MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) announced on Thursday, Sept. 19 the 2020 recommended transit budget with a re-direction of more than $4 million in funds to restore routes slated for cuts.
In a news release, Abele issued the following statement:
The projected budget gap for Milwaukee County was expected to be roughly $28 million for 2020. So the news release says the county tasked MCTS with submitting a budget with $1.7 million less assumed from the tax levy. Milwaukee County and MCTS are not only capped by the state by what can be raised locally, rising costs and declining ridership have contributed to the fiscal situation this year. Combined, MCTS had an $8 million deficit for 2020.
To balance the budget within the financial constraints, MCTS proposed phasing out more than a dozen bus routes, prioritizing racial equity and limiting the impact on riders. MCTS communicated these proposals to riders, residents, business owners, civic leaders, and elected officials at town halls, and through emails, phone calls and online surveys. Public engagement and other factors led Milwaukee County leaders to adjust the budget proposal.
Milwaukee County was able to restore more than $4 million in funding for routes through an increase in property tax revenue dedicated to transit. This was largely possible due to better than expected health care projection costs for Milwaukee County in 2020, the news release says.