The North Carolina Department of Transportation has rescheduled its Hatteras public hearing on ferry tolls due to winter weather that hit the state last week. The hearing, originally scheduled for February 13, will instead be held February 19th at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum at 7pm.

Ocracoke's public hearing will be Monday, Feb 24th at 7pm at the Ocracoke School gym.

Decisions on tolling the Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry are now in the hands of the District 1 Regional Planning Organization (RPO), of which Hyde is one of 10 counties.

The NC DOT will present their Plan to toll ALL ferries at a hearing from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24,in the Ocracoke School. These tolls would be used to fund Ferry Replacement. The RPO is scheduled to consider this for a vote on this on March 12.

It is important that this Plan NOT be recognized or voted on by the RPO.

Why?

Because WE, as a Community, consider the North Carolina Ferry System an integral part of our state's highway system and transportation infrastructure--no different than any bridge, roadway, tunnel, or other access point. Therefore, its operations, maintenance and improvement should continue to be supported by gas tax collections - as originally intended and approved, years ago.

The following are reasons NOT to bring this to a vote:

• Enacting this Toll System would make Ocracoke the only town in North Carolina with ALL of its access Fee-Based and:
  • ·      Would adversely affect ALL Residents
  • ·      Would adversely affect EVERY Business
  • ·      Would adversely affect ALL Hyde County revenue sources
  • ·       Would adversely affect  ALL Hyde County budgets
  • ·       Would have a Long Term impact for the Outer Banks and Eastern North Carolina, as a whole, by decreasing the value of Highway 12 as both a North/South artery and Scenic Byway.

We ask you to contact the RPO and ask them to NOT bring this issue up for a vote.

We invite you to include any or all of these points in your emails. Address your email by Feb. 28 to Members of the ARPO and send to this address: arpo@albemarlecommission.org.

Your emails are so important to this process as is your attendance on Monday, Feb. 24.

To look at the Methodology, click on this PDF link of the Board of Transportation December meeting minutes. The methodology is Exhibit A at the end. http://www.ncdot.gov/board/bot/current/201312_Minutes.pdf

For more details as to how a toll on the Hatteras Ferry will affect Ocracoke (as well as the upper beaches), click here http://www.ocracokevillage.com/ferry-tolls.html .

Ocracoke Civic and Business Association