Defeat of WRTA levy reveals deep divide in community

Defeat of WRTA levy reveals deep divide in community

There was brief moment Tuesday night when it seemed that Mahoning County voters had set aside their parochial biases and had made a decision for the common good.

Unfortunately, the moment passed and reality reared its ugly head as the final vote tally on the Western Reserve Transit Authority sales tax issue was announced: 50,570 against; 38,519 for.

The defeat sends a message that regionalization remains an elusive goal.

Tuesday’s vote also makes clear that any initiative by Youngstown to use its water as a bargaining chip with Boardman and Austintown for revenue sharing will be dead on arrival. Suburbanites do not seem to want their governments to have more than a cursory relationship with City Hall.

That’s unfortunate.

The status quo has not been sustainable in the public sector for some time now, yet government decision-makers refuse to demonstrate the leadership necessary to bring about a change in attitude in their communities.

Even when faced with a moral imperative, as they were with the WRTA sales tax issue, Mahoning County residents outside the city of Youngstown are unable to look beyond their immediate worlds.

It is true that most of the users of public bus service live in the city, and it is also true that the WRTA is financed, in part, by two property tax levies paid by Youngstown residents.

But it is unfair to suggest, as many suburbanites did before the election, that public transportation does not affect their lives because they do not ride the bus.

Suburban businesses

As we noted in an editorial urging support of the sales tax issue, there are Youngstown residents who are employed by businesses in the suburbs. These businesses would have a difficult time filling positions if the labor pool did not include Youngstowners.

Because of increased operational costs, stagnant revenue from the property tax levies and reductions in federal and state funding, the WRTA has had to cut service. This has resulted in a decrease in its fare revenue.

Faced with an uncertain future — there was talk that the transit authority could cease operations if it did not secure new funding — there was no alternative than to seek a countywide tax.

Thus the question today: What happens next?

While the WRTA’s executive director, James Ferraro, and members of the board of directors analyze the results from Tuesday’s primary and discuss options, we would suggest a parallel meeting of all officials in the region involved in public transportation.

There are myriad entities and agencies that use public dollars to provide transportation in buses, vans and even taxis.

Taxpayers have a right to know the total cost of providing this service and an accounting of how the money is spent.

Given the regional nature of such an undertaking — officials from the Mahoning and Shenango valleys should be involved — we reiterate our call to area federal and state legislators to facilitate the session.