Mike Coleman, who has been a political fundraiser for St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, is heading the campaign to pass a half-cent increase of the transit tax in St. Louis County. The county council last Tuesday put the proposal on the Feb. 5 election ballot.

Coleman has hired an assistant, obtained office space in Clayton and opened a bank account. On Friday he said details about the committee’s members, campaign strategy and financing still are being worked out.

The committee’s name is Citizens for Better Transportation. It filed a committee organization statement with the state Ethics Commission on Oct. 22.

The election is less than three months away. “We’ll make the best use of the time we have,” Coleman said.

The campaign committee will consist of community leaders and elected officials, he said. The committee has not decided how much money it needs to raise, he said. Coleman said he has not heard from Civic Progress, an organization of the region’s major businesses and banks that often plays a large role in financing issue campaigns in the region.

Coleman, who lives in St. Louis, said he is a political consultant. He was a financial assistant in Dooley’s 2004 campaign and finance director of the county executive’s campaign last year.

The current transit sales tax is one fourth cent. The tax-increase proposal divides the half-cent increase into two parts - one fourth cent for maintenance of Metro’s public transit system and one-fourth cent for MetroLink expansion. The measure would raise about $80 million a year. The tax increase would end 20 years after it is imposed.

Dooley favors expanding MetroLink to West Port and Florissant.