DETROIT – Leaders in southeastern Michigan reached an agreement Tuesday which will place the Regional Transit Authority's public transportation plan on the November ballot.
The Oakland, Macomb and Wayne county executives, the mayor of Detroit, and representatives from the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners met at the Detroit Athletic Club to negotiate a solution following last week’s “no” vote by Oakland and Macomb counties at the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) board meeting.
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I am satisfied that the accord we reached today not only offers something for our 40 communities and over half a million residents previously left out of the transit plan, but also incorporates the necessary protections we were seeking for Oakland County taxpayers. I’m grateful to my regional counterparts who joined me in moving forward. In addition, I’d like to recognize the outstanding work of my negotiators, Chief Deputy County Executive Gerald Poisson and Deputy County Executive Robert Daddow. Their expertise helped us find a solution that is fair for everyone," Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said.
The RTA unveiled the plan at the end of May and, according to the RTA, the millage required to implement the $4.6 billion master plan is proposed as a 20-year millage (2017-2036) at 1.2 mills. This millage would be applied in addition to other possible state and federal funding sources, and would be about $7.92 per month for the average home in southeast Michigan.
More: RTA transit plan: How much will it cost you?
Voters in Macomb, Oakland, Wayne and Washtenaw counties will be asked to consider the RTA millage proposal on Nov. 8, 2016.
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said there will be veto power placed into the November ballot proposal.
"They will put veto power into the ballot proposal as a way of revising the original RTA incorporation.
No legislative change or by-laws change needed. It will be in ballot question," said Hackel.
The RTA wants the system to work with existing regional transportation services including the Detroit Department of Transportation, the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, the Ann Arbor Transit Authority and Downtown Detroit's People Mover. The M-1 Rail streetcar (Q-Line), which is planned to open in 2017, will be folded into the RTA in 2024.