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RALEIGH — Voters in Guilford and Forsyth counties would have the option of raising their sales taxes by a half-cent to pay for public transportation programs under a bill Gov. Bev Perdue signed into law Thursday.

Some communities in the Triangle would have the same option as well.

Counties in other parts of the state could raise a quarter-cent sales tax.

The law also authorizes regional transit authorities, such as PART in the Triad, to seek an increase in the annual vehicle tax.

“If the people of those areas want it, I think they should have the opportunity,” Perdue said after a series of bill-signing ceremonies at the historic State Capitol on Thursday.

Charlotte already uses a half-cent transit tax to support its light rail line, and voters overwhelmingly voted to retain the tax in November 2007.

PART, the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation, operates a series of bus lines between cities and ride-share programs such as van pools in 10 counties.

Interviewed this spring, PART Director Brent McKinney said the transit authority wouldn’t need to tap the new funding sources immediately but might need additional money in spring 2012.

“Most healthy communities today provide their people with transportation options,” McKinney said at the time. He added that the new tax plan “gives the citizens the option to decide their future transportation choices and how they want to see their region developed.”

Contact Mark Binker at (919)832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com