admin posted on August 25, 2010 02:39
The N.C. Department of Transportation wants to know how you think money generated by the state’s new Mobility Fund should be spent. Sharing your ideas is as easy as turning on your computer or picking up your smartphone. You can even do it in your pajamas.
For the first time, NCDOT is using an online forum called Citizens Connect to reach out to citizens. It enables users to post their comments where others can read them and add their own insight.
“The goal of this new tool is to create conversations among the people of North Carolina,” said Ted Vaden, NCDOT deputy secretary of internal and external affairs. “By talking with one another in a very open and transparent way, citizens can generate great ideas that will help guide how their tax dollars are spent.”
NCDOT is asking the public to log on to Citizens Connect and suggest the criteria the department should use when choosing which projects to fund with Mobility Fund dollars.
At this time, NCDOT is not looking for recommendations for specific projects. Instead, the department wants to know how it should weigh one project against another. NCDOT will use the citizen’s suggestions to create an official selection process.
Gov. Bev Perdue proposed the creation of the Mobility Fund, and signed it into law as part of the state’s budget in June. The fund will generate $173 million from fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2014, and $58 million each fiscal year thereafter. Approximately $120-$130 million is dedicated to phase two of the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project near the Yadkin River in Davidson County.
The funding comes from unused gap funds and reductions in the amount of money transferred from the Highway Trust Fund to the General Fund. The money will be spent on projects of statewide or regional significance.
Here is the link to Citizens Connect:
http://ncdot.newkind.com/