Stark County voters rejected a proposed sales tax increase to fund the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority.
SARTA had sought a 0.1% sales tax increase in the May 5 primary election.
Voters rejected the measure, with 31,573 voters (51.41%) opposing the increase and 29,846 (48.59%) supporting it, according to unofficial results from the Stark County Board of Elections.
Interim Executive Director and CEO Ralph Lee said he was disappointed and hopes to bring the issue back to voters in a future election. In the meantime, he said, SARTA will focus on community outreach to learn why voters opposed the measure.
“We have to change their perception and that’s up to us,” Lee said.
He said he hopes those efforts will help residents better understand the role public transit plays in supporting the county.
“If we’re not here, then it’s a big gap in the community,” he said.
Issue 4 was the only countywide measure on the ballot.
The proposed 10-year issue would have increased SARTA’s share of the existing sales tax from 0.25% to 0.35%, generating roughly $8 million in additional revenue for SARTA annually.
Many voters at Canton Baptist Temple Activity Center on Whipple Avenue NW said they voted in favor of the issue.
Melinda Ramos, 68, was at the back of the parking lot, within the required distance from the polling location, wearing a T-shirt in support of Issue 4. Two campaign signs were propped on her car.
Ramos said she voted yes because SARTA services are vital transportation for many people in Stark County.
Ricky Miller, 45, said he lives near a SARTA bus stop. He supported the measure because he witnesses a need for services firsthand.
“I always see people waiting for buses,” Miller said. “It’s getting used a lot.”
On the other hand, out of a handful of voters at Faith Family Church in Jackson Township in the morning, only one said they supported the SARTA sales tax increase.
Thomas A. Tonsky, 67, said he is a regular voter and supports social services like SARTA.
“Because people don’t have cars,” he said. “They need rides.”
Sharon McConnell, 76, voted against Issue 4. She said she doesn’t use SARTA but has observed empty buses and followed news coverage about the transit system.
“I don’t think it’s being well run,” McConnell said.
Brenda Hartley, 53, said that she voted against the issue because, while she supports the service, she does not support the agency’s leadership.
SARTA officials said the additional revenue would have allowed the agency to stabilize funding to restore services cut in recent years and secure matching grant funds.
“Without sales tax, SARTA does not exist,” Director of Human Resources Tammy Brown told The Repository previously.
Lee has said that SARTA’s goal is to reduce the average age of vehicles to five or six years old. Currently, some of the fleet is nine years old.
A new bus costs an estimated $700,000 to $800,000, according to Chief Operations Officer Mark Finnicum.
The proposal marked the first request for an increase in sales tax in 30 years. Stark County voters first approved a 0.25% sales tax in May 1997, expanding the Canton Regional Transit Authority to a countywide service.
SARTA provides services along 28 fixed routes 16 hours a day and 1.4 million rides a year.
Contact Abreanna Blose by email at ablose@usatodayco.com or by phone at 330-580-8513.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County voters reject SARTA sales tax increase
Reporting by Abreanna Blose, Canton Repository / The Repository
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