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Mayors flag RTA ridership drop and $13.9M debt; sales-tax proposal possible
Summary
Bay Village Mayor Paul Koomar told the Westshore Council that RTA ridership has not recovered since COVID, the agency has reduced debt to $13.9 million, and a county sales-tax adjustment may be proposed on the next ballot to stabilize funding.
In a commission report at the April 8 Westshore Council of Governments meeting, Bay Village Mayor Paul Koomar said the Regional Transit Authority’s rail cars are in process but ridership losses from the COVID era have depressed revenues. He reported that the RTA has reduced its debt to $13.9 million and warned members residents could see a proposal on the next county ballot for a sales-tax adjustment to address ongoing funding shortfalls.
Koomar’s remarks framed transit funding as a county-level issue that could affect residents across the RTA service area. No formal action was taken at the meeting; members received the update as information and did not vote on any local endorsement of a ballot measure.
The council’s discussion did not specify timing or the exact structure of any proposed tax change, and no legal citations or ballot language were presented.
