STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
By TIMOTHY BOONE
THE SUN HERALD
Monday, July 02, 2007
GULFPORT - The Coast Transit Authority is facing a $1.5 million cut in federal funding, and transportation officials are looking for help from local governments and agencies.
Reid Hopper, CTA executive director, told the Gulfport Business Club on Tuesday that the transit authority no longer qualifies for federal transportation funds because there are more than 200,000 people living in the Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula metropolitan area. Those federal funds make up half of CTA's budget.
"The federal government thinks that if you have that many people, the local government can take care of the public transportation system on their own," Hopper said. He advocates using 1 cent from the dedicated fuel tax revenue for public transportation on the Coast. This would generate $1.2 million annually.
The city of Biloxi and Harrison County supervisors have passed resolutions supporting Hopper's request for a dedicated fuel tax. Hopper asked the Gulfport Business Club to make a similar endorsement.
"Forty-eight states pay for public transportation with dedicated fuel tax revenues," he said.
By getting a steady source of revenue, CTA would be able to progress with other projects, including hybrid electric-gas powered buses and park-and-ride operations in downtown Biloxi and Gulfport. The federal government has set aside $9.9 million for CTA to move forward with these plans.
"If we don't get a source of revenue, then we will have to go to bare bones," Hopper said. "Public transit as we know it will not exist."
Timothy Boone can be reached at 896-2358 or at tcboone@sun
herald.com.