Ohio House backs Perrysburg’s bid to quit TARTA

COLUMBUS — Perrysburg’s fight to extricate itself from the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority received the blessing of the Ohio House this week as part of a proposed state budget that generally isn’t kind to public transit.

Rep. Randy Gardner (R., Bowling Green) has presented the issue as one of voters’ rights. Rep. Michael Ashford (D., Toledo) has countered that the provision put into the budget is an attempt to do an end-run around the process Perrysburg has not been able to work to its favor.

“This is an attack on the working middle class and people who depend on public transit for employment, medical appointments, education, and other services,’’ Mr. Ashford said as he unsuccessfully tried to block the amendment Thursday night.

Perrysburg has tried for years to withdraw from TARTA, for which its residents pay more than $1.3 million a year in property taxes. But law allows any of the other eight members of the system to veto such a move. In November, Waterville did just that.

“It is my view that all nine member communities in the TARTA region should have the same freedom to withdraw from TARTA if they believe it is in the best interests of the people they represent,’’ Mr. Gardner said.

A budget amendment that he and Rep. Barbara Sears (R., Monclova) succeeded in getting into the House version of the budget would open a window that would close after the 2013 election for a member of the transit system to put the question to voters as to whether they want to cancel their TARTA membership. Voters in that municipality alone would vote. There would be no veto power for fellow members.

The budget is being considered by the Senate. A final plan must reach Gov. John Kasich’s desk by June 30.

The budget provision is worded only to apply to local governments in counties with populations of 400,000 or more and that pay property taxes to support a public transit system. That language singles out Wood and Lucas counties and TARTA.

Mr. Gardner noted that the system also could work in other direction, allowing a municipality to opt into TARTA on a three-year trial basis.

“Seventy thousand people in Lucas County do not have transportation services through TARTA, and one of the main reasons they don’t is because they do not want to enter into a permanent tax structure, a permanent contract without the accountability of transportation services,’’ he said.

But TARTA General Manager James Gee said there’s been no real talk of a nonmember city joining TARTA since Oregon City Council rejected a three-year trial proposal that would have used federal air-quality dollars.

“We’re the only property tax system in Ohio and the only authorized system organized in our manner…,’’ he said.

“We’re unique in our structure, which is a problem. But if funding is the problem, let’s fix that. Our fear is if Perrysburg gets out, then Rossford will be next, and then another until there is a relatively small number of communities like Toledo bearing the entire burden.’’

John Alexander, Perrysburg’s city manager, recently told the House Finance and Appropriations Committee that the city has become a donor community to TARTA, paying more in taxes to support the system than it gets back in services.

“It is not difficult to understand the reluctance of system members to sever ties with a donor community,’’ he said.

Mr. Gardner said that, if Perrysburg could secede from TARTA, it likely would contract with the system to provide services to disabled riders in the city.

Contact Jim Provance at: jprovance@theblade.com, or 614-221-0496.