WRTA collects tax through year-end, promises services

By KATIE SEMINARA

WRTA plans to have night and Saturday services running within a couple of months, but expanded services won’t come so soon.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Western Reserve Transit Authority will collect its property tax from Youngstown until the end of this year, but won’t collect the countywide sales tax passed by voters in November until April 2009, said Executive Director James Ferraro.

During a recent meeting with Mahoning County Auditor Michael Sciortino, it was decided that it was “fair and equitable” for WRTA to receive the property tax through 2008, Ferraro said.

With the remaining property tax money, WRTA hopes to bring back night and Saturday services.

The remaining funds from the property tax will keep WRTA out of a deficit, said Ferraro, noting that collection of the property tax will be eliminated in 2009.

“We never intended to have both [taxes],” he said.

Although the recently passed sales tax won’t be collected until April of next year, the new services proposed by WRTA might be running before that time.

“Optimistically, we’ll start to see movement around March or April with expanded routes and services,” Ferraro said.

“We certainly are not going to put services out there that aren’t funded,” he said.

Originally, WRTA estimated receiving about $7 million annually from the sales tax, but realistically, with the economy, that number will be closer to $6 million, said Ferraro.

When the tax collection starts, WRTA will focus on getting new equipment, repairing larger buses that have been dormant, and restoring and creating jobs.

WRTA already placed an order for six small buses for the promised door-to-door service. The small buses seat 14 passengers and have the ability to move two wheelchairs.

Ferraro has also been meeting with area trustees throughout the county to discuss where new routes would benefit county residents.

“Voters knew there would be a lag time, but we’re very serious about keeping the [service] guarantees we made,” Ferraro said.

“And that’s why we’ll continue to meet with communities to see how we can serve them best,” he said.

The new routes and services to be added early next year will represent the suggestions and requests made by leaders around the county.

“We’re excited. I thought we had a chance, but never thought we would swing so many votes,” said Ferraro of the WRTA levy’s passing at the beginning of the month.