November 7, 2007
TRANSIT TAX GETS AN OVERWHELMING ENDORSEMENT
IN CHARLOTTE, NC
2007 Continues the Trend of Transportation
Investment at the Ballot Box
Over 67% of Transit Measures Approved in 2007 Nationwide
On November 6, voters across the country once again went to the
polls in support of Transportation Investment. 70 percent of the
voters in Mecklenburg County voted to allow the Charlotte Area
Transit System (CATS) to continue collecting the half-cent tax,
which generated $70 million last year, and will continue with its
expansive 2030 transit program.
Tuesday's elections continue the growing trend of securing additional
transportation funding at the ballot box and the strong voter support
for these measures. With this year's results, voters have approved
more than $115 billion for transportation since 2000.
Once again in 2007 voters in states and communities across the
nation approved new investments in vital transportation projects.
Overall this year approximately 67 percent of transportation measures
were approved. The track record for transportation measures suggests
that people are, contrary to conventional wisdom, very willing
to increase local taxes to improve transportation when the benefits
are clear. People want change and choices in transportation and
the ballot box results prove it.
"Particularly notable is the Charlotte transit measure, a ballot
questions that was watched closely around the country" Stated the
CFTE Director Jason Jordan. "Despite a vocal group advocating the
repeal of the transit tax, voters in Charlotte looked to the future
and overwhelmingly reaffirmed the measure by an even larger percentage
than when it was originally approved in 1998."
Charlotte, North Carolina was not the only place that voters showed
continued support for transit investment. In Toledo, Ohio voters
continued approval of a 1.5-mill operating levy for the Toledo
Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) bus system. Voters in Kalamazoo
and Saginaw, Michigan voted to renew millage for transit.
In Seattle, Washington, voters rejected a Roads and Transit package.
Many opposed the measure believing that a higher share of funding
should have been directed to increase public transit.
In 2006, CFTE released a report examining transportation-related
ballot measures over a five year period from 2000 to 2005. The
report,
"Transportation Finance at the Ballot Box: Voters Support Increased
Investment," outlined the striking rise in the use of voter-approved
ballot measures to generate funding for transportation choices.
According to the report, voters in 33 different states have approved
70 percent of all proposed transportation measures generating funding
conservatively estimated in the excess of $70 billion. Transportation
measures have passed at twice the rate of all ballot measures.
More than 80 percent of all transportation ballot measures between
2000 and 2005 have specifically authorized financing and 2006 continued
this trend with record levels of funding on the ballot.
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A complete list of 2007 ballot initiatives is available at http://www.cfte.org.
The Center for Transportation Excellence is a non-partisan research
group based in Washington, D.C
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