KCRag Forum

Dave, the ATA is set to get a chunk of change from the CARES act. Do you know when it is expected to be received and what the plan is?

kboish wrote: ↑Sat Apr 11, 2020 8:17 am Dave, the ATA is set to get a chunk of change from the CARES act. Do you know when it is expected to be received and what the plan is?

https://www.transit.dot.gov/cares-act-apportionments

$51 million seems like a number that should get the organization through this. How does that KS/MO split work?

Can someone dumb this down for me.

http://cityclerk.kcmo.org/LiveWeb/Docum ... bRSUOm3JXk

normalthings wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 2:54 am Can someone dumb this down for me.

http://cityclerk.kcmo.org/LiveWeb/Docum ... bRSUOm3JXk

Requesting 95% of revenue from the 1/2-cent citywide sales tax for public mass transportation. Much of it is diverted to Public Works, including the FY20-21 budget that funds zero fare.

DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 12:58 pm

normalthings wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 2:54 am Can someone dumb this down for me.

http://cityclerk.kcmo.org/LiveWeb/Docum ... bRSUOm3JXk

Requesting 95% of revenue from the 1/2-cent citywide sales tax for public mass transportation. Much of it is diverted to Public Works, including the FY20-21 budget that funds zero fare.

Sounds like good news!

normalthings wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 5:03 am

DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 12:58 pm

normalthings wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 2:54 am Can someone dumb this down for me.

http://cityclerk.kcmo.org/LiveWeb/Docum ... bRSUOm3JXk

Requesting 95% of revenue from the 1/2-cent citywide sales tax for public mass transportation. Much of it is diverted to Public Works, including the FY20-21 budget that funds zero fare.

Sounds like good news!

This was held off the docket with no discussion or explanation.

kboish wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 3:02 pm

normalthings wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 5:03 am

DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 12:58 pm

Requesting 95% of revenue from the 1/2-cent citywide sales tax for public mass transportation. Much of it is diverted to Public Works, including the FY20-21 budget that funds zero fare.

Sounds like good news!

This was held off the docket with no discussion or explanation.

STL City has a 1 1/2 cent transit sales tax for reference.

I believe most of Bi-State's transit operating funding comes from STL County (same rate, just more overall revenue). As with KCMO, it goes to the jurisdictions first since Bi-State doesn't have taxing authority (neither does KCATA).

DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:04 pm I believe most of Bi-State's transit operating funding comes from STL County (same rate, just more overall revenue). As with KCMO, it goes to the jurisdictions first since Bi-State doesn't have taxing authority (neither does KCATA).

STL County is 1/2 cent. IIRC, St. Clair Illinois is also 1/2 cent. St. Charles MO gets a 1/2 cent put on their ballot every few years but it never passes. STL Metro has some sort of transit election every 3-4 years, they are super persistent.

IIRC, part of the STL City 1.5 cent sales tax is a tax specific to north/south metro link. I believe they turned the taxing mechanism on already despite no immediate plans to construct. Chris can speak more to it.

normalthings wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:25 pm STL County is 1/2 cent. IIRC, St. Clair Illinois is also 1/2 cent. St. Charles MO gets a 1/2 cent put on their ballot every few years but it never passes. STL Metro has some sort of transit election every 3-4 years, they are super persistent.

IIRC, part of the STL City 1.5 cent sales tax is a tax specific to north/south metro link. I believe they turned the taxing mechanism on already despite no immediate plans to construct. Chris can speak more to it.

St. Charles County doesn't want bi-state (Metro Transit) to really expand out there because, well, they're hard headed. They also thought the MetroLink transports the criminals from point A to point B and they didn't want that out in their area. I'll leave it at that.

STL County has a countywide transit tax but also, if I remember correctly, has a special taxing district in place to fund the MetroLink line from Clayton to Westport Plaza via a new ROW on I-170 and an old railway right of way up to Page (State Route D). That has been around for more than 10 years and the funding is growing for that line via the tax but there are no immediate plans to construct that line, not to mention recent developments eating up the proposed ROW.

St Clair County Illinois does have that 1/2 cent sales tax for transit and is the reason why the Red Line runs through a lot of farm land on the way to Scott Air Force Base. An extension of the Red Line, to be funded by St. Clair County and the State of Illinois, will connect to the barely used Midamerica Airport.

The City of St. Louis contributes a 1.5 cent sales tax with the most recent increase in funding coming from a 2017 ballot measure that promised the people that if they vote for the increased transit tax that the North-South MetroLink line would be built. That line would cost an estimated $667 Million and run from Grand and Florrisant (at Fairground Park) on the Northside to Broadway/Jefferson and Chippewa on the Southside via Downtown and street running light rail on Florrisant, 14th, Chouteau and Jefferson. At this point in time, from my knowledge, planning for the line has stopped and has yet to move past the conceptual stage.

So for a while, it looks like we will be having money building up for two MetroLink expansions with the colors of the lines expected to be Purple (Westport branch) and Orange (North-South).

So, Bi-State brings in a good amount of funding through these 3 counties with St. Louis County being the biggest contributor despite having a lower sales tax for transit than the City. The main reason for this is the population of the county (about triple the City of St. Louis) and far more businesses calling the County home than the City. Without STL County, Metro Transit would be struggling.

In regards to the transit elections every 3-4 years, those are probably done for now as I'm not aware of any new ballot measure regarding transit for this year's or next year's elections. I know there has been an effort for Madison County Illinois to join Bi-State, but that's going no where.

normalthings wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:25 pm

DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:04 pm I believe most of Bi-State's transit operating funding comes from STL County (same rate, just more overall revenue). As with KCMO, it goes to the jurisdictions first since Bi-State doesn't have taxing authority (neither does KCATA).

STL County is 1/2 cent. IIRC, St. Clair Illinois is also 1/2 cent. St. Charles MO gets a 1/2 cent put on their ballot every few years but it never passes. STL Metro has some sort of transit election every 3-4 years, they are super persistent.

IIRC, part of the STL City 1.5 cent sales tax is a tax specific to north/south metro link. I believe they turned the taxing mechanism on already despite no immediate plans to construct. Chris can speak more to it.

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FTA just announced they are soliciting proposals for $225 million in funding for new fixed guideway capital projects, small start projects, or core capacity improvement project under the FAST Act. Projects must be public-private partnerships and be requesting 25% or less federal support. These grants can also be combined with traditional grants new starts, etc. Is this something that's on the KCATA, KC Streetcar, or Port KC Radar?


https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/news/ ... ot-program

https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/app ... ce-funding

Walker wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 11:43 pm FTA just announced they are soliciting proposals for $225 million in funding for new fixed guideway capital projects, small start projects, or core capacity improvement project under the FAST Act. Projects must be public-private partnerships and be requesting 25% or less federal support. These grants can also be combined with traditional grants new starts, etc. Is this something that's on the KCATA, KC Streetcar, or Port KC Radar?


https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/news/ ... ot-program

https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/app ... ce-funding

That's a VERY low federal match. Most of our projects at 80% federal match, some are in the 40-60% range. It's a trap!

Highways and runways, meanwhile, bask in 90% federal match!

And that’s why our public infrastructure lags behind public transit systems in most of the developed world. Highways have received the lions share of public funding to the detriment of our rail systems. The difference between the US and European systems are embarrassing.

Major KC Fan wrote: ↑Thu Aug 06, 2020 12:47 pm And that’s why our public infrastructure lags behind public transit systems in most of the developed world. Highways have received the lions share of public funding to the detriment of our rail systems. The difference between the US and European systems are embarrassing.

Experiencing the infrastructure in Italy and most of Southern Europe for the last 4 years, I can attest to the beauty of a well organized and funded passenger rail network. However, road travel anywhere in this area is abysmal to say the least, and while I greatly appreciate being able to take the autostrada around, it is outrageously overpriced, and leaves almost no other viable road option, meaning no matter what mode of transit you choose, you will be paying some type of fee to move over that distance, on top of other expense already necessary for travel. I’m not at all saying the U.S. is right in their subsidizing of highways, but we do handle road infrastructure much better than Europe.

Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 06, 2020 1:53 pm

Major KC Fan wrote: ↑Thu Aug 06, 2020 12:47 pm And that’s why our public infrastructure lags behind public transit systems in most of the developed world. Highways have received the lions share of public funding to the detriment of our rail systems. The difference between the US and European systems are embarrassing.

meaning no matter what mode of transit you choose, you will be paying some type of fee to move over that distance, on top of other expense already necessary for travel.

can you elaborate

Toll highways. All interstate style highways are privately owned infrastructure, and charge a massive up charge because their only competitors are state maintained 2 lane local highways, which have a max speed of 50-80 KPH. It does a great job of forcing people onto certain modes of transit for sure, but makes driving significantly more expensive, and more stressful than driving in the states.

Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 07, 2020 6:43 am Toll highways. All interstate style highways are privately owned infrastructure, and charge a massive up charge because their only competitors are state maintained 2 lane local highways, which have a max speed of 50-80 KPH. It does a great job of forcing people onto certain modes of transit for sure, but makes driving significantly more expensive, and more stressful than driving in the states.

Wonderful! I wonder if they could do something like K=Pass otherwise I support 100%.