CATS board OK’s placing tax proposal on April ballot

The Capital Area Transit System board of commissioners voted unanimously today to place a tax proposal on the spring ballot that would serve as a dedicated revenue stream for the cash-strapped public transit system. The proposal, which will come before voters in Baton Rouge, Baker and Zachary on April 21, calls for a 10.6-mill property tax over 10 years in each city. If approved, the tax is expected to raise $16,663,200 annually in Baton Rouge, $1,144,800 for Zachary and $636,000 for Baker. Each municipality will decide on its own whether to approve the new tax. Board member Jared Loftus says the funding mechanism is needed for new buses, upgrades to bus stops, route and fleet expansions, and technology. He says that, contrary to some complaints, CATS is not extravagant with its current $12 million budget. He says while a study of 20 similarly sized metro areas shows spending for public transportation averages $133 per capita, Baton Rouge spends $32. “People say we don’t spend well,” he says. “We are spending well; we just don’t have much to spend.” Mayor Kip Holden says CATS is in dire need of a steady funding source. “There is a transit crisis,” he says. “Right now, we have to cobble things together to make it happen.” Loftus says he is confident the tax has adequate support. However, if it does fail—as did a measure to levy a 3.5-mill property tax increase in the fall of 2010—Loftus says CATS will likely run out of funding before the issue could be put forth again. “With the budget shortfalls, it would be difficult to get it again with the buses running,” he says. —Ian McGibboney