Macomb County Leaders Question Mass Transit Plan

After hearing objections by Oakland and Macomb county leaders, the Regional Transit Authority delayed its vote Thursday on a $4.65 billion plan that would add more bus lines, connect Detroit and Ann Arbor with new rail, and increase access to airport services.

L. Brooks Patterson and Mark A. Hackel, the county executives in Oakland and Macomb counties, said in a joint statement that they can’t support the plan without guarantees that their counties will get their fair share of revenue if a proposed tax increase millage passes on the Nov. 8 general election.

Voters will be asked to approve a millage rate of 1.2 mills for 20 years (2017-2036) to help pay for the transit system, which could also receive state and federal funding. The average homeowner would pay an additional $7.92 a month, or about $95 a month, to pay for the system. The owner of a $200,000 home would pay about $120 annually.

Taxpayers in the four RTA member, which also include Wayne and Washtenaw, would pay $3.2 billion of the $4.65 plan plan over 20 years if the millage is approved.

Both Patterson and Hackel said they support the master plan in concept, but want to make sure it’s well-thought out.

• $4.6B Transit System Would Connect Detroit to Ann Arbor

“I cannot in good conscience support the current plan, which spends over $1.3 billion of Oakland County taxpayers’ dollars over 20 years but only gives our businesses, workforce and residents a fraction of that back in transit services,” Patterson said in the statement.

In his statement, Hackel said the hurt SMART’s operations in Macomb County.

“The current RTA plan falls short of achieving our county’s expectations for transit,” Hackel said. “It is difficult for us to support a more than $4 billion commitment over the next two decades, which could negatively impact our county’s longstanding commitment to transit, especially the SMART system.”

A major issue for the county executives is a possible conflict between the “85 percent rule” that requires that member counties get back 85 percent of the money raised by the millage and the proposed master plan that doesn’t offer that guarantee.

Patterson and Hackel have previously raised concerns about finances, capital investments and administrative responsibilities. Overarching questions, according to the statement, include:

• What will Oakland and Macomb County taxpayers receive under the plan in exchange for their investment?
• When will the benefits be received?
• How will the RTA guarantee the delivery of those services?

“I supported the legislation to create the RTA. There are growing business clusters throughout Oakland County with thousands of jobs that people must be connected to,” Patterson said, again in the statement. “Effective regional transit that people can utilize to reliably commute to work is important for both employers and employees. The current RTA plan fails to accomplish that on virtually every level.”

RTA officials hope to resolve the differences by a tentatively scheduled special session next Thursday, July 28. Quick action is necessary to meet the Aug. 16 deadline to submit ballot language for certification by county clerks.

RTA board chairman Paul Hillegonds said he believes the issues are solvable, The Detroit News reported.

Other questions, he said, include what would happen if gap between actual and projected revenue occurred, if some jurisdictions grew faster than others “and we fall out of compliance with the 85 percent standard,” Hillegonds said.

“I believe that this is a solvable issue,” he said. “It’s a question of process. How do we build into our process periodic, regular review of the projections ... and what will be the rules in how the board addresses that situation?”

RTA board members Chuck Moss, representing Oakland County, and Macomb County board member Roy Rose both worried at the meeting that taxpayers might not see the benefits in their regions to supporting the tax increase, and that it could hurt the SMART system.

“We’ve got large amounts of the county that don’t see any benefit and taxpayers have to see a benefit,” Moss said, according to The Detroit News report. “The 85 percent rule is statutory. That was put there for a reason. There are a lot of concerns. And 85 percent is definitely one of them.

“Hopefully, we’ll get it fixed. We have to have some guarantees that we don’t pass something and then find that it isn’t what we thought it was. And if we can’t demonstrate that there’s going to be value, no matter what we pass, the people won’t vote for it.

Ruth Johnson, the assistant director of the Transportation Riders United group that advocates for transit in the region, she hopes the issues can be resolved.

“Too many people are depending upon them to get this job done,” Johnson said. “I think there’s going to need to be some additional considerations, but frankly, I don’t understand the 85 percent rule because if you look at other regions, not everybody gets the same level of service. That’s just a reality.

“This is a start. And if we never get started, we’ll never see the promise of what the RTA legislation and all the hard work of the RTA board and the citizens have put in and brought us to this point.”

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