Sunday editorial: An alliance for Metro
Kevin Manning/Post-Dispatch
Critics scoffed at the idea that St. Louis County voters would consider adding a half cent onto the local sales tax to fund regional public transit.
In this economy? Given the arrogance of past leaders of Metro, St. Louis’ regional transit agency?
What’s more, the tax issue was not small change. It would put the arm on the public at an estimated rate of $80 million per year, $40 million of which would be used to cover a shortfall of operating funds at Metro, with the remainder banked for future expansion of the MetroLink light-rail line.
Proposition M was defeated on Election Day, but the critics were wrong. With all that was working against it, Prop M lost by just 15,802 votes out of 509,684 cast. The outcome was all the more remarkable given the lackluster campaign to promote it.
Metro now must plan for the worst. Without added revenue, it will have to reduce service drastically by April 1.
Metro President Robert J. Baer held public hearings earlier in the year on service reductions and possible fare increases, enabling his board to act based on broad public input. He also built in enough time for interested parties to consider all the options.
Gutting the system might be the most likely outcome of Prop M’s defeat. But it is not inevitable if regional leaders act quickly and boldly to plug some of Metro’s $40 million operating shortfall.
Metro has made mistakes, but it also has made remarkable progress in building a dynamic public transit system to serve this region, and it’s a system worth preserving.
Riders don’t want service cuts and are willing to contribute more in fares. That was the clear message from the public hearings.
Metro managers have put together a proposal for fare increases that is steep, about 30 percent, but that would bring an estimated $5 million to $6 million in added annual revenue.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and County Executive Charlie A. Dooley could turn the tide if they get together, once more, as regional partners.
Mr. Slay could push to get a quarter-cent transit tax increase on a ballot next year. City voters already have approved such an increase, but made it contingent on St. Louis County voters’ matching it. That contingency hasn’t happened.
If city voters were willing to approve the increase without the match, it would raise an additional $10 million in annual revenue.
Mr. Dooley could add an incentive. Part of the reason Metro is facing a deficit was St. Louis County’s decision to divert $10 million in other support for Metro to fund road projects. As part of a regional transit rescue package, Mr. Dooley could restore those funds to Metro, at least until a stable and more permanent finance system meets voters’ approval.
That leaves the state of Missouri, which has shortchanged urban areas with pitiful financial support of public transit. The Legislature is dominated by outstate and suburban legislators, but a big push by Governor-elect Jay Nixon could persuade them of the importance of the transit system to the economy of St. Louis and the rest of the state. A similar argument could be made about Kansas City’s Area Transportation Authority.
There is little doubt that public transit is the most underfunded economic development tool in the state.
The only question is whether the state’s political and business leaders realize it and can come together to bring public transit in Missouri into the 21st century.
Your argument that is almost passed ignores the fact that this occured in a once in lifetime voter turnout that brought uban voters, more likely to support Metro, to the polls. Those people will not be returning in those same numbers in the future (at least not for four years, and even then I doubt these turnout levels will occur. I have listed the reasons for the defeat many times. But, this was simply overreaching by Charlie Dooley, who must be unaware of the recession and who had better figure it out before the next reassessment or be sent packing. I believe people will support a reasonable, say eighth-cent increase for operations. Once confidence is restored, then we can talk about expansion. I again return the the history of Metrolink when Gephardt promised Federal funding for operations and didn’t come through. You now have Obama talking about infrastructure and we lent him one of our Senators for the past year to shill for him. He owes her and she needs to make sure that we get some of those Obama dollars. The other clear move that must be made, a move that would be self-financing, is the installation of turnstiles. Nobody wants to pay more so people can ride the train free. Do these things and the system can survive. Government and its subdivisions need to understand people are taxed up to the eyeballs and we will not be voting yes anymore unless there is a clear need with a sound plan. The next round of this will be with school districts who are spending like drunken sailors and will soon be faced with declining assessments.