AGENDA #17
MEMORANDUM
TO: Town Council
FROM: Mayor Kevin C. Foy
SUBJECT: Mayors’ Regional Transportation Strategy Team
DATE: June 24, 2002
This memorandum reviews the ongoing work of the Mayors’ Regional Transportation Strategy Team. Adoption of the attached resolution would endorse the efforts of the Mayors’ Strategy Team to develop a process for collecting, allocating and distributing new transportation revenues.
The Mayors’ Regional Transportation Strategy Team is composed of the Mayors’ of Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh and Cary and representatives from the Regional Transportation Alliance. In addition to these members, representatives from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Triangle Transit Authority, the regions’ two metropolitan planning organizations and Triangle J Council of Governments also participate.
The Strategy Team was organized several years ago to explore options for identifying and funding transportation needs throughout the Research Triangle Region. The Strategy Team has prepared a study of future transportation funding needs for the Triangle Region, which compared the need for roadway, transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects to anticipated funding sources.
DISCUSSION
The Transportation Strategy Team is preparing a program for developing, identifying and implementing transportation improvements in the Research Triangle Region. This strategy includes efforts to:
As part of this overall strategy, the Mayors’ Regional Transportation Strategy Team has initiated an Organizational Structure Study that will identify and evaluate various organizational and institutional structures for the Research Triangle Region to collect, allocate and distribute new transportation revenues for regionally significant transportation projects.
Study Tasks include the following:
Task 1: Review Existing Agencies
Task 2: Research Other Regions
Task 3: Present Findings to Regional Transportation Strategy subgroup
Task 4: Evaluate Options for the Research Triangle
Task 5: Present Findings to the Regional Transportation Strategy subgroup
Task 6: Detail Preferred Option
A detailed scope of work, prepared by the consultant, is attached. (Attachment 1) The Study was initiated in April, 2002 and is expected to be completed later this month.
It is anticipated that the studies undertaken by the Mayors’ Regional Strategy Team will be completed in 2002 and a proposal for new funding sources and organizational structures will be developed for consideration in the 2003 North Carolina legislative session.
That the Council endorse the efforts of the Mayors’ Regional Transportation Strategy Team to develop alternative transportation funding strategies and authorize the Mayor to represent the Town in the continuation of this work. The resolution would also encourage the Strategy Team to utilize existing organizational structures to the extent possible and solicit comments from local government on all alternatives to be considered.
A RESOLUTION ENDORSING THE EFFORTS OF THE MAYORS’ REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY TEAM TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEW SOURCES OF TRANSPORTATION FUNDING AND POSSIBLE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES TO ALLOCATE AND DISTRIBUTE THE FUNDS (2002-06-24/R-27)
WHEREAS, the Mayors’ Regional Transportation Strategy Team has identified the need for additional transportation revenue in the Research Triangle Region; and
WHEREAS, the Strategy Team has indicated that coordination with local elected governments is an important element of developing a regional strategy for identifying and funding regional transportation projects; and
WHEREAS, the Strategy Team has initiated a study of possible organizational structures to identify, collect and allocate new transportation revenue;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council endorses the efforts of the Mayors’ Regional Transportation Strategy Team to develop recommendations for new sources of transportation revenues and possible organizational structures to allocate and distribute those funds.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council encourages the Strategy Team to utilize existing organizational structures to the extent possible and to solicit comment from local governments on all alternatives under consideration.
This the 24th day of June, 2002.