In a 37-9 vote, the Senate today gave tentative approval to a bill that would let Triangle voters add a half cent to the local sales tax to raise money for better public transit service.
The measure cleared the House in April and the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday. If it wins final approval in the Senate this week, the House will be asked to concur on a minor Senate amendment.
House Bill 148 would authorize county commissioners and local voters, in a referendum, to enact a local sales tax hike of one-half cent per dollar in five urban counties – Wake, Durham, Orange, Guilford, Forsyth – and a quarter-cent hike in Johnston and other rural counties that have public transit service.
The money would be dedicated to cover operating and capital costs of local public transit systems.
Triangle leaders say it would generate enough money to cover most of the cost of an ambitious plan to put a few hundred more buses on the roads and lay more than 50 miles of light-rail lines in Wake, Durham and Orange counties.
Bruce Siceloff reports on traffic and transportation. A News & Observer reporter and editor since 1976, he took over the 
Comments
Why is Orange County included?
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 22:11 — nclawkidOrange County is the anomaly of the counties listed. Did no one bother to ask why Orange was included on the list?
There are other counties that are both more populous and have less square miles that aren't included. New Hanover is only one of many that comes to mind. It's county population is nearly twice that of Orange yet it wasn't included.
Someone please explain this.
Orange is part of the Triangle
Thu, 08/06/2009 - 06:11 — BruceSiceloff (author)Orange, Durham and Wake are considered together in the legislation, and the three counties are planning transit together.
Each has the option to act alone with its own transit plan and tax vote. But there are compelling reasons to work together since a good share of transit traffic will carry commuters, sports fans, students, medical patients, shoppers and others across county lines.
Good. More people on the bus
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 22:09 — PatronusPotterGood. More people on the bus will give people a little more time to brake and avoid getting hit by the all the mouth-breathing tailgaters in this state.
What are these guys in the legislature smoking?
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 21:52 — RedBaron1917Are you kidding me? We have to add a new tax and raise ever North Carolinian's tax burden and these clowns don't even know that we are in a recession? Have they been listening to Obama? Read my lips members of the North Carolina legislature: Cut state spending! Don't raise taxes. Don't make wasteful expenditures. Add nothing new unless it produces income for the stae, excluding taxes. Stop it! If you don't; be ready to look for another job. Enought is enough.
They'll Be Back for More Next Year
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 21:41 — xxcar2With NC raising taxes during a recession, people will do everything possible to avoid paying these taxes by shopping out of state--we'll see if it brings much more revenue. Hurting NC businesses while giving massive taxbreaks to the large profitable corporate welfare wh-ores--that's our State government! I'll wager the politicians will be back next year crying and raising taxes again.
Other Costs
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 21:39 — senaljAnd don't forget the proposed sales taxes for service items and items bought over the Internet! By they time they're finished taxing us, those with jobs won't be able to afford to live here anymore! I, personally, am planning my exodus, should living here get to be more than I can afford. What makes me angry is how some of the new proposed taxes are supposed to be temporary. Funny they never go down or disappear once implemented. I think we need to keep this in mind when going to the polls in 2010 and 2012!
OINK OINK
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 21:32 — xxcar2Mass transit projects attempting to serve urban sprawl afterthefact DO NOT WORK. Simply another PORK project, and all taxpayers paying for a few people to use massively expensive infrastructure-- to a only a few select yuppie and politician-served clientele and areas.
Hey...take it easy....it's
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 21:18 — UnaffiliatedPatriotHey...take it easy....it's just one half of one cent. Now add that to the number of taxes they will increase by one half cent.....one cent....two cents.......a dime more per gallon......a quarter a pack (or pint)......fifty cents per ticket......a dollar per toll. You see, you'll hardly miss that 1/3 of your paycheck...That is if you're getting a paycheck for the next few years. Didn't you know this was what you were voting for when you pulled that lever for Perdue and Obama last November? You didn't? Do you know better now...don't you?
Unbelievable
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 21:14 — kenboyleNC needs to raise taxes to cover a billion dollar deficient they created with their over spending. Then they ask if we want to raise taxes even more for a project that has proven to fail in other counties. I can't believe the voters in this state are so ignorant to vote these people in office.
Even though Raleigh is a
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 20:30 — jesmyopinionEven though Raleigh is a large city, I like the small town feel of Raleigh when compared to large cities, and I do not want to see Raleigh turn into one of those large cities with all of the problems that they have (higher level of crime for example). In many large cities there are too many people crammed into a comparetively small area, and mass transit only encourages more of that congestion of people and more criminal behavior that goes along with all of that congestion. I am sure others could spin this differently...
Support the Concept, Not the tax
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 20:17 — wi94rc2074I have no problem the concept of mass transit if there is some way it can be implemented in this area that will actually have a positive impact on traffic and the environment. I'm not confident that anything proposed to date will have that much of a positive impact, and further, this is absolutely the wrong time to add more to the sales tax. We are in the deepest recession since the great depression and this is simply not the time to add a half cent more to the sales tax. Surely our elected leaders in Wake County can grasp that fact!
Find another way
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 19:10 — ListenLiveI'm all for improving the public transportation, but am completely against this. They just raised the sales tax on us to try and balance the budget. While half a cent doesn't seem like much, it is on top of what they already are taxing us. Way to encourage people to spend their money!
Instead of these huge buses, why not something more efficient like passenger vans? Everytime I see a bus there are only a handful of people on it and I think what a waste of gas, pollution, and money. Maybe if they made the system more accessible and reliable, it would get more use. But I don't trust the government to do anything efficiently or outside of the box.
Freedom is my TOP priority
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 19:01 — Joseph_de_MaistreI'd personally enjoy a good high-speed transit system.
BUT, freedom is my top priority. We seem to think only about freedom of expression. But an equally important aspect of freedom is the ability to retain your own money so that you can arrange your life the way that you want rather than the way our political overlords think it should be. And besides, THE USERS should pay for any new system.
Federal tax hikes are coming; the state sales tax increase is already scheduled to push us into the stratosphere. No more taxes...not for any reason. NO MORE. NONE. NOT ONE CENT MORE. NO MORE. NO NO NO. Pitchfork time is coming.
Welcome back, train myths!
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 17:46 — RonBMyth 1: no stop at the airport = usless transit system. The number of people who would use the train to get to the airport is minimal. Making the train go to the airport would fail any cost/benefit anaysis. And taking a bus from the nearest train stop would add only a few minutes more than using the existing RDU park and ride lots.
Myth 2: The area is unsuited for trains. Enhanced bus service would make it easy for people to get to the train station without having to park a car nearby all day. As more people move to the area (one of the fastest growing areas for more than the last decade), density will increase as sprawl becomes time/cost inefficient.
Myth 3: no affect on traffic. If everyone who rode mass transit drove instead, our overcrowded roads would be even worse. Even if they all drove smart cars (who does?) they passengers would take up many times more space on the road.
Reality #1. I lived in
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 20:22 — ctillReality #1. I lived in Atlanta when MARTA was built. For many years it did not extend to the airport; a bus was provided from the Lakewood Station. It was poorly patronized. Fact is, a shuttle bus won't cut it. Even New York finally figured that out at JFK and Newark, when they replaced bus connections.
Reality #2. The Triangle *is* totally unsuited for trains. Increasing the density as you suggest would require tripling the population. It ain't gonna happen -- the city and county couldn't afford the other infrastructure.
Reality #3: Mass Transit could disappear from the Triangle tomorrow, and you'd not notice any difference on the roads.
One step closer
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 17:33 — RonBIt is obvious that lobbyists *hate* it when the people are allowed to vote. It takes away their dollar democracy and replaces it with actual democracy. For shame!
As Charlotte shows, once they had a taste, the voters supported *better* transit, not what passes for a bus system here today. They had the chance to repeal the transit tax, and voted against the repeal.
Charlotte was subjected to bogus ridership projections. Heck, bogus numbers thrust on the Triangle by former President Bush's lackees Burr and Dole "justified" zero federal dollars for transit and hundreds of billions for war and other pet projects.
Too bad you can't fool all the people all the time.
Is this what this state wants?
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 17:21 — g88ky078.3% tax, the 4th highest in the nation??????? Are you people kidding me?????? Who are these idiot lawmakers????????
I don't need mass transit, I have a car!
Light-rail??? More like NO BRAINS!!!!
Hey lawmakers, NO, NO, NO and shove it NO!!!!!!!!!
Enough of the "light rail" stuff
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 17:18 — bobbucyThose who are still on the light rail kick need to let go of it. The Triangle is totally unsuited to light rail, and it is nothing but a boondoggle from which a bunch of lawyers and politicians will siphon money. Trains work in Europe because the towns built up around the train stations. If you can't even have the train stop at the airport then you are completely wasting your time. And previous writers are correct - this state lacks the fiscal responsibility to direct any funds where they are supposed to go and absolutely should not be trusted with more money.
I am glad this passed. I am
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 17:17 — jesmyopinionI am glad this passed. I am looking forward to voting NO on it. This gives the public an opportunity to make a choice and express an opinion rather than not getting an opportunity to make a choice (as the State Legislators do when they raise taxes).
a bill that would LET Triangle voters add a half cent???
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 16:49 — vance203LET??? This 1/2 cent tax will go to transit, just like NC Education Lottery $ goes to education. Remember...no sooner than the lottery started, Gov. Sleasley started re-appropriating money to other areas, that was supposed to go to education.
This 1/2 cent tax should go to buy lube before they stick it to us!
The ones that use the
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 16:44 — Bat_ManThe ones that use the transit service should be the ones paying for it not the other way around.
Not quite
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 16:40 — cthayes75Hmm... Charlotte said the exact same thing and now they are out of money after only completing one section of the line and wanting ANOTHER 1/2 cent sales tax increase.
Voters of the Triangle should be smarter than those of Charlotte and say no to wasteful light rail that will spend nearly $3 billion but only reduce traffic by less than 3%.
You don't have to have light-rail to "be a big city".
Charlotte is not "out of
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 21:09 — gercohenCharlotte is not "out of money" on their transit projects/