor Pro Tem
* Mark Bell, Town of Hillsbo...
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