Star Tribune Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:16:58 GMT
Counties must decide how (and if) to divvy up new transit tax
The metro counties will begin talks on how to spend proceeds from a quarter-cent sales tax -- but some may not levy the voluntary tax, part of the transportation bill. At a historic meeting in St. Paul on Wednesday morning, metro-area counties will open discussions on how they will wield a new quarter-cent sales tax to create an area-wide transit system for the Twin Cities. A state transportation bill passed last week by legislators over the veto of Gov. Tim Pawlenty allows the seven metro counties to levy a quarter-cent sales tax for transit. If all of the counties impose the tax, it would raise $100 million a year for new rail lines and busways across the metro area. Many questions now wait to be addressed about how the new tax will work -- chief among them, whether all seven metro counties will levy the optional sales tax. And if all the counties do opt in, how will they decide where to spend the $100 million a year?
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