It’ll be a few more weeks before Rossford City Council formally decides whether to support a change in the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority’s local subsidy.
While council members did not raise any strenuous objections to the plan to switch from property taxes to a sales tax, they voted down, by 5-1, a motion to waive a formal third reading of the proposal after holding their second reading Monday night.
Several council members and Mayor Neil MacKinnon spoke in favor of the change, noting that it will represent a tax cut for many property owners and saying public transportation has been vital to job growth in the city.
But councilman Robert Densic, speaking before the question was called, said there also was no need to hurry, with TARTA having until early August to obtain the necessary resolutions from Rossford and other member communities.
The transit authority is proposing to replace its two current property levies, totalling 2.5 mills and collected in the agency’s seven member communities, with a 0.5 percent sales tax that would be collected throughout Lucas County as well as Rossford, the only current TARTA member that isn’t in Lucas County.
But before that sales tax can get on the Nov. 3 general-election ballots in Lucas County and Rossford, the seven current TARTA member communities’ councils or boards must approve resolutions admitting the county as a new member jurisdiction.
Rossford’s next meeting is scheduled for May 26.
TARTA is scheduled to give its presentation to Toledo City Council during an agenda-review meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Ottawa Hills Village Council approved the sales-tax proposal last week, and transit authority representatives also gave presentations to Sylvania City Council and the Sylvania Township board of trustees. So far, meetings with the Maumee and Waterville city councils have yet to be announced.
First Published May 12, 2020, 1:54 a.m.
