Series of community meetings on transit, CATS tax kicks off tonight

Together Baton Rouge will host the first of three planned meetings on public transit at 6 p.m. tonight at Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church, 9700 Scenic Hwy. The session will launch a campaign billed as the “Civic Academy on Transit Reform,” which will outline and discuss proposals sought by the Capital Area Transit System. The group will give a presentation identifying transit problems and discuss the tax proposal that, if approved by voters on April 21, would provide a dedicated revenue stream for CATS. The proposition calls for a 10.6-mill property tax over 10 years in Baton Rouge, Zachary and Baker. 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. Together Baton Rouge has yet to take a formal stance on the proposal. The group will host two more sessions addressing the same issues next week: one at St. Paul Catholic Church, 3912 Gus Young Ave., on Jan. 24; and the other at Shiloh Baptist Church, 185 Eddie Robinson Sr. Dr., on Jan. 26. All meetings begin at 6 p.m. More info is available at the Together Baton Rouge website here.