Just a month after Milwaukee Countyvoters approved an advisory referendum to allow a 1-cent sales taxincrease for transit, the parks and property tax relief, a regionaltransit planning committee also has a sales tax proposal in the works.
Both will try to make their case in Madison, where the governor and state Legislature must approve any sales tax increase.
Andboth hope that the dueling proposals can be resolved in the nextlegislative session so that a stable source of funding can be found forlocal bus systems and, potentially, the proposedKenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter rail line.
The Milwaukee CountyBoard’s transit committee heard testimony from the Southeastern WisconsinRegional Transit Authority (RTA) last week, and the majority didn’tlike what they heard. The Transportation, Public Works and TransitCommittee voted 6-1 not to accept the RTA’s recommendations to levy ahalf-cent three-county sales tax to support transit. The RTAhad also suggested granting local municipalities the power to create a0.15% sales tax increase to support public safety initiatives, arequest from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, and recommended providingoversight and funding for the region’s local bus systems.
Saving the Bus System First
MilwaukeeCounty Supervisor John Weishan, a member of the transit committee, saidhe supports expanding transit options in southeastern Wisconsin. Buthe said the RTA’s plan would boost the fortunes of Racine and Kenoshaat the expense of Milwaukee, and allow an unelected boardtheseven-member RTA, which encompasses Milwaukee and Kenosha counties, andthe eastern portion of Racine Countyto have taxing authority with noaccountability to voters.
“I don’t want to create another MATCboard or SEWRPC board,” Weishan said, referring to the appointed boardsfor the Milwaukee Area Technical College system and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.
Weishansaid that Milwaukee County voters had spoken on Nov. 4 by recommendinga 1-cent sales tax increase to support county services, including thecash-strapped Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS).
Weishansaid he prefers to stanch the financial bleeding in the bus systemfirst with a stable funding sourcethe sales taxand then concentrateon regional options, such as the KRM line. Weishan said a well-runsales-tax-supported Milwaukee bus system would provide a positiveexample for the systems in Racine and Kenosha, where local officialsare fearful of advocating for a tax increase. “The RTA memberswould like to characterize Milwaukee as not supporting regionaltransit,” Weishan said. “But we’ve done everything to promote transitthat we can.”
Even better than the two-step approach, Weishan said,would be to put commuter rail in the state’s hands, since it crossesmultiple governmental jurisdictions. Then, the state could design andfund the project without having to sort out the conflicting needs oflocal representatives and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin.
Butmass transit powers were taken away from the state when Republicanscontrolled the state Legislature, even though road building and freewayconstruction are still in the hands of the state Department ofTransportation. The Democrats now control the state Legislature so, intheory, that could change. “It’s disappointing to see that thestate isn’t taking the lead now,” Weishan said.
Ironically, stateDepartment of Transportation SecretaryFrank Busalacchi is rumored to be in the running for the top spot atthe Federal Railroad Administration, mainly because of Busalacchi’sreputation as a rail advocate. Yet the DOT under his direction has donelittle to fight for the KRM beyond saying that the region needscommuter rail.
RTAChair Karl Ostby, president of Southport Bank in Kenosha, has a verydifferent take on the solution to the region’s transit woes. Ostby saidthat the two proposals are not incompatible and that the RTA versionwould not shortchange Milwaukeeans, since money raised in Milwaukeewould stay in Milwaukee.
Ostby said it’s ironic that MilwaukeeCounty Supervisors are balking at the RTA’s sales tax request, sinceMilwaukee representatives had criticized an earlier proposal toincrease the rental car fee because it wouldn’t raise enough funds tosupport commuter rail and existing bus routes. GreaterMilwaukee Committee President Julia Taylor, an RTA member, said thehalfcent sales tax would provide enough funds for both the KRM andlocal bus systems, as Milwaukee officials want.
The RTA abandoned anearlier sales tax proposal when Milwaukee County Executive ScottWalker’s representative on the RTA, George Torres, wouldn’t support it.Taylor said there’s more political support for the sales tax now.“We’ve worked very hard to build support for it locally and at thestate level,” she said.
Ostby said Milwaukee’s mixed messages aremaking the RTA’s mission more difficult. “I kind of chuckle atMilwaukee County,” Ostby said. “This proposal addresses their previousconcerns, but yet it’s never good enough.”
He said the countyshould make saving the bus system its top priority, but that the goalof saving buses and creating regional transit options “are not mutuallyexclusive.”
Ostby said that it’s difficult to make progresswhen Milwaukee officials present competing views of transit options andfunding mechanisms. A stalemate between Barrett and Walker hasthreatened $91 million of federal funds from the Milwaukee ConnectorStudy, and the two officials continue to disagree on how best to linkcity residents to suburban jobs. “It continues to frustrate me that thecity and county of Milwaukeeseem to have such a hard time agreeing on transit in general,” Ostbysaid. “I think the sooner that comes in line, a lot more can getaccomplished.”
Ostby stressed that a regional approach thatlinks buses and trains, as advocated by the RTA, is the best option forthe region’s commuters and businesses. “The question is: Do wewant to focus transit based on municipal boundaries, or do we want tofocus on transit that helps people commute to their jobs,” Ostby said.
Ostby said the RTA members hope to include their half-cent sales taxproposal in the governor’s budget, which will be released early nextyear.
Sorting out local funding would help the KRM’s prospects in Washington, since the federal government requires a stable, local source when approving new transit projects.
KerryThomas, interim executive director of Transit NOW, said that theconflict between the RTA and the county is mostly due to a “failure tocommunicate,” and that last week’s meeting, as well as a discussionsponsored by the Public Policy Forum, will help leaders to find commonground. She hopes it will happen soon, so that southeastern Wisconsincan request federal funds for the KRM and take advantage of theeconomy-stimulating infrastructure projects recently proposed byPresidentelect Barack Obama.
“We’ve come so far,” Thomas said. “But what do people in Washington think when we can’t get our own act together?” Thomas hopes that southeastern Wisconsinresidents and businesses contact their elected officials at all levelsso that they can make informed decisions about the region’stransportation options.
“They shouldn’t operate in a vacuum,” Thomas said.
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