Wednesday, April 12, 2006
"I just don't want to hear it again and again..."
FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina - Residents would have access to public transportation under a proposal that would cost millions of dollars more each year. But local leaders have yet to embrace the idea.The main obstacle has been the politically unpopular decision to raise taxes to pay for expanding transit service.
The current Fayetteville Area System of Transit, or FAST, costs the city about $4.8 million a year. One option for expanding the system would cost $14.1 million; the other option would be almost $11 million. Under both options, bus hours and routes would be extended beyond the city. Fayetteville transit officials first proposed the expansion two years ago, hoping to increase the speed and frequency of riders, and for the first time, get the county’s financial support.
But local officials have yet to act on that proposal. Commissioner Jeannette Council said county commissioners are unwilling to raise taxes to pay for mass transit, even though they have heard a presentation on expanding FAST three times. “I just don’t want to hear it again and again...,” she said.
The current Fayetteville Area System of Transit, or FAST, costs the city about $4.8 million a year. One option for expanding the system would cost $14.1 million; the other option would be almost $11 million. Under both options, bus hours and routes would be extended beyond the city. Fayetteville transit officials first proposed the expansion two years ago, hoping to increase the speed and frequency of riders, and for the first time, get the county’s financial support.
But local officials have yet to act on that proposal. Commissioner Jeannette Council said county commissioners are unwilling to raise taxes to pay for mass transit, even though they have heard a presentation on expanding FAST three times. “I just don’t want to hear it again and again...,” she said.
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