Kasich budget doesn’t address Ohio’s transit needs

Policy Matters calls for state to increase investment

Contact Wendy Patton 614.221.4505 Full testimony Download press release

Governor John Kasich’s proposed budget fails to meet Ohio’s growing needs for public transportation and further stresses already strained local transit agencies. In testimony before the House Finance Subcommittee on Transportation today, Policy Matters Ohio Senior Project Director Wendy Patton called for the state legislature to adequately invest in public transportation. She said Ohio needs a long-term solution for changes to the state sales tax that slash funding for local transit agencies. The Ohio Department of Transportation Transit Needs study of 2015 identified a gap in public transit needs of $650 million in 2015, rising to more than $1 billion by 2025. Backlogged maintenance and repair required $273 million in 2015. The study recommends the state provide $120 million a year for transit, rising to $185 million a year by 2025. The executive budget, which provides $7.3 million in general revenue funds and $33 million in federal highway flex funds, continues a long-time trend of underinvestment in transit, Patton said. The budget also fails to fully address a narrowing of the state sales tax base that hurts transit agencies and counties. Changes in federal rules required Ohio to broaden the base of the managed care organization provider tax, currently in the sales tax. The state opted for a solution outside of the sales tax. Counties