Carolina Journal’s Dan Way reports here on the status of rail transit in the Triangle — and the tax hike that goes with its implementation.
Wake and Orange country officials haven’t decided whether they’ll follow Durham’s lead and place a half-cent transportation tax before voters this fall. Durham passed new taxes last year. But concerns over the expense of light rail transit and a lack of appetite for increasing taxes in a lethargic economy could influence that decision.
“I don’t think there is a move to make a commitment any time soon” by Wake County commissioners on placing the tax referendum on this November’s presidential election ballot, said County Manager David Cooke.
The tax would generate $56 million to $60 million annually to fund the $5.5 billion 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan sought by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization. “I’ve never had people come up to me and tell me they want more taxes,” Cooke said. That aversion might be heightened in a year when taxation levels and their impact on economic growth are a central focus of presidential year politics, he said.
