BACK TO The Conclusion
The purpose of
Operation Bring Back SMART Is to protect the money from the state tax on fuel in Michigan to pay for public bus service and community transit for the handicapped, the elderly and the low income. We all know that community transit and public bus service is important to the future of our state. But a concerted effort is under way by well-funded special interest groups to change the economic rules under which transit authorities operate. They want to eliminate over $100 Million dollars per year from state operating subsidies from SMART and DDOT that they receive from the state fuel tax (Michigan Transportation Fund) by raising new regressive taxes such as county sales and increasing the property tax, even if it undermines the financial well-being of our industries and damages the regions long term competitiveness. If successful, their efforts would have a devastating effect - destroying the financial foundation needed for a vibrant, healthy, expanding transportation system and economy essential for job growth. Without Contributions --- A new regional transportation bill presented to the public could be passed. This is the work of the Regional Transit Coordinating Council (RTCC) to merge city and suburban public bus providers. This comes without first protecting existing funds or coordinating routes and schedules. If enacted and funded, a regime of one agency would be created. The first step in this harmful bill is to eliminate funding from the Michigan Department of Transportation and relieve the city of Detroit's general fund from debt to be substituted with new county taxes.
Operation Bring Back SMART is a complete detailed set
of plans that worked.
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