2008-08-05 - Laserfiche WebLink

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NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE HELD ON Tuesday, August 5, 2008 AT 10:00 a.m. IN THE “City Space” in the th Charlottesville Community Design Center, 100 5 Street, S.E. (downtown mall side of the Market Street Parking Garage, formerly the Visitors Center) THE PROPOSED AGENDA IS AS FOLLOWS: Meeting with Metropolitan Planning Organization and Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to Discuss Regional Transit BY ORDER OF THE MAYOR BY Jeanne Cox CITY SPACE – August 5, 2008 Council met in special session on this date with the following members present: Dr. Brown, Ms. Edwards, Mr. Huja, Mr. Norris, Mr. Taliaferro. Ms. Melissa Barlow, Director of Transportation Programs for the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC), reviewed the goals of the meeting: To reach consensus on the immediate next steps that City, County and TJPDC staff should take to prepare for the upcoming 2009 session of the General Assembly. She reviewed the expected outcomes: Decision markers are expected to reach consensus on how to proceed with finalizing a desired governance structure and preferred tax and revenue option, so that draft legislation can be developed. Decision makers will also be asked to review and comment on the draft implementation plan for a Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Mr. David Blount, Legislative Liaison for TJPDC, gave an overview of the special session of the General Assembly where he said no progress was made on transportation issues. He said that the 2009 session is shaping up to be tumultuous. Mr. Frank Spielberg, transit consultant, said that after the previous meeting of the City and County there appeared to be unanimous consensus to pursue a RTA. He said he heard from officials that they are looking for a different way to provide transit services, with major expansion and enhancements. He provided a tentative implementation/ timeline, with operation beginning in July 2011. He said the key decisions are the governance structure and the revenue options, but noted that no decision is expected on those today. Ms. Sally Thomas, Member of the Board of Supervisors, asked if taxing would be allowed by the RTA given the recent Supreme Court decision, and Mr. Spielberg said that is a key question, but it would be allowed if the General Assembly gives it the authority to do so. Mr. Ken Boyd, Chair of the Board of Supervisors, said he is really concerned about the cost. Mr. Dennis Rooker, Member of the Board of Supervisors, said that the assumption was that we would obtain other revenue sources. He said that the 2005 report included funding for other transportation needs, not just transit. He said the question is whether the community would support using the revenue sources for transit alone. Mr. Spielberg recommended that a joint working group be established to make recommendations to the Council and Board of Supervisors. Responding to a question from Mr. Taliaferro regarding a service district versus a transit authority, Mr. Spielberg said that a service district is broader, but would be limited to using real estate tax revenues.