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Salem-Keizer Transit District Referred to the People by the District Board 5-Year Local Option Tax To Maintain And Improve Bus Service Question: Shall Salem-Keizer Transit (Cherriots) levy a 5-year tax of 60-cents per $1,000 beginning 2007-08 to maintain and improve Cherriots service? This measure may cause property taxes to increase more than three percent. Summary: Salem-Keizer Transit District has proposed a 5-year local option tax. The additional revenue would be added to increased riders’ fares, and to State and Federal funds, to balance total revenues with the expense of maintaining current service and providing certain improvements in public transit as this area grows. Services to be maintained and/or added include: • Sunday bus service • Restore higher-ridership services cut in September 2006 • Lift-equipped vans for disabled citizens • Improved frequency of bus service during commuter hours on overcrowded routes • Services to seniors and persons who are not able to drive • Peak-hour services for employees and students • Funds to match federal grants for new buses, and for transit centers in South Salem and Keizer • Bus shelters • Increased maintenance of bus stops and shelters Sunday service would begin July 2007, and other additions would start within 2007-2008. It is estimated that the proposed rate would raise $6,824,619 in 2007-08, $7,029,358 in 2008-09, $7,240,238 in 2009-10, $7,457,445 in 2010-11, and $7,681,169 in 2011-12. Without passage of this measure, Cherriots would not implement the changes above and would begin a process to reduce existing transit services in Salem-Keizer starting in 2007-08. Explanatory Statement This measure would authorize a local option tax of 60-cents per $1,000 of assessed value. These funds would be added to the District’s existing revenues, including its 1996 tax base, Federal and State funds, fare revenues, and miscellaneous revenues, to restore some of the services reduced in September 2006, to continue existing bus service, and add new services. On its current budget, Cherriots carries 5 1/2 million trips a year in the Salem/Keizer area, and that number has been growing at an average of 6.3% per year for the past decade. Ridership among disabled riders has grown at a 17% rate over the past five years, and the cost of providing federally-required Americans with Disabilities Act service has increased similarly. This measure is intended to maintain current transit services, maintain paratransit service for disabled persons, and add certain new services to provide capacity for increased ridership. Maintaining Existing Service About 21,000 trips are made on Cherriots on a weekday. This measure would provide stable local funding of the current level of transit service for the next five years. The measure would also provide funds to, through a process of public hearings and rider input, restore some services that were reduced in September 2006. New Services This measure would also provide funding for service improvements intended to increase ridership. The service improvements would be: Sunday Service This measure would provide funds to offer Sunday bus service in Salem and Keizer. The service would be similar to Saturdays, but would operate a slightly shorter day, approximately 8 am to 7pm. Sunday service would start in July 2007. CherryLift services would also be provided, as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act for persons with disabilities. More Frequent Buses on Congested Arterials Some of the area’s most congested streets—including parts of Mission St./Highway 22 and State St.—would receive more frequent service, with buses running every 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon peak periods. Transit Centers This measure would provide match funds with which to seek Federal transportation grants to build two small transit centers in Salem and Keizer. Development of the centers would allow the District to utilize small, neighborhood-friendly buses in many areas outside the downtown core. Bus Shelters and Maintenance Funds from this measure would be allotted to purchase and install five new bus shelters each year, for placement in areas experiencing the heaviest ridership. There would also be funds programmed to increase the cleaning and maintenance of the existing 130 bus shelters and 1300 bus stops in the District. Without passage of this measure, Cherriots would not be able to continue the current level of service in the Salem-Keizer area with existing funding. Further service reductions, which could include elimination of some routes, reduction in frequency, and/or reduction of morning and evening hours of operation, would take place in 2007. Submitted by: Jeff Hamm, General Manager Salem-Keizer Transit District Arguments In Favor of the measure |