Council OKs rail engineering study
The Charlotte City Council Monday night unanimously approved a contract for up to $8.5 million to begin engineering for the proposed North Corridor Commuter Rail Line, which would run from Charlotte to Davidson and possibly Mount Mourne.
The vote, eagerly anticipated by rail supporters in north Mecklenburg and south Iredell, is an important milestone for the project. The engineering study, which could begin soon, will provide Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) and local officials a clearer picture of the rail line’s cost. Current estimates put the figure at $261 million.
Officials said CATS should have a refined cost estimate by September or October.
Davidson Mayor John Woods was at Monday night’s meeting along with Huntersville Mayor Jill Swain, Cornelius Mayor Jeff Tarte and District 1 County Commissioner Karen Bentley.
Mayor Woods urged the council to approve funding for the engineering project, saying the three north Meck towns and Mooresville are all willing to participate in paying for the rail line.
“Transit infrastructure, along with roads, land planning and connectivity, is the key component of improving transportation within our communities,” Mayor Woods told the Charlotte council.
Mayors of the four towns in December formed a regional Transportation Task Force to study all aspects of transportation in the area. The group, including elected officials, citizens and representatives of businesses, has been meeting Wednesdays since the start of the year.
While some area elected officials have questioned the need or expense for the commuter rail project, at task force meetings some skeptics have said they would be willing to support the project under current pricing and funding scenarios. And there has been no public opposition to moving forward with the engineering study.
Mayor Woods told the council the north Meck/south Iredell area is “an integral part of the regional transit system. We respect the regional premise of the transit tax.”
North Mecklenburg residents voted by a 2-to-1 ratio or better in favor of keeping the county’s 1/2-cent sales tax for transit, when it came up on a ballot question in last November’s election. That point was not lost on the Charlotte City Council.
“People in the north supported the tax. We need to build out the system,” city council member Michael Barnes said, according to a report in Tuesday’s Charlotte Observer.
The rail project does not qualify for federal funding under the federal government’s strict ridership calculation rules. That has left an approximately $70 million “funding gap.” The towns are studying ways to pay for the line. Ideas on the table right now include a possible auto tax or a method called tax increment financing, or TIF, which would use a portion of future increases in tax revenues.
The Transportation Task Force will take up the question of alternative funding methods for rail and other transportation needs at its weekly meeting Wednesday, 5 p.m., at Cornelius Town Hall.
LINKS
Feb. 26, 2008, Charlotte Observer, “City funds next step for CATS north line: Up to $8.5 million in engineering costs.”
Feb. 13, 2008, DavidsonNews.net, “Towns closing ranks on rail?”
Transportation Task Force meeting schedule and tentative topics, with links to DavidsonNews.net coverage.
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