© KENOSHA NEWS

Official won’t let KRM funding be derailed
BY EMILY AYSHFORD

October 31, 2007

Though it didn’t make it into the budget, the proposed
Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail won’t die a quick death
if local officials have their way. County Board Chairman Terry Rose
will present a resolution at the board’s meeting Nov. 6 that
will reiterate the board’s support for the rail. The resolution,
which Rose said will be voted on that night, asks the governor and
Legislature to “immediately take up the issue of KRM
funding.” “I think it’s extremely important for new
development and economic growth in southeastern Wisconsin and
particularly Kenosha,” Rose said. “I don’t think
we can wait any longer. It has got to be funded.”

The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority was seeking language
in the budget that would allow it to levy a $13 increase to the $2
rental car fee charged in Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee counties to
fund the rail. But the language didn’t make it into the budget
compromise, even though Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser,
D-Kenosha, tried at the 11th hour to pass an amendment to include the
language. That amendment failed in a 4-4 party-line vote. But Kreuser
said at the time that he and others still hoped to pass the KRM fee as
a separate legislation, and he said Monday that although there is no
timeline for another go at the legislation, he continues to work with
area officials and business leaders to get the rail back on track.

“I think people are regrouping after the budget vote
itself,” he said. “We will try again. Anything
worthwhile is worth the fight.” The proposed 33-mile rail would
run up to 10 trains in each direction each day, stop- ping at eight
stations along the corridor. Studies showed that about 5,100 trips
could be sold on a weekday, and the commuter rail would create 4,700
jobs during construction and would have a $570 million impact on the
economy. But the project was plagued by disagreement among the
Regional Transit Authority members.

Despite an agreement about the funding source, Milwaukee officials later said they would not support
the fee increase unless the authority came up with a plan to fund
transit there. Others who were opposed said they wouldn’t
support a rental car tax fee which was essentially a 650 percent
increase. So Kreuser said he and other advocates, including County
Executive Allan Kehl and Mayor John Antaramian, are willing to go back
to the table and find a different funding alternative to move the
project forward. “If there are some new ideas, I think
we’re all open to them,” he said.

Kreuser said if the board passes the resolution next week, he’ll take it as a
message and a challenge that the Legislature still has work to do.
“The delegation should move on and try to meet that
challenge,” he said. Though Kreuser acknowledged that pushing
the project through was an uphill battle, he said that now that the
budget is done, everyone can focus on other issues. “I’m
trying to work in a positive atmosphere to try to get some of these
people on our side,” he said.