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La Crosse planners present regional transit authority feasibility study to Onalaska council
Summary
La Crosse Area Planning Commission staff presented a study outlining four geographic scenarios for a regional transit authority and a tax‑levy sensitivity analysis; presenters said most scenarios would require less than a half‑cent sales tax and argued a regional body could better coordinate services and funding.
The Onalaska Common Council heard a presentation June 9 from the La Crosse Area Planning Commission on a feasibility study for a regional transit authority (RTA), which examined four geographic scenarios and funding options intended to improve regional transit coordination.
Travis Kay of the Planning Commission said the study examined the region’s options for an RTA and noted that RTAs were effectively disallowed in Wisconsin after 2011; the feasibility work was aimed at building a legislative case for allowing RTAs again. “I'm here to give an overview about the regional transit authority feasibility study,” Kay said during the presentation.
Kay told the council the study tested four formation scenarios—urbanized area, metropolitan area, county and multi‑county—and ran a tax‑levy sensitivity analysis using a half‑cent sales tax as a common legislative approach. He said that in three of the four scenarios the analysis showed that less than a half‑cent would be required to fund existing and expanded services: “overwhelmingly a half‑cent sales tax would be able to fund existing and also the proposed expanded transit service,” Kay said.
The study also estimated economic and community benefits from a more connected regional system, using metrics that included economic development, aging in place, health outcomes and household cost savings. Kay summarized the benefit analysis by saying the study corroborated a commonly cited figure that each dollar invested in transit yields roughly four to five dollars of economic and community benefit.
Councilors asked about why previous enabling legislation failed; Kay said a recent bill faltered largely because it would have automatically created RTAs at metropolitan planning organization boundaries, which opponents—including some municipalities and transit providers—viewed as forcing jurisdictions to participate without local choice. “You know there needs to be some sort of local initiative and choice in whether or not they're included,” Kay said in response.
Members also pressed on ridership and how an RTA would address underused services. Kay and LAPC staff said an umbrella entity could better coordinate multiple local providers, match service to demand, and provide a more stable funding base—typically through a dedicated tax—while acknowledging public resistance to new taxes and the need for outreach and education.
Kay said the study’s three technical memos (existing conditions, tax sensitivity analysis and community benefit analysis) are posted on the LAPC website and include cited sources and supporting data. LAPC representatives said they will continue outreach with local elected officials and state representatives as they pursue alternatives, including multi‑county transit commissions, while awaiting any change in state law.
The council did not take action at the June 9 meeting; presenters offered to provide councilors with direct links to the technical memos for further review.
