Buses Win Big in Kalamazoo Millage Tax Measure

The transit measure was vital to the one-year-old Central County Transportation Authority, a function of the Kalamazoo County Government, which covers Kalamazoo and the surrounding cities and townships. It will allow CCTA to maintain and expand Kalamazoo Metro Transit.

"The (0.75-mill) levy runs through 2020 and replaces the current 0.6-mill levy levied in the city of Kalamazoo, which expires at the end of this year," writes Julie Mack for MLive.com. According to Investopedia, millage rate is "(t)he amount per $1,000 that is used to calculate taxes on property."

The tax will cost $45 a year on a home that has a market value of $120,000 and a taxable value of $60,000, which is about the average for the county. The millage is projected to raise $3.5 million in 2016.

As a result of the measure's passage, Metro Transit will provide new Sunday fixed-route service, and weekday service from 10 pm to midnight. In addition, it will "support the transit system's transition from diesel-fuel buses to hybrid-battery buses," adds Mack.

Millages play a crucial role in funding Metro Transit, according to the Kalamazoo County Transportation Authority's funding breakdown:

State Grants - 34 percent
Property Tax Millages - 29 percent
Fares - 21 percent
Federal Grants - 14 percent
Other - 2.5 percent

Correspondent's note: It's nice to see Kalamazooans support their local transit service, as it will complement the new 110-mph intercity rail service to Chicago thanks to federal high-speed-rail stimulus funding.

Hat tip to AASHTO Daily Transportation Update.