Transit tax effects will take time

Due to an editing error, the earlier headline on this story implied that the transit tax implementation process had been delayed. It has inherent delays, but no decision was made to explicitly push back the implementation. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the confusion.

Orange County passed a transit tax earlier this month — but fulfilling all of the plan’s components will likely be a patchwork effort.

The county is moving to upgrade its transit system ­— with a light rail, improved bus services and an Amtrak station ­— but first it needs money, other than the tax’s revenue.

The Orange County Board of Commissioners will vote on three resolutions to fund the upgrade locally on Dec. 11. But the plan also depends on state and federal funds, which have yet to be secured.

A half-cent sales tax increase, which was passed by referendum on Nov. 6, will go into effect in April.

“Now that the referendum has passed, Orange County will be proceeding on passing three resolutions and begin implementing local funding sources,” said Craig Benedict, county planning director.

The local funding sources also include a $7 county vehicle registration fee, and a $3 increase in the regional vehicle registration fee.

The transit plan includes expanded bus services, the construction of an Amtrak station in Hillsborough and a 17.3 mile light rail connecting UNC Hospitals and East Durham. Durham County passed a similar sales tax increase in 2011.

Deborah Craig-Ray, Durham County assistant manager, said the county will also levy the new tax increase and vehicle registration fees.

Durham and Orange counties are also seeking state and federal funding.

Benedict said Triangle Transit applied to the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts and Small Starts program, which is the government’s main way of supporting locally planned transit initiatives.

But the application process is lengthy and will take at least four years, Benedict said. If federal funding is not approved, the counties will not receive funding from the state either.

Fifty percent of light rail funding is expected to come from the federal program. The state and local governments would provide the rest of the funding.

But service improvements will happen regardless of whether the counties receive federal funding, Benedict said.

Bonnie Hauser, president of the rural advocacy group Orange County Voice, said she is against the plan because it puts too much emphasis on the light rail.

“It overemphasizes light rail as a silver bullet for transit,” she said.

And Hauser does not think the state will agree to fund the plan.

“It’s hard to imagine that this project is going to get into the top priorities of funding in the state,” she said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.