.25% Sales Tax For The WRTA

[pak1116]

Please re-read my original post - you are already p aying almost 6 million county tax dollars to subsidize private cab and transit companies to transport Jobs and family services clients to work -without a vote (unless you count your vote for count commissioner).  It is more equitable to pay for this service with a sales tax - everyone pays a little, including the people who use it.  Civilized societies take care of the less fortunate - and believe me, you may not need mass transit now, but you might in the future.  Do you know that if you need wheelchair transportation from a private company it costs $150 round trip - and this is not covered by any insurance or medical coverage.  WRTA would provide this service (which they do now for city residents or anyone who lives within 3/4 of a mile from a bus route) for $2.00 to any resident within the county.  This is a win-win for the whole county - and shame on the county commissioners for not taking a stand on it one way or another.

[northside lurker]

Here are two blogs discussing the proposed WRTA sales tax.

http://youngstownmoxie.blogspot.com/2008/02/cities-aret-problem-they-are-solution.html

http://theoaklandstage.blogspot.com/2008/02/why-buses-are-important.html

[irishbobcat]

We must improve mass transit - busses and trains are the way that many people get to work - and that number is expected to grow over 40% in the next 10 years according to a national study. But, as fuel prices rise, the cost of running mass transit grows too. As your next state representative, I would work with the city bus system in partnering with Youngstown State University to look for green solutions to powering mass transit and help reduce costs to riders and taxpayers. This is already taking shape in Toledo with the University of Toledo and their RTA.

Dennis Spisak-Independent Green Party Candidate for State Rep-60th District.

campaign site-Http://votespisak.tripod.com

[pak1116]

In all of the discussion about WRTA, why doesn't anyone mention that the county is already paying over $5 million dollars a year to help transport clients of Jobs and Family Services? This money goes to private busing companies and cab companies.  Everyone who lives in the county and thinks they aren't already subsidizing transportation for welfare recipients, should think again. The county commissioners should be backing this levy, and the only reason they aren't is because they are up for re-election, and backing this levy isn't popular in the suburbs.    Allowing WRTA to take over and consolidate all of the transportation funds for the county, would make sense and show a spirit of cooperation between the county and city, something that we need desperately.   Most of the message boards and posts that I read are so negative about the poor in this county, it doesn't surprise me that people would vote no for something that is a lifesaver to many people.  I don't use mass transit, but I might need it in the future, and I will ask the candidates for commissioner seats where they stand on this issue.

[BRB43212]

$9.00 sounds about right for each quarter. Do you think a system like this would be beneficial for YSU students who currently live on campus in order for them to do shopping and attend events both in the city and its surrounding communities? YSU may try and partner with WRTA to implement a similar student fee which would only be several dollars.

[ForumManager]

Sorry for the mistake.  My son told me that. I haven't  seen a statement since his YSU undergraduate days.   
He is in graduate school at OSU. He has a car but says parking is expensive, uses the bus and walks.

I looked the fees up on the OSU website and it says -   $9.00 per quarter ($13.50 for semesters)
Is that correct? 
Good deal if you use it. If not, I guess there is reason to gripe, similar to those that are griping about higher taxes.

[BRB43212]

That is false, students are REQUIRED to pay a fee every quarter for the public buses in Columbus (COTA) whether or not they use them. It's a good deal if you're a student who doesn't have a car, but students like myself who haven't used the public buses for 3 years still have to pay the quarterly fee. Check out your son's billing statement at Ohio State.

[ForumManager]

Some type of Mass Transit is needed to revive Youngstown......

Mass Transist from the suburbs to YSU during the week might be an option for those folks who dread winter driving to campus...

Interesting note - my son lives in Columbus and the city buses are free for the OSU students.   

[irishbobcat]

Here's an article from Green Energy Ohio on how thw University of Toledo along with TARTA and a fed grant are keeping their buses running.....hello Congressman Ryan???


FROM GREEN ENERGY OHIO 
Think that the high price of gasoline has YOU worried? Think about the headaches you'd have if you ran a fleet of vehicles. Say 2000 of them. That's the number that Ken Neidert, Toledo's Commissioner of Fleet and Facility operations has to worry about.

In the last two months of 2007 he says he'll probably go $500,000 over his 3.1 million a year budget for fuel. I asked what would happen if prices continue to spiral upward

"It's disastrous," said Commissioner Neidert, "because basically what we'll do is ask the city to shut down the fleet. We just sent a memo out to the city asking to stop all non-essential vehicles, and adhere to the no libeling policy. Police seem to think their cars need to run at the scene of an accident to make their LED lights run. Everyone thinks as diesel engine needs to run, that they have to warm it up for an hour or 30 minutes before running, and that is just not the case. So it's re-education and making the directors responsible. So far, that has fallen on deaf ears because they've never been pushed to that point. So a re-education program is going to be a major thing. "

But he's doing more than re-education. Toledo's bus system, TARTA, has partnered with the University of Toledo and a private company H2 Engine Systems in a with a $1.5 million grant made possible by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur to investigate the impact of using a mixture of biodiesel and petroleum-based diesel fuels.

The study is being conducted by the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Toledo. According to Mark Vonderembse, the University of Toledo's principal investigator on the Bio Diesel project and a professor in the Department of Information Technology Management, their research shows that freight and passenger transportation will rise anywhere from 40-80% by 2020. "This will provide us with congested highways and rail lines." says Vonderembse. "We are looking at this primarily from the freight perspective. There are plenty of agencies looking at it from the passenger side. So how do we move the goods? "

They are studying the effectiveness of three different types of fuel; ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD), a biofuel, B20 ? derived from soybean oil and yellow grease (primarily, recycled cooking oil from restaurants), and bio-hydrogen. A Bio-hydrogen engine burns biodiesel and has a small amount of hydrogen in the air intake of the vehicle to increase fuel efficiency.

The Biodiesel project was designed to look at the impact on fuel economy, on maintenance cost, total vehicle life cycle, emissions, when using biodiesel, (B20), ultra low sulfur diesel, and bio-hydrogen. That research has not been done before and the answers may help fleet operators, like Neidert. As soon as B20 or higher is available at a competitive price," says Neidert," I'm all for switching over. I'd switch tomorrow. I want to use green energy."

[irishbobcat]

Some type of Mass Transit is needed to revive Youngstown......

Mass Transist from the suburbs to YSU during the week might be an option for those folks who dread winter driving to campus...

[Rick Rowlands]

We can't escape them for now.  But someday this pyramid scheme will collapse (a shrinking number of taxpayers subsidizing a growing number of non contributors) and the country will collapse. 

I'm not griping as much as pointing out how far we have come from our nation's founding ideals.

[Towntalk]

Unfortunately we can gripe all we want about taxes be they school or for mass transportation but in the end we can't escape them. Be thankful that you don't live in Pennsylvania where the taxes are much higher.

Not only does the state dig deep into your pocket, but so do the counties and cities.

[northside lurker]

Yes I think that we shouldn't pay taxes for schools.  Why should the government run schools?  If you ever want to royally screw something up let the government do it. Its been shown that the private sector can do the job and better. Lets run the school system the way we run universities.  Each person pays for their own.  Besides property taxes are the most unfair and anti American tax we have. But in the land of gimme gimme gimme who cares about being fair?

So, what about all the families who can't afford to send their children to school?  My property taxes are about $800/yr.  I don't know how much private schools cost, but I know it's more than the $800/yr. that I'd save.

Mass transit used to be run by private for profit corporations who were granted a franchise to operate in certain metropolitan areas.  Youngstown Municipal Railway, The Park and Falls Street Railway, Youngstown & Suburban, Youngstown and Sharon Street Railway.  When the ability to make a profit went away because of a shift in how the population moves itself then these companies went under.  There was no longer any rational reason to operate those services.

Yes, because, starting in the 20's and 30's, people began to think that their automobile was the only means of transportation they needed; the trolley was for poor people who couldn't afford a car.  But now, gas is hovering at $3.00/gallon.  Even you estimate that it costs $12.00/day for your truck.  Should the people who can't afford that just sit at home and collect unemployment because they can't get to work?  (or should we end welfare and unemployment programs, and let them starve?)  Wouldn't you rather pay $2.50 per day and an extra quarter for every $100 you spend at the store, instead?  There are also the environmental advantages to mass-transportation.

[Rick Rowlands]

Yes I think that we shouldn't pay taxes for schools.  Why should the government run schools?  If you ever want to royally screw something up let the government do it. Its been shown that the private sector can do the job and better. Lets run the school system the way we run universities.  Each person pays for their own.  Besides property taxes are the most unfair and anti American tax we have. But in the land of gimme gimme gimme who cares about being fair?

Mass transit used to be run by private for profit corporations who were granted a franchise to operate in certain metropolitan areas.  Youngstown Municipal Railway, The Park and Falls Street Railway, Youngstown & Suburban, Youngstown and Sharon Street Railway.  When the ability to make a profit went away because of a shift in how the population moves itself then these companies went under.  There was no longer any rational reason to operate those services.

How much does the average WRTA rider pay per day in fares?  I figure that I pay over $12.00 per day to drive my vehicle when all the fees, insurance, licenses, fuel etc. are added in.  Do bus riders pay that much? 

Lets do away with the WRTA tax idea and instead replace it with a simple formula.  Take the cost to run the WRTA for one year, divide it by the number of passenger/miles per year and that will be your fare per mile.  Multiply that by the number of miles you ride that trip and you will then be paying your own way, just like I do!   I'll bet you wouldn't like to pay the true cost.

[northside lurker]

I'm tired of so much of my money going to subsidize the "poor" or the "children" while I can't drive down a city street without getting the #%@&% jarred out of me from the horrible condition of the roads.   Lets put a sales tax levy on to fix the streets that EVERYONE uses, not continue to prop up a failed transist system that only a few people use...

...But poor old Rick has to go to work tonight in a cold mill building and work my butt off so that I can pay my taxes so that others may continue to freeload. 

I am so SICK AND TIRED of being in the middle class and constantly being queezed to pay for stuff that I don't use and never will use.   I want to be left alone, and to keep the money I earn! So go away with your talk of new taxes that benefit the few at the expense of all of us! 

You have quite some nerve westsider to state that you'll leave the area if you can't get the rest of us to pay for your transportation!  How about you come over here and fill my gas tank today?  If you want me to pay an additional tax that will keep your bus running then you should help me put fuel in my truck!  I have a better idea.  How about I pay for my gas and you pay for your bus and leave each other out of it.  I never ask the government for anything, just to be left alone.  But you want government to forcibly take my hard earned money so that you can go to the store this afternoon.  No!

I'd like to be clear on a couple things.  I am not poor.  I am not a child.  I am middle class.  I am gainfully employed at a privately owned business.  I am also on the borderline of being legally blind, so I can't drive.  The statement I made wasn't a demand.  It's just a simple fact that, if there is no mass-transit system here, I won't stay here.

I am not taking anything from you.  You  are just as free to take the bus as I am.  EVERYONE can use the bus system, and this sales tax should make it easier and more convenient for more people.

Mass-transit is also infrastructure.

Using your logic, I shouldn't pay taxes to the schools.  I'm not going to use them, and I'm not going to have children who would use them.  I'd save a lot of money on property taxes.

Lastly, if you are so inclined, you wouldn't have to pay this tax at all.  You can always do your shopping in a neighboring county.