Today, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Board of Trustees will meet to discuss going to voters with potential local funding options for this November’s election. Riders will speak out during the 9 a.m. meeting at RTA’s Headquarters at 1240 W 6th St in downtown Cleveland and call for members of RTA’s Board of Trustees to step aside if they are unable to provide a vision for RTA.
In July of 2016, Mike Daugherty, manager of budgets for RTA, called the loss of $20 million in Medicaid Managed Care sales tax revenue a “significant, catastrophic loss of revenue on an annual basis for the authority.”
Even with this warning of a looming $20 million annual revenue loss, RTA’s Board of Trustees did not seek local revenue in 2016 or 2017, while riders faced service cuts and fare increases.
If the RTA’s Board of Trustees is unable to articulate a vision to maintain and expand transit today, when will the appropriate time? If members of the Board of Trustees are unwilling to lead, then those Board members need to step aside.
The need for restored service and fare relief is urgent. Fares have doubled while service has been cut by over 25 percent since 2005. After the loss of MCO sales tax revenue , $7 million in cuts and fare increases since 2016, at least $27 million is needed to restore useful transit in Cuyahoga County. In order to restore public trust and accountability, CPT is calling for the levy to be renewable after five years.
Going forward, our elected officials must also be held accountable. County Executive Armond Budish must use Cuyahoga County’s open appointment to place a rider on RTA’s Board of Trustees.
Cleveland Mayor Jackson, County Executive Budish and the Mayors and Managers Association must emphasize future appointments to the Board of Trustees. Appointees should include daily RTA riders as well as experts in rail and bus operation, finance and budget, land use, real-estate law and environmental sustainability. This will allow the Board of Trustees to make better informed decisions as opposed to rubber stamping staff recommendations.
