Minnesota Mayors Call for Increased Transit Funding

In an opinion piece in MinnPost, Marylee Abrams, Mike Krachmer, and Shep Harris, mayors of three Minnesota towns, urge voters and policymakers to support expanded public transit in the state through a new sales tax.

“When it comes to building the safe, reliable and convenient transit system our region deserves, there’s no substitute for ongoing investment. A modest sales tax of less than one percent can provide the sustained investment we need to support a more connected, prosperous metro.” Yet, the op-ed charges, “We cling to an outdated funding formula that leads to chronic operating deficits and the reduced frequency and reliability that come with that.”

Nodding to the region’s transit-rich past, the mayors add that “Improved transit makes our communities and economies more accessible for everyone, like the many high school and college students who rely on public transit to get to their classes and to work.”

The op-ed positions access to transit as an equity issue, pointing out that “Access to opportunity should not be premised on affording a car, or being able to live in the same area where you work, learn, and play,” particularly when the housing crisis has pushed many working-class Minnesotans farther from their jobs. “A modern transit system that works for everyone looks like never having to check a transit schedule again, because the next bus or train is only ever minutes away.”