CANTON − The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority is expected to place a request for a 10-year sales tax increase the November ballot — the same issue that was narrowly defeated earlier this month.
SARTA interim CEO Ralph Lee told the bus company board May 27 that he would present a resolution to place the identical 0.1% increase on the general election ballot. The legal deadline is Aug. 5 for the board to approve a resolution in time for the Nov. 3 election.
If approved by voters, SARTA’s sales tax rate would increase from 0.25% to 0.35%. With the state’s sales tax rate being 5.75% and Stark County’s criminal justice sales tax rate being 0.5%, Stark County’s total sales tax rate would increase from 6.5% to 6.6%.
The increase, which would be SARTA’s first since voters first approved a 0.5% sales tax to fund a countywide transit service in 1997, would raise an estimated $8 million. SARTA’s current 0.25% sales tax expires in September 2027.
On May 5, Stark County voters rejected the increase 31,686 to 29,983, a margin of 1,703 votes. More than 51.3% of the county’s voters voted against the increase.
SARTA officials said the additional funds would be provide local match money to obtain federal grants to purchases buses to reduce the average age of a SARTA bus from seven to nine years down to about four years, as aging buses become more costly to maintain. The money would also bring back limited Sunday service, which SARTA eliminated in 2009 due to budget cuts, said Lee, and fund expanding an Uber-like ride hailing program called D2D or Destination to Destination.
Lee attributed the narrow failure of the levy to multiple reasons. He said the supporters ran out of time to inform the public what the additional $8 million a year would be used for. SARTA failed to explain how many areas of the county would benefit from a restoration of service made possible by the sales tax hike, he said.
And Lee believes voters in Perry Township intent on opposing a proposed township road levy and voters in the Plain Local School District who opposed a bond levy to fund the construction of elementary schools also helped defeat SARTA’s request.
In Perry Township, nearly 59% of voters voted against the SARTA sales tax increase. And in Plain township, the no votes exceed the yes votes by 73 votes. Voters in both townships cast nearly 22% of the total votes cast in the county on Issue 4.
“What we needed was to make more time to educate more people,” said Lee. “People were voting against any issue in Plain and Perry where they voted no on everything. I think we have to go back and educate people on what they’re voting no to. We don’t think we asked for anything we didn’t need.”
He said SARTA helps riders get to medical appointments, pharmacies to pick up their prescriptions, grocery stores and visit family members.
Lee said he will encourage SARTA’s employees to promote the levy and the importance of public transportation at a time when gas prices are elevated — which may have made many voters less receptive to tax increases but are apparently boosting demand for SARTA’s services.
”We’re going to be strongly suggesting that our employees help us sell this,” said Lee, who is in negotiations with the board on a long-term contract to lead SARTA on a permanent basis. “It affects them and their family as much as it affects me and my family.”
Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: SARTA to go back to voters for sales tax increase
Reporting by Robert Wang, Canton Repository / The Repository
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