Faith and community leaders call for action on CATS ‘funding crisis’

On Tuesday, more than 200 faith and community leaders affiliated with Together Baton Rouge will gather to address what they’re calling “the transit funding crisis that is facing this city-parish in 2012.” The gathering will be at Mt. Zion First Baptist Church, 356 East Blvd., from noon to 1:10 p.m. The Capital Area Transit System is facing a $2.1 million deficit for 2012, the group says. “If this deficit is not addressed, the result will be service cuts that eliminate all weekend and holiday service, the closure of several high-need routes and the elimination of 46% of total bus service hours. The system could face a complete shutdown by July 2012,” reads an invitation to the event. The meeting will include a detailed presentation about the nature, causes and consequences of the transit crisis and a call to action to address it responsibly. Several elected officials are confirmed to attend, including Metro Councilors Chandler Loupe, C. Denise Marcelle, Donna Collins-Lewis and Ronnie Edwards, as well as Rep. Michael Jackson.