Students show support for town transit tax

The fate of a half-cent sales tax increase referendum in Orange County might depend on an unlikely source of support this election year — students.

The tax, which will appear on the ballot this November, is expected to generate $163 million by 2035 for upcoming Triangle Transit projects.

The tax has garnered support from students, but some Orange County residents are still concerned the project doesn’t address the needs of all residents.

Harry Johnson, leader for Tar Heels for Transit, said if the plan passes, residents and students will quickly see its benefits.

The group is a coalition of UNC students, faculty and staff working to inform students about the referendum.

“It means greatly extended weekend buses, so instead of having the bus come to your apartment every hour — it’s once every 30 minutes, 20 minutes, 15 minutes,” he said.

“There’s an immediate realization of benefits that accrues to students right now.”

Johnson, who is also a transportation planner and student at the UNC School of Law, said student participation will be vital in determining the outcome of the referendum.

“We’re going to be doing this over the next month and a half and talk to (students) about how necessary it is now and how it will help the University for decades to come,” said Johnson.

The tax will fund expanded bus services with increased stop frequency, build a Hillsborough Amtrak station, and connect UNC Hospitals to East Durham with a 17.3-mile light rail.

If the referendum passes, Orange County tax rates would increase from 7 percent to 7.5 percent for all sales excluding food, gasoline, housing and medicine.

Members of the Chapel Hill Town Council have supported the tax, saying it addresses future population growth in town.

“I think we have plenty of examples of municipalities in the South that don’t invest in public transportation infrastructure,” said Chapel Hill councilman Lee Storrow.

“And when you don’t get ahead of that curve, it ultimately leads to gridlock.”

But some residents have said the county doesn’t have the population density to support a light rail, and it would not serve the rural areas of the county equally.

Bonnie Hauser, president of Orange County Voice, said she is concerned the projects would be underfunded if Wake County — which populates more than half of the Triangle region — decides not to participate.

Wake County Commissioners voted earlier this year to leave the referendum off the ballot in November.

“Triangle Transit Authority is pushing this, and they have a strong vested interest in the outcome because they get all the tax money and get to control it,” Hauser said. “It’s a big deal.”

Johnson said if approved, he thinks the referendum will revolutionize the way Orange County attracts businesses.

“It will connect us with the rest of the Research Triangle in a way that we haven’t been connected before,” he said. “This is a game changer.”

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.