Metro CEO presses case in Missouri House for $35 million
Baer
JEFFERSON CITY – Calling the cuts to St. Louis public transportation a “crisis,” Metro transit CEO Bob Baer pleaded his case to a Missouri House committee Wednesday for $35 million in emergency funding.
For the past month, Baer has been quietly working the halls of the Capitol, trying to drum up support for a proposal that the Legislature dedicate $35 million in federal stimulus money to balance Metro’s books and reverse the massive cuts in service that went into effect last month.
Now he and other public transportation advocates are putting on the full-court press. On Tuesday, Baer appeared along with Bob Kohler, the director of transportation for Kansas City’s mass transit system, and asked the House to consider emergency funding for both cities.
“This is a crisis,” Baer said. “There are people who can’t get to work. Any number of people are going to lose their jobs because of our cuts in service.”
Metro faces an operating deficit of about $45 million this year, and on March 30 started implementing cuts that will reduce its service area by about a third and staff by about 25 percent.
Baer is banking on the fact that the Republicans who control the Legislature have been talking about using stimulus funds for one-time uses that save or produce jobs.
“The connection between the economy, tourism and transit is inextricably linked,” Baer said.
While the St. Louis public transportation system is asking for $35 million for one year, Kohler is requesting $14 million for the Kansas City mass transit system. He said the funding would stem cuts for two years.
Baer said his hope is that St. Louis County will put a sales tax measure on the ballot next April similar to the one that failed earlier this year. He told House members he believed that with a better campaign the measure would pass this time.
“I believe that if it were on the ballot yesterday, it would pass,” Baer said. “People now understand that we were serious about the cuts.”
Rep. Charlie Schlottach, R-Owensville, told Baer that getting the Legislature behind the funding request would be an uphill battle. Schlottach is the chairman of the committee that heard from Baer on Wednesday.
“It won’t be an easy task,” he said.
Baer and Kohler said the two largest Missouri cities are supportive of each others’ requests for emergency funding.
Kansas City’s transit system first made its request in a letter to House budget chairman Allen Icet, R-Wildwood, last week.
Baer provided the House with letters supporting the $35 million request from Civic Progress, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Regional Chamber and Growth Association and other business and government officials.
You made your bed… now you get to sleep in it and pray like HELL the tax gets passed the next time around.
How much did Metro blow fighting the lawsuit they ultimately lost? Talk about throwing good money after bad.
Well SteveO, I may agree with you but is it fair to penalize all those who rely on Metro?
Ha, lime MODOT has never had a cost over run on a bridge or highway. This stuff happens. Public transit isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. Every top teir city has a strong public transit system, however there are still some Know It Alls who think we don’t. Come one people!
Why would anyone give more money to something so mismanaged? Replace management first or the new money will be wasted just like it has been now. all they are doing now is “showing how messed up they can make things” & shooting themselves in the foot, nothing they have done will increase revenue, but they sure have hurt a lot of people.
Look at what has been done in the past, how much did the “art” at Forest Park cost, it didn’t even last the 1st year … it’s really hard to dress up rough concrete. Art work should have been saved as an extra, after the budget is balanced. Isn’t that the way most of us do our homes, pay the bills, feed the family THEN get extras. & that list of waste goes on & on.
They need to be reorganized before they are given more.
Bob:
What part of “NO” don’t you understand?
BJB, do you know who amongst Metro management is “new”? I was also wondering, how is Metro supposed to increase revenue when there’s a $50m budget shortfall that they have to deal with? Should Metro operate at a deficit? Sell brownies at a bake sale? The charge of “mismanagement” is so easy to hurl since you don’t have to make any particular argument that’s backed up with facts, but it doesn’t help the economy or the people who aren’t able to get to work.
If you would only figure out a way to collect a fare from every single person that rides on the metrolink it would solve your revenue problems immediately and make all this stimulus help unnecessary. If you think for one second that everyone is currently buying a ticket for every metrolink ride, you are sadly, sadly misinformed.
BJB - Metro has increased fares to “increase revenues”. That is pretty much all that is in their control on the revenue side of things. Regarding the art work. Use of federal money comes with a requirement to include art in the project, so I am sure Metro did not have a lot of choice. Complain to your federal governmentif you don’t like it.
Regarding the lawsuit…old news as it is. As I understand it, Metro felt that public money was mis-used by the contracted agency, so they sued to get it back. Would you rather they had not tracked your money and how it was used? Yes they lost, but read up on that…not exactly a by the book trial. None of the above sounds like mis-management to me…they seem to be trying hard to manage within their means.
Hmm…at $2.25 a ticket, Metro would have to catch more than 15 million people who are riding without tickets. If you think there are more than 15 million people riding MetroLink without a ticket you are sadly, sadly mistaken.
However, I’m not against a fare collection system that uses turnstiles and more fare collectors. But I think we all need to understand that creating these turnstiles would cost quite a bit of money to build and staff.
Show us a business plan that will work before you get any money…