San Antonio mayor shelves plan for November transit ballot measure
San Antonio will not ask voters this November to approve a 1/8th-cent sales tax that would have provided millions to the area for transit investment.
The proceeds of the tax would have funded portions of Via Metropolitan Transit’s VIA Reimagined plan, which aims to bring a better bus system, rapid transit and advanced technology solutions to the transit network.
As Mass Transit Assistant Editor Megan Perrero reported in the April/May issue:
If approved, that one-eighth cent sales tax would fund the expansion of services associated with the VIA Reimagined Plan, as well as capital costs such as more buses for the added service.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg provided city residents with an on-air assessment of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the city on June 2:
“Our top priorities must be managing the crisis, preventing both an economic and health catastrophe, and providing opportunity for all San Antonians as we restore our livelihoods. We need all hands on-deck. As we chart this course, we must put aside previous plans that made sense before the pandemic sent shock waves through our community.
“Rivers adapt when they encounter obstacles, so we, too, must adapt our plans for the future of San Antonio. That means new investment in our transit system must wait.
“So in November, we will not be asking voters to redirect the one-eighth cent sales tax that becomes available next year to the transportation system outlined in the ConnectSA process. We will champion new efforts in our transit agency to assess and fund the priorities of delivering effective, essential service where it is needed the most. This is a painful, but necessary, decision for us. But direct action to ensure a healthful economic recovery means rebuilding now. We will take the time we need to fully understand the depth of the pandemic’s financial damage before making new investments.”
VIA Board Chair Hope Andrade posted a blog on VIA Metropolitan Transit’s website in which she stated the transit authority is aligned with Mayor Nirenberg’s priorities for the city’s recovery. She explained the agency is not seeking to fund the service enhancement plan, but requires support for “a new transit recovery plan to drive economic mobility and cover the shortfall caused by COVID’s impact.”
Like other transit providers, COVID-19 has been a hard hit on VIA, which is anticipating revenue and sales tax revenue losses of more than $65 million. As Mass Transit reported in its recent cover story on VIA Metropolitan Transit, sales tax accounted for 73 percent of VIA's revenue in FY20.
The support Andrade referenced isn’t only to shore up the financial outlook of the agency, but to “preserve the lifeline that our service provides in what will be an uncertain future for us all.”
“In preparing, we know one thing for sure: we can’t have economic mobility without access to basic mobility first,” wrote Andrade. “VIA stands ready to be partners against hunger, unemployment, inequality and the injustice of economic segregation and has already begun the hard work that’s needed to bring real change.”
She continued, “But let’s be honest. The funding VIA receives is not enough to get us through this or move us forward…The VIA Board believes we have an opportunity to not just recover but to emerge from this crisis as a community stronger and more connected than before. We understand the need to connect our workforce to their jobs, connect the unemployed to new training classes, connect students to schools and connect those who need care to services. We are committed to providing a transit system that connects them conveniently and safely. Our riders deserve a public transit system that can get them there without having to plan for a two-hour trip…We believe it’s time to be honest with ourselves and our community. Our economy cannot recover if we cannot connect. Transit is a critical piece of the plan to put San Antonio back to work and on a better path than we were before. We’ve all learned from this pandemic. Let’s get to work, together.”
To read VIA Board Chair Hope Andrade full blog, click here.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
