transit tax
In a February work session of the county commissioners, Chapel Hill mayor Mark Kleinschmidt took the podium to present a sweeping overview of the past 25 years of his town's approach to land use planning. Speaking with the didactic urgency we now expect from Kleinschmidt when he's both prepared and fired up, the mayor encouraged the commissioners to maintain their commitment to long-term planning for public transportation by adopting the Orange County transit plan.
After years of planning and community discussion, the Orange County Board of Commissioners recently placed a referendum on the November ballot for a half-cent sales tax to support public transit. Together with state and federal contributions, the new revenue will support a 20-year investment in bus and rail service in Orange County. There are many reasons to support the transit tax, like reducing the environmental degradation wreaked by overreliance on car travel and the sprawl it generates. Often overlooked are the benefits of public transit for marginalized populations.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners will vote in May, one week after the primary election, whether to put a half-cent transit tax on the ballot for voters to decide. The transit tax is a critical component of our region's long-term transit and growth plans, and it's time for Orange County voters to join Durham County and vote for expanded transit service to ensure a more sustainable Orange County in the future.
Orange County today announced that two public hearings on the transit tax and overall transit plan will be held in April. The hearings are designed to elicit feedback from members of the public on how the County should approach transit in the coming years. They will be part of regularly-scheduled meetings of the County Board of Commissioners, and will have two general parts.
First, a presentation will be given to detail various elements of the plan: the legislative issues involved in issuing the tax, the partnership with Durham County, the revenues, the expenditures, the timeline, etc. Second, members of the public will have the chance to speak on the plan by making comments, offering suggestions or posing questions.
The first hearing will be held in Hillsborough on April 3 at the Social Services in Hillsborough Commons. The second hearing will be at the on April 17 in Chapel Hill at the Southern Human Services. Be sure to come out and urge the commissioners to support transit and put the tax on the ballot this Fall!
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