CATS CEO: Zachary may lose service next year

The city of Zachary, which overwhelmingly voted down the transit tax Saturday, may lose the limited service it receives from the Capital Area Transit System in 2013. CATS CEO Brian Marshall says continued service to Zachary is included in this year’s budget, but next year could be another story. In past years, the Metro Council spent $2.9 million to help support CATS, and Zachary’s taxpayers contribute to that fund. However, a majority of the council members told Business Report prior to Saturday’s vote that they intended to end that subsidy if the tax passed—as it did in Baton Rouge and Baker. Marshall expects to meet with citizens and leaders in Zachary to see if they would like to “come up with some kind of money” to continue to participate in the system. “The ball is in their court,” he says. “They voted not to have service, and I think it would be disastrous for us to try to continue service to them, when in fact their neighbors will be paying for service.” Assuming the Metro Council ends its subsidy as expected, and taking into account an existing $2.1 million deficit, CATS will have about $23 million to $24 million to spend next year, compared to its current budget of about $12 million, Marshall says. —David Jacobs