Mayor Kip Holden’s Blue Ribbon Commission on mass transit finalized its recommendations this morning, including the creation of a taxing district to generate an estimated $18 million a year for the cash-strapped Capital Area Transit System.
The 17-member commission, formed in March, says voters in the taxing district would be asked to approve a 0.3% or less sales tax and a fewer than 4-mill property tax hike. The district proposal wouldn’t make it to the ballot before the fall of next year: It requires legislative approval because the city-parish has reached the constitutional ceiling for sales taxes. View a map of the proposed taxing district here. The taxing district would increase the CATS annual budget to about $29.9 million annually. Voters narrowly rejected a 3.5-mill property tax increase for CATS in fall 2010 that would have doubled its current $11.2 million annual budget.
The commission is also recommending sweeping changes to the way CATS is governed, as well as to how board members are selected. The Metro Council currently has the final say on fares and routes. The commission says those decisions should be left to the transit board once a taxing district is in place.
“If all we do is recommend a tax, and we don’t address the problems that got us in this situation, then we haven’t fulfilled our charge,” says commissioner David Aguillard.
Holden assembled the commission to look at ways to improve mass transit in accordance with the 30-year FuturEBR master plan for growth. The commission did not make any recommendations on filling a $1.2 million revenue shortfall that threatens to bankrupt CATS by October.
Additional recommendations to improve the CATS system include:
• Decreasing average wait times of 75 minutes to 20 minutes
• Increasing routes from 19 to 37
• Building three new transit hubs
• Improving bus stops and shelters
• Adding new signage and route information
• Creating three “express lines” for downtown to LSU, Florida Boulevard and Plank Road with service to the airport.
• Exploring fee-for-service revenue options with school system and nonprofits.
The commission is set to present its recommendations to the Metro Council on June 22.
