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Not content to kill off public employee unions, Republicans are also trying to murder public transportation.
That’s thanks to a bill being circulated by Racine Rep. Robin Vos and Whitewater Rep. Steve Nass, which would do away with the work done in the last session on Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs). Not enough work was done on them, if you ask me, but that’s another story.
The affected RTAs are those in Dane County, Chippewa Valley, Chequamegon Bay andyou guessed itthe SERTA, AKA the KRM RTA. The bill would dissolve all of them within 90 days of enactment of the bill. The RTAs would not be able to impose any taxes once the bill is signed.
It doesn’t surprise me that Vos is in on this. He’s consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty to stymie any regional transit in this corner of the stateeven though the business community and a broad coalition of commuters want regional transit. Nass, of course, simply hates government.
Legislators are currently feeling the wrath of workers at today’s budget hearing on Walker’s plans to gut collective bargaining rights. They should get another earful if this bill is taken seriously by the Republican majority.
Here’s the Legislative Reference Bureau’s analysis of the bill:
That’s thanks to a bill being circulated by Racine Rep. Robin Vos and Whitewater Rep. Steve Nass, which would do away with the work done in the last session on Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs). Not enough work was done on them, if you ask me, but that’s another story.
The affected RTAs are those in Dane County, Chippewa Valley, Chequamegon Bay andyou guessed itthe SERTA, AKA the KRM RTA. The bill would dissolve all of them within 90 days of enactment of the bill. The RTAs would not be able to impose any taxes once the bill is signed.
It doesn’t surprise me that Vos is in on this. He’s consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty to stymie any regional transit in this corner of the stateeven though the business community and a broad coalition of commuters want regional transit. Nass, of course, simply hates government.
Legislators are currently feeling the wrath of workers at today’s budget hearing on Walker’s plans to gut collective bargaining rights. They should get another earful if this bill is taken seriously by the Republican majority.
Here’s the Legislative Reference Bureau’s analysis of the bill:
The Biennial Budget Act, 2009 Wisconsin Act 28 (Act 28), authorized the creation of several new regional transit authorities (RTAs): the Dane County RTA, the Chippewa Valley RTA, and the Chequamegon Bay RTA. Each RTA, once created, is a public body corporate and politic and a separate governmental entity. An RTA’s authority is vested in its board of directors, and its bylaws govern its management, operations, and administration. Among its powers, an RTA may operate a transportation system or provide for its operation by contracting with a public or private organization; impose, by its board of directors adopting a resolution, a sales and use tax in the RTA’s jurisdictional area at a rate not exceeding 0.5 percent of the gross receipts or sales price if certain conditions are satisfied; acquire property by condemnation; and issue tax−exempt revenue bonds. An RTA has a duty to provide, or contract for the provision of, transit service within the RTA’s jurisdictional area. Rates and other charges received by an RTA must be used only for the general expenses and capital expenditures of the RTA, to pay interest, amortization, and retirement charges on the RTA’s revenue bonds, and for specific purposes of the RTA and may not be transferred to any political subdivision.
This bill eliminates authorization to create an RTA and dissolves the Dane County RTA, the Chippewa Valley RTA, and the Chequamegon Bay RTA to the extent previously created. Any such RTA is dissolved 90 days after enactment of the bill, but no RTA may impose sales and use tax after enactment of the bill.
Act 28 also created the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SERTA) as a successor entity to what was often referred to as the KRM authority. SERTA is a public body corporate and politic and a separate governmental entity; it consists of the counties of Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee. The jurisdictional area of SERTA is the geographic area formed by the combined territorial boundaries of the counties of Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee. The powers of SERTA are vested in its board of directors. SERTA’s powers are limited but include all powers necessary and convenient to create, construct, and manage a commuter rail transit system connecting the cities of Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee (KRM commuter rail line). Upon approval by its board of directors, SERTA may impose a rental car transaction fee in the counties of Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee. SERTA was required to submit, by July 1, 2010, an application to the Federal Transit Administration for funding to enter the preliminary engineering phase for the KRM commuter rail line.
This bill dissolves SERTA after a winding down period of 90 days, during which SERTA may not impose the rental car transaction fee. The bill also eliminates the Department of Transportation’s Southeast Wisconsin transit capital assistance program, under which SERTA is the only eligible grant applicant for the program.