Public transportation measures on the ballot for West Michigan voters on Tuesday

KALAMAZOO — Voters in the Grand Rapids area and in Kalamazoo County will go to the polls on Tuesday to vote on two separate public transportation measures that would fund a new bus rapid transit line in one case and stave off looming cuts to existing bus service in the other.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second largest city, voters will consider a millage that would introduce express bus service along the busy north-south Division Avenue corridor, home to the area’s most-used bus route.

Branded the Silver Line, the project’s supporters argue that the buses, powered by hybrid-drive technology, would allow frequent service, have a limited number of stops, dedicated bus lanes and connect Grand Rapids’ downtown transit hub and central business district to major employment, educational and research centers. The suburban terminus would be at 60th Street, about 10 miles south of the city, paralleling the busy U.S. 131 expressway for much of the route.

Voters in the Grand Rapids and five other surrounding municipalities part of The Rapid’s service area — East Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Walker, Grandville and Kentwood — will have to pass a millage on Tuesday to make the Silver Line a reality.

Currently, it takes nearly an hour to make the Division Avenue trip by bus. But the Silver Line plan would cut that same trip in half because there will be dedicated stations only at major points, some that will allow transfers to east-west crosstown bus lines, expanding the reach of the Silver Line to a much larger area, supporters argue.

The 0.15 mill increase wouldn’t go into effect until 2012, when it would start collecting $70 million per year for operating costs. The tax, which would cost the owner of a home with a $150,000 market value about $12 per year, would expire in 2017.

But if the measure passes, The Rapid system would receive $40 million in state and federal funding this year to begin construction of the line’s 19 stations and to purchase 10 new buses.

“This is an example of good government,” said Ruth Kelly, campaign coordinator for Friends of Transit a group pushing for the passage of the measure. “This is the time to develop our infrastructure.”

The government funds are not part of the stimulus package, Kelly said, emphasizing that “if we don’t take advantage of them, then they will be spent elsewhere. It’s our tax dollars coming back.”

The Silver Line would create construction jobs over the next several years and spur job creation and economic development along Division Avenue, she said, giving a 100 percent to 1,000 percent return on the initial investment.

Studies indicated a total of 216 direct and indirect jobs as a result of the line.

Jennifer Kalczuk, a Rapid spokeswoman, said several corridors in the city were looked at for the line, but Division was chosen because it’s a high-traffic area that “is a good mix of destinations; businesses, entertainment venues, colleges and medical facilities. But there are also areas that are underdeveloped and could be given a shot-in-the-arm.”

All told, it’s taken five years for Silver Line advocates and planners to get to this point, she said. Over that span of time, numerous public meetings have been held seeking input about what riders, business owners and the public in general wanted to see developed.

For all the optimism, however, there is dissent.

“This is a lousy time to ask for a [tax increase],” said Eric Larson, a member of Kent County Families for Fiscal Responsibility, which has organized a campaign against the measure.

Larson said that the Silver Line would cause more congestion along Division Street and negatively affect businesses along the route, stating that such a line would not spur economic development. He added that residents of several communities that are being asked to fund the Silver Line won’t use it.

“This money would be better spent elsewhere,” he said.

His organization has been passing out flyers door-to-door urging a “no” vote on the proposal. All told, however, it’s been a small-scale operation, with only about $100 spent on flyers and other materials, he said.

“I’m cautiously optimistic it will go down,” Larson said. “We’re trying to give voice to those who don’t support this. It’s OK to be a ‘no’ voter.”

Kalamazoo County gears-up for important transit vote

Just six months after voters in Kalamazoo County put the brakes on a plan to create a single countywide tax to fund public transportation throughout Kalamazoo County, the Kalamazoo County Transit Authority is again asking for the passage of a millage to fund operations.

Voters will be asked to approve a four year, 0.4 mill levy to support public transportation. The millage would replace the voter-approved tax of 0.45 mills that expired at the end of 2008.

If approved, the tax will generate $3.2 million, about 23 percent of the $13.8 million annual operating budget for public transportation in the county. The remainder of the proposed income for the system includes $2.3 million in federal funding, $4.4 million in state funding, $1.2 million in funding from the Metro Transit Authority and $2.6 million from fares.

The cost to the owner of a home with a market value of $100,000 would be about $17 per year.

A second, 0.6 millage request — which would apply to city of Kalamazoo residents — is expected to appear on the November 2009 ballot. If approved, it would bring the total levy for transportation within that jurisdiction to 1 mill, the same rate that city residents paid between 1998 and 2006, and 27 percent less than they paid in 2007 and 2008.

“There was a strong sentiment in November that people weren’t comfortable paying one rate for all services,” Kalamazoo Metro Transit Director Bill Schomisch said.

“We still don’t have what we want — one system and one board. But we’re getting there. This is not a Band Aid, it’s a bridge.”

If Tuesday’s vote goes down again, Schomisch said, three recently added bus lines in neighboring Portage would likely be eliminated. Other lines throughout the city of Kalamazoo would also possibly be scaled-back and Metro Transit’s Care-A-Van service – which provides door-to-door rides for senior citizens and disabled residents — would be eliminated as it currently exists.

“It would be a big blow,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a pretty picture.”

Still, there is rising demand for nearly all of Metro Transit’s services. The number of trips taken in January and February of this year was 16,000 more than the same time last year, when Metro Transit was providing 260,000 to 270,000 rides per month.

The 3.1 million rides provided last year was the highest since 1982, when the region was suffering through similar economic maladies.

Schomisch is hoping voters will come through for public transportation this time around. Recent phone banking has shown about 60 percent in favor of the millage, he said.

“But we’re still going to be chewing our fingernails Tuesday night,” he said.

The Kalamazoo County Republican Party, which has come out in opposition to past millage requests, is not taking a position on the proposal, said Chairman Al Heilman, a former Kalamazoo city commissioner.

But Heilman, speaking for himself, supports the measure.

“You can’t urge people to get a job if they don’t have transportation to get there,” he said. “You can’t say no to all taxes. This is a reasonable approach to keep our community viable.”