News

Access User Fee — a summary of the business case

The regional and statewide business community continues our push for an access user fee as a simple, fair, and resilient method of replacing the state gas tax to modernize and stabilize transportation funding. Some of the reasons include:

• North Carolina has had an EV fee for 10 years – an access fee simply modernizes the rate and applies it equally to all non-diesel vehicles.
• An access fee is a user fee, not a usage fee, analogous to a typical mobile phone bill, which doesn’t vary from month-to-month based on minutes or miles used.
• The access fee can be set equal to the average gas tax paid annually per registered vehicle in North Carolina; currently $251 per year or around $21 per month.

Read this week’s blog for more information on the access user fee business case and pathway to a modern transportation funding future.

Two Weeks Away…    and included with your membership

The RTA Transportation Breakfast 2023 – a mainstay event in our region’s calendar – is just two weeks away. We have a fantastic lineup of more than 20 elected officials, transportation partners, and business leaders who are serving as panelists and presenters for this event that will highlight regional BRT and the FAST study, including:

• Mary-Ann Baldwin, mayor, City of Raleigh
• Harold Weinbrecht, mayor, Town of Cary
• Leonardo Williams, Durham City Council
• Michael Parker, Chapel Hill Town Council
• Vivian Jones, mayor of Wake Forest and chair, Capital Area MPO
• Butch Lawter, chair, Johnston County Board of Commissioners
• Susan Evans, vice chair, Wake County Board of Commissioners
• Mike Dasher, vice chair, Chatham County Board of Commissioners
• Sally Greene, Orange County Board of Commissioners
• Jay Irby, First Citizens Bank, RTA chair
• Donald Gintzig, Wake Med Health and Hospitals
• Scott Levitan, Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina
• Sig Hutchinson, GoTriangle
• Bill Sandifer, RDU Airport Authority
• Brandon Jones, NCDOT Division 5
• Ryan Brumfield, NCDOT, Integrated Mobility Division
• David Eatman, City of Raleigh
• Het Patel, City of Raleigh
• Ellen Beckmann, Durham County
• Brian Litchfield, Town of Chapel Hill

Please take a moment to register for the event. RTA members have at least one ticket included with their membership, but space is approaching capacity as our registration is now north of 250 people.  Please let Jacob Rigg know if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend, everyone.
Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA Executive Director

Click here for prior RTA Member Briefings and RTA Blogs.