North Carolina Republican legislators unveiled their budget proposal late on Memorial Day.
Durham Democratic state senator Floyd McKissick said that in three lines the budget “placed in jeopardy the future funding of the light rail system between Durham and Chapel Hill.”
McKissick and other local elected officials have derided the budget and the process Republican lawmakers used to write the proposal, which will come before the full General Assembly for a yes or no vote with no options for amendments.
This year’s budget “includes a provision that would negatively affect transit projects in our state,” GoTriangle officials said in a release late Monday. The provision in question requires the light rail project to obtain federal funding before any money will be allocated by the state. But that presents an issue, according to GoTriangle, because the federal government requires the non-federal dollars to be secured before it will provide funding.
The federal government is being asked to provide half of the overall funds for the 17.7-mile light rail project connecting North Carolina Central University, Duke University and UNC – Chapel Hill, which has a capital cost of 2.47 billion dollars. Plans still must ultimately be approved by federal regulators.
Despite the project scoring highly in the data-centric method used by state lawmakers, the Republican-led General Assembly has taken action over the past three years to limit state dollars that could be provided to the project, which originally called for 25 percent of the cost to be covered by the state.
GoTriangle general manager Jeff Mann issued a statement in response to the budget proposal.
“We are disappointed by the latest budget language that targets rail transit projects. Durham and Orange counties’ light-rail project has twice received high scores through the data-driven state law designed to take politics out of transportation funding. We are assessing next steps, but the amended budget certainly appears to be detrimental to the light-rail project because federal law requires a commitment of 50 percent in state, local and other funds before the Federal Transit Administration commits the other half for any large transit project in the United States. The light-rail line between Chapel Hill and Durham became eligible for a federal investment of more than $1.2 billion after the FTA approved the project to move into the final design phase last year. Durham and Orange counties have already invested a combined $88 million in voter-approved, transit-dedicated tax dollars to help secure the federal investment.”
House Democratic leader Darren Jackson said hurting the transit project could hinder the state in large job recruitment efforts reportedly underway for large Apple and Amazon projects.
“Public transit has been a big part of what they’re seeking,” Jackson said of the state’s recruitment effort of Amazon. “I can add and subtract as well as you can, so I would assume that that would be a real red flag for Amazon.”
Orange County Commissioner Mark Macroplos wrote in a social media post on Tuesday that limiting funding could cause companies like Apple and Amazon to question whether they can trust North Carolina lawmakers.
Carrboro Alderman Damon Seils, who also chairs the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, Tweeted on Tuesday that the current budget proposal “undermines a project of statewide benefit inches from the finish line.”
The Chapel Hill and Durham Chambers of Commerce released a joint statement supporting the light rail proposal.
Having led our respective communities’ successful ballot initiatives that enabled the Light Rail projects in 2011 and 2012, and having worked with various stakeholders throughout its development, we are disappointed that the state legislature is changing the rules for fair partnership again. The Durham-Orange Light Rail Project is important for regional job growth and economic development, and regional business leaders will continue to work with our local, regional, state, and federal partners to advance Durham-Orange transit and other forward-thinking transportation initiatives.
The budget is expected to be voted on this week. Republicans hold super majorities in each chamber of the General Assembly and can override any potential veto of the overall budget from Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.
Since no amendments will be allowed on the budget proposal, a technical corrections bill will be needed for various fixes. Some local officials remained optimistic that a light rail-funding fix could be included in that legislation.
Has anyone even bothered to do a study on the potential ridership? This sounds like a railroad to nowhere paid for by other people’s money!
Absent from the political spin and political belly aching, many of these same often quoted politicians seem to ignore that they themselves, thru action on the DCHC MPO, eliminated competing transit projects that were more cost effective than DOLRT and got CAMPO (Wake) MPO to do same. See DCHC MPO Board meeting of February 13, 2018 http://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/orange-county/article200817644.html
This mythical ‘high score’ (7.3% out of 10% state funding eligibility) was fostered by eliminating all competing public transit projects in favor of DOLRT.
The original estimate was $1.4B with 25% state funded ($350M). The state currently has a 10% cap in place. Previous reporting from the IndyWeek suggests that the eligible state funding level is much lower, closer to 7.3% ($183M) based on the last reporting. So that brings the local up to 42.7% of the $2.5B (or $1.067B) + $830M in interest payments (or roughly $1.9B to local taxpayers, assuming state scoring and 50% Federal grant).
https://www.indyweek.com/news/archives/2018/04/05/gotriangle-wont-get-all-of-the-state-money-it-wants-for-light-rail-but-it-should-get-enough-to-keep-the-project-on-track
Previous reporting shows that Orange County sales tax revenues originally projected @ 3.71% growth has been revised downwards to 2.4% Or roughly 35% less than original Moody’s projection. That creates more of a deficit adding pressure to increasing local property taxes.
Page 11 @ http://cms3.revize.com/revize/orangecounty/FY%202018-19%20Manager%20Recommended%20Annual%20Operating%20Budget%20Online.pdf
Stop this train wreck, and let’s get back to an affordable public transit systems like BRT that cost a fraction of this monstrosity $3.3B DOLRT project. Time to live within our means.
I love that transportation agencies are still looking towards solutions from the 1950’s… Has no one seen the monorail episode of the Simpsons??? All the while the world is on the verge of a major transportation shift with automated vehicles. Is now really the time to pour billions into antiquated ideas?
The Lord works in many and wondrous ways.
This project is going nowhere. Please spend the money on real solutions to our transportation issues. Vote this elected officials out of office for supporting this boondoggle.We need candidates to run against the rail supporters.