Durham residents to vote on sales tax increase to fund transit, schools

September 21, 2011

People living in Durham County will vote on a proposed tax increase in November.

The biggest one is a half-cent sales tax increase to pay for improvements to mass transportation and the smaller one is a quarter-cent sales tax increase to pay for school improvements.

About 15,000 people ride Durham's DATA buses on any given weekday, and that number is expected to go up dramatically in the next 15 years, when the Triangle's population is predicted to double.

“Money would be used for expanded bus service, more routes, commuter trains to Raleigh as early as 2018,” said Susan Cranford Ross, of the Transit Referendum Campaign Committee.

Durham County leaders say the tax increase would generate more than $17 million in the first year alone but critics point out less than 6 percent of the county's population actually uses the bus service.

“I see DATA buses, especially those expensive hybrids, with just one person on it,” said Durham County Republican Party chairman Ted Hicks.

Ross says it's not about the bus with a few riders, it's about five to 10 years down the road but critics also say the number of people who will use mass transportation in Durham, even in the future, isn't enough to justify the cost of building commuter and light rail train service.

“Ridiculously expensive, over budget and lightly used, maybe that's what they mean by light rail,” Hicks said.

If approved, Durham's sales tax increase will not apply to food, prescription medication, gasoline, housing, cars or utility payments.

Wake and Orange counties are expected to vote on similar tax increases next year.

Originally written by Heather Moore and published at News 14 Carolina Top Stories on 9/19/2011