PRESS RELEASE: Metropolitan Council Chair Peter Bell Says Governor Pawlenty's Plan Threatens Key Transit Projects
Under Governor’s plan, key transit projects threatened and transit takes greater share of cuts than any other state program

(SAINT PAUL). Governor Pawlenty’s proposed plan for state budget cuts would cut $30 million from transit, or 50 percent of Metro Transit's general fund allocation. According to Metropolitan Council Chair Peter Bell, this will conceivably delay key transit projects, including the Central Corridor light rail transit line, the 35W busway secured under the Urban Partnership Agreement, and the Cedar Avenue busway. The plan also makes transit take a greater share of the budget cuts than most other state programs.

In response to a question (from Representative Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis) as to whether the budget cuts will threaten key projects like the Central Corridor, Peter Bell responded that “[The budget cuts] will conceivably delay the projects.” Bell's testimony came in a transportation finance committee hearing this morning. Bell also noted that federal officials, who will soon make decisions about providing matching funds to the Central Corridor light rail transit line, do not look kindly on regions requesting funding while simultaneously planning to cut service or raise fares.

If the Governor’s proposed cuts are implemented, the Metropolitan Council will most likely be forced to implement service cuts or fare increases. In addition to threatening key transit projects, these cuts disproportionately affect youth, the elderly, people with disabilities, and struggling families, preventing people from reaching jobs, doctor’s appointments, and schools.

 “It is absolutely pennywise and pound-foolish to cut transit when key transit projects and federal dollars are on the line,” says Representative Frank Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis). "With rising gas prices and a struggling economy, transit should be the last thing we cut.”

The 2008 Transportation Bill asked for a 1/4 cent sales tax to supplement its existing budget and to expand service and the region's transitway system to meet the challenges of population and congestion growth.  The Transportation Bill also required that $30 million of the first year of sales tax collected be directed to Metro Transit to fill a budget already deeply in the hole. Legislators set aside their differences to develop a bipartisan, balanced plan to invest in a transportation system that benefits bus riders, rail riders, and car commuters. Their strong work is threatened by the Governor’s proposed cuts.

“More people than ever depend on the bus system to get around,” says Dave Van Hattum, Policy & Advocacy Program Manager for Transit for Livable Communities. “Our urban bus lines are packed, and our suburban park and rides are filled to capacity. Cutting bus service directly impacts many people’s abilities to reach their jobs. These cuts will hit people where it hurts: their ability to get to get around and their pocketbooks.”