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Staff Working Group

Orange County · OCPT Staff Working Group
Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Other TransitBudget and appropriations

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved Approval of September 2024 Minutes Approved unanimously (Scully/Efird)
  2. Approved FY25 Annual Work Plan Q2 Amendment Approved unanimously (Plachcinski/Efird)

Read from the agenda's recorded outcomes. Where the board published minutes, those are the record — this is a pointer to them.

What's on this agenda

The Orange Staff Working Group oversees Orange County's share of the regional transit work program — the quarterly amendments to funded projects and the project sheets that describe them to GoTriangle, Durham and Wake. The group's October 16 meeting took up a proposed amendment to the FY25 Annual Work Plan and checked progress on the FY26 project sheets, due in final form October 25.

GoTriangle also reported on vehicle rental tax revenue split among the three counties, and each town with an active transit project — Chapel Hill, Mebane, Hillsborough and Carrboro — gave a status update.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

The group approved its September minutes and an amended FY25 Annual Work Plan, both without dissent. Durham County's staff working group had rejected a joint amendment covering a bus stop and properties acquisition, so Orange dropped that item along with a Light Rail Project amendment and an Operational & Maintenance amendment. In their place, the group approved moving forward with the Hillsborough Park & Ride and GoTriangle's plug-in hybrid operational support vehicles.

On the FY26 work plan, staff said draft project sheets were due October 11 and outstanding drafts are due October 25, with a possible workshop to help members finish them. GoTriangle reported that Orange County's share of the vehicle rental tax is about $399,900 and that the transfer has been made; Q4 reimbursements are due October 31 but require signed operational agreements first. The Orange County Board of Commissioners has approved the county's Short Range Transit Plan. Hillsborough said its train station construction plans are complete and it is waiting on a professional engineering agreement from Norfolk Southern; the town is also reviewing pedestrian safety after a fatal crash on U.S. 70.

How the votes went

Two motions carried without opposition: approval of the September 2024 minutes (Scully/Efird) and the FY25 Annual Work Plan Q2 amendment dropping the bus stop, Light Rail and Operational & Maintenance items in favor of the Hillsborough Park & Ride and GoTriangle's plug-in hybrid support vehicles (Plachcinski/Efird).

From the published minutes.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (10)

Procedural · 4Staff or committee report · 4Minutes approval · 1Budget action · 1
  1. Call to Order and Roll Call
    Procedural
    The chair called the meeting to order and voting members and virtual attendees were introduced.
  2. Adjustments to Agenda
    Procedural
    No changes were made to the agenda.
  3. Public Comments
    Procedural
    No members of the public spoke.
  4. Approval of September 2024 Minutes
    Minutes approval
    The group approved the minutes of its September 2024 meeting.
    Approved unanimously (Scully/Efird)
  5. FY25 Annual Work Plan Q2 Amendment
    Budget action Budget and appropriationsTransit
    Durham County's staff working group rejected a joint amendment covering a bus stop and properties acquisition, so Orange dropped that item along with a Light Rail Project amendment and an Operational & Maintenance amendment, and instead approved moving forward with the Hillsborough Park & Ride and GoTriangle's plug-in hybrid operational support vehicles.
    Approved unanimously (Plachcinski/Efird)
  6. FY26 Annual Work Plan Project Sheets
    Staff or committee report Budget and appropriationsTransit
    Staff said draft FY26 project sheets were due October 11, with outstanding drafts due October 25, and offered a workshop to help members finish them; Carrboro asked to see older project sheets for reference.
  7. Public Engagement and Communication
    Staff or committee report Transit
    The Orange County Board of Commissioners has approved the county's Short Range Transit Plan.
  8. GoTriangle Financial Report Update
    Staff or committee report Budget and appropriationsTransit
    GoTriangle reported Orange County's share of the vehicle rental tax at about $399,900, with the transfer already made; Q4 reimbursements are due October 31 but require signed operational agreements first.
  9. Project Sponsor Updates
    Staff or committee report Transit
    Chapel Hill is finishing the scope of its Short Range Transit Plan, Mebane is updating its Comprehensive Land Development Plan, Hillsborough's train station construction plans are complete while it awaits an engineering agreement from Norfolk Southern and reviews pedestrian safety after a fatal crash on U.S. 70, and Carrboro's capital projects are on track.
  10. Adjournment
    Procedural
    The chair thanked the group and adjourned the meeting.

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