One way to get a transit funding tax plan approved is just to cut outlying areas out of transit taxes, and transit planning, entirely.
"The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) is weighing whether to shrink the size of its taxing district, cutting off rural parts of Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties from the taxes and services that would be part of any future transit plan," reports Eric D. Lawrence.
Lawrence considers the proposal in the context of the millage fee proposal that failed at the ballot box in November 2016. "A significant portion of the resistance to the 1.2-mill, 20-year property tax that failed at the polls in November came from areas that would not have been directly served by the plan to fund rapid buses on several major corridors, a commuter rail connecting Ann Arbor and Detroit, expanded local bus service and express buses to and from Detroit Metro Airport," explains Lawrence.
As Lawrence notes, the decision to shrink the size of the RTA's taxing district is still preliminary, and might require the State Legislature to weigh in before moving forward.
FULL STORY: Another try at Detroit regional transit? Smaller footprint may be better this time
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Transit supporters in the Detroit region suffered a setback last week, but the hope is that they've only lost a battle, not the war, for regional transit.
Metro Detroit's Millage Tax Comes Within Half a Percentage Point of Passing
A $4.6 billion transit plan proposed by the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan received 49.5 percent of the vote on November 8. The millage tax would have funded bus rapid transit and regional rail within a four-county region.
Detroit's Failed Regional Transit Plan Strikes a Blow to the City's Revival
Voters in the Detroit region had a chance to reverse 40 years of neglect for regional transit. Instead, they kicked the can down the road.
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National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
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Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
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Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
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