Public transit bill dies in the state Senate; Window closes on law needed for commuter rail in Racine

Like the Tennessee Titans in the 2000 Super Bowl, supporters of a state proposal to create regional transit authorities around Wisconsin look like they'll come up just short Thursday. Supporters are making a last gasp to pass the legislation, but there's little hope it will happen. 

It's looking like efforts to pass a regional transit authority are playing out just as we reported they would a few weeks back. In summary, the RTA for southeastern Wisconsin is dead - and there won't even be a final vote to bury the proposal.

The Assembly is scheduled to take up the issue tomorrow, which happens to be the last day of the Legislative session. Even if the Assembly passes the bill, which is no guarantee, it still has to pass the Senate. Doing so with little to no time to debate the measure is highly, highly unlikely.

Further complicating the matter: the Senate isn't even scheduled to take up the measure Thursday. For RTA supporters, it's like that old gambling slogan ... you can't win if you don't play.

Transit Now, the lobbying group pushing for RTAs, attempted to rally supporters Wednesday with an optimistic rallying-cry email that suggested there's still hope. Maybe there is, but with RTAs not on the voting schedule, the issue probably won't even come up. With no RTA, there's no way commuter rail through Racine will happen - at least not in the near future. With Gov. Jim Doyle on his way out, and November elections swinging toward Republicans, it could be a long time before public transit supporters get another chance like this.

Here's the Transit Now letter that was sent to RTA supporters on Wednesday:

RTA Assembly Bill Advances: We are SO Close but WE ARE NOT DONE YET!

Please share this email with your members and networks and ask for their help in reaching this historic milestone.

We're Still Fighting. Thursday is our last chance to get the RTA DONE!

Your help is needed today and tomorrow!

Yesterday and early this morning, the landmark Regional Transit Authority legislation that we've all worked so hard to advance was heard by the state Assembly. 19 amendments on AB-282 were debated. A great deal of progress was made—and many attacks on transit were thwarted.

Our deep appreciation to our unflappable transit champions in the Assembly. They have been working 24-7 for weeks and pulled out all the stops yesterday. Thanks especially to Reps Peter Barca, Tamara Grigsby, Chris Sinicki, Cory Mason, and others.

The final vote on AB-282 has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 22 along with reconsideration of amendment 2 requiring a binding referendum in Milw Co. A senate vote for tomorrow must also scheduled by Senate Leader Russ Decker.

The amendment for reconsideration mandates a binding referendum in Milwaukee County to allow a sales tax for transit and removal of transit costs from the property tax levy. This amendment was passed even though a referendum in Nov. 2008 has already passed. Currently, the RTA bill’s language states that Milwaukee County’s advisory referendum that passed in November 2008 suffices.

This added referendum takes us backward to move forward and wastes valuable time and money. The people have spoken on this issue and Milwaukee's crisis is urgent. Let's move forward and solve the transit crisis now.

Your are Needed Today and Tomorrow: Thursday is IT!

Our last opportunity...We need to give it everything. This is our moment to shine!

Call your Representative and Senator TODAY, this is CRUCIAL especially if you live in these districts: 

Reps. Cullen, Staskunus, Krusick, Honadel, and Stone. Senators Sullivan and Darling—all of whom plan to vote NO or are undecided. Find your legislators: 1-800-362-9472, http://bit.ly/h6EY9

Join us at the Assembly and Senate Votes on RTA! Your presence makes a big difference.

10 AM, Thursday, April 22, Earth Day

State Capital, RM 412 E

Madison

If you can't come at 10:00 come later in the day and consider it an "after work party"

Attend a briefing at 10:00 and then drop into offices and let them know what your expectatations are and why passing the RTA and moving forword with the exisiting referendum is the solution that we urgently need.

Please let us now if you will traveling to Madison: kthomas@transitnow.org

This bill is about JOBS and economic development that we desperately need!

There are many trades people and entire neighborhoods that are at 50% unemployment! How can we not pass this jobs bill!

Milwaukee will lose 1/3 of it’s bus service beginning in January 2011. Racine and Kenosha are not far behind.

This is in addition to the 20% service cuts and 50% fare increases that have taken place over the past 7 years. 60,000 jbs will become inaccessible by transit.

Dollars will stay in communities that they are raised in and local elected official must vote to create IRTA's and designate funding sources and amounts. No community is forced to below to an RTA.

If legislators oppose the RTA, ask them what their Plan B is for their constituents when their buses are cut and they can’t get to work or to school or the doctor's office, and those whose jobs and economic development do not materialize.

We can’t afford the cost of inaction on the RTA bill AB-282. AB-282 is the best jobs and economic development opportunity that we will see. AB 282 gives SE WI and all communities in Wisconsin the ability to vote locally to create RTAs and save our steeply declining local transit systems, create jobs and economic growth, and give people in SE WI much needed property tax relief.

Click here to see more about the RTA bill, AB-282.

See news: Assembly Endangers Transit Bill

See Sunday's op ed by Chancellor Ford, President Albrecht, and Presisdent Cambpell

See and share widely this powerful new 5 minute transit video:

"What Wisconsin Leaders and Citizens are Saying about Transit"

Thanks--We are SO Close!

Update: And ... scene. RTA is dead after the Senate fails to vote. Transit supporters had two years of Democrats controlling the Senate, Assembly and governor's office and couldn't get the framework in place to extend commuter rail through Racine. Looks like it's time to support something legislators can get behind: building roads.

Commentary: Transit is about creating jobs, not ideology

By Roger Caron, President, Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce and
Jeff Van Koningsveld, President, IBEW Local 430, and co-chair of the Racine Transit Task Force

Transit is about economic growth and jobs – JOBS, not ideology.

If we want jobs and a stronger economy, we must pass Regional Transit Authority legislation in Wisconsin and not let politics hinder progress and prosperity. Let’s take constructive action that will build us up as a county and region.

Lower the volume on all the fear and misinformation and an alarming fact still rings clear: we have the second highest unemployment rate in the state. There’s no denying that we must do something about jobs and unemployment.

Nor can we deny government’s responsibility to serve the people. All transportation modes, not just roads, are the responsibility of government. Individuals can’t get our faltering bus system in order; our leaders must. The only way we can effectively develop the transit we need to strengthen our economic future is through cooperation and a regional effort.

Racine CEOs testified at an Assembly hearing in Madison recently that passing RTA legislation would be the single most productive action our representatives can take to impact job creation and cultivate economic growth while also allowing us to adequately fund bus service, the cornerstone of any regional transit system.

Ideological differences and political positioning are creating an environment that’s hindering wise investment of our resources in transit projects that leverage significant private dollars and federal funds to create jobs and get people connected to jobs. Left unused, this federal money goes to other states and regions. Isn’t it time we started to finally get our fair share of the dollars we send to Washington?

Besides allowing us to improve deteriorating bus transit, the RTA bill is necessary for securing federal funding for KRM commuter rail, which would network with buses to expand connections to economic opportunities in other areas. KRM will also help make us more competitive with places such as Minneapolis, St. Louis, and other peer metro areas in attracting jobs and businesses.

For the short term, simply building the KRM line, along with projected growth around the project, will create nearly 4,700 jobs. In addition, KRM will help support the creation of another 71,000 jobs linked to both short- and long-term development.

Although these jobs are in and near Racine and along the KRM corridor, they impact everyone. The people working them will be from all parts of the county. And, as the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission notes, everyone will gain access to over 1 million jobs within the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor as a result of better bus connections and KRM.

Some people have voiced doubt about KRM ridership projections of over 2 million passengers a year. Ridership figures are modest and based on years of highly scrutinized studies. The projection methodology and formulas (required by the Federal Transit Administration) are purposely very conservative. Ridership results for most new transit line using the same required methodology have exceeded estimates far sooner than expected, as evidenced in Phoenix, Charlotte, Minneapolis and many other metro areas.

Looking at other areas shows there are tax base benefits too. For example, in addition to helping create 91,000 permanent jobs by this year, Metrorail in Northern Virginia will also generate 2.1 billion in tax revenue, 26.8 million square feet of commercial development, and 31,000 additional residential units, according to the Urban Land Institute.

And while the naysayer might note Racine is not Northern Virginia, nor are we some dustbowl town with no vision and no future – that is unless we choose to let ideological bickering and political acrimony get in our way.

Locally, KRM train stations, including two here in Racine County, are projected to similarly spur increased property values by an estimated $7.8 billion and generate $750 million increase in retail sales over 25 years.

And the public decidedly favors RTA passage. That hearing in Madison we mentioned earlier drew a broadly representative overflow crowd, many of them from our local communities, and yielded seven hours of testimony. Just one person voiced only mild opposition, a clear indication that this is not a partisan issue. Why make it one?

Let’s tell our legislators to get the RTA bill—a jobs bill—done now. We all need to stand up and support our legislators that advocate for this very important, forward-thinking legislation!

Forum: To build commuter rail, officials first have to fix bus systems

Standing room only at Wednesday's night KRM forum.

A forum was held in Racine Wednesday night on KRM as a "game-changer." Here's a few notes from the forum ...

* It was a good-sized turnout. About 110 people attended the forum, which was held in the DeKoven Center's Great Hall. It was a standing-room-only crowd full of local business, government and community leaders.

A panel assembled at Wednesday night's KRM forum.

* As is the trend in recent months, speakers focused on KRM as part of a wider "transit" issue that includes southeastern Wisconsin's eight bus systems. There's no dedicated funding source (ie. a sales tax) to pay for buses in the Milwaukee region, which is unusual. Nineteen of 22 U.S. cities considered peers of Milwaukee have some sort of tax or revenue source to pay for buses. The lack of dedicated funding in southeastern Wisconsin is creating a crisis in funding that's resulted in fare increases and service cuts, according to Ken Yunker, head of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.

* The reality is KRM won't move forward until the region figures out a way to pay for buses. Mayor John Dickert continued his stance that buses should be handled on a regional basis. This would allow buses to connect Racine to Union Grove, Kenosha and Milwaukee, while also linking Burlington to Milwaukee and Kenosha. Now, the systems are too scattered to effectively move people from one city to another, which hurts efforts to create a regional economy between Milwaukee and Chicago.

A KRM supporter dresses the part.

* There's still no talk about how buses will be paid for. The Legislature and governor created the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, which can levy an $18 car rental tax to pay for commuter rail. But Milwaukee and Milwaukee County officials are making sure that won't happen until buses dealt with. In Milwaukee that could be a sales tax, but a sales tax in Racine or Racine County is unlikely.

* That leaves open speculation on how the Racine area will pay for transit. No one is talking specifics, but get ready for some discussion about a "wheel tax," which is allowed under state law. A wheel tax charges vehicle owners a fee on top of the state's annual registration fee. All proceeds from a wheel tax must be used for transportation-related costs.

* A sales tax was, briefly, mentioned. But any sales would apparently require a referendum.

* Jim Eastman, a long-time advocate for commuter rail in Racine, emceed the forum. To cheers from the crowd, he vowed not to retire from his job until he can take commuter rail from Racine to Milwaukee or Chicago.

* A couple of officials pointed out that even if estimates about the potential impact of KRM are way off, the numbers are still staggering. KRM-backers claim the train could, in the long run, create 71,000 jobs and $2 billion in development along the rail line. Even those numbers are cut in half, and half again, they're still major economic development for southeastern Wisconsin and Racine.

* RAMAC's Roger Caron, RCEDC's Gordie Kacala, state Sen. John Lehman and Jody Karls were recognized for their work in support of KRM.

* The title of the forum, "Tapping into Transit as a 'Game-Changer' was inspired by an article published on RacinePost.com.

Part of the crowd at the forum.