RTA Hires Schreiber To Lobby For Higher Taxes

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WTAQ) - The regional transit authority in southeast Wisconsin is hiring former Acting Governor Martin Schreiber to lobby for higher taxes, and more authority to pursue a new commuter rail line. The transit panel has approved an $18,000 contract to have Schreiber lobby for the project through the end of April.

Meanwhile, the group says others will lobby state legislators to pass a bill that lets Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha counties create new panels to run their respective bus systems. That measure could lead to another half-percent sales tax for Milwaukee County – and higher hotel and property taxes and vehicle registration fees for busses, and for the commuter trains from Milwaukee to Kenosha. Federal officials have said they won’t fund the trains until the buses can prove to be financially stable.

Planners say the Milwaukee bus system could face major service reductions if it’s not taken off the property tax. Officials say the state bill would help prop up the bus systems – and that’s why they’re pushing it before they seek federal funds for the commuter trains. A regional transit authority vote on a federal rail application is possible this spring – along with a vote on a first phase of a proposed $18 rental car tax to help pay for the rail project.