March 30, 2010 - Several residents have asked about the pending DART route reductions in Ankeny, what led to them and how we intend to respond as a member community. In response to what led to the reductions, I'd refer you to a great article in today's Business Record that summarizes the events that led to the budget shortfall, which precipitated the reduction in service. I encourage you to check it out as it really provides a nice summary of the events over the past couple years. Basically, when the bottom fell out of the economy, it stymied the growth in property valuations. When this happens, less taxable property is on the rolls, and therefore, less taxes were available to DART for their operating budget. Additionally, DART had several high profile pedestrian accidents over the past couple years that have cost it millions in judgements. These bills have come due and DART does not have a multi-million dollar reserve for these accidents.
So, the choice was either to raise taxes to offset the reduced tax revenues and pay for the settlements, or trim the budget as much as possible, which included route reductions. While I don't like a reduction in route services, I believe this was the preferable alternative.
Going forward, DART is going to address the Ankeny City Council in May with its plans. Personally, I think regional mass transit is important to the long term sustainability of a region and its communities. It reduces traffic, pollution, congestion, road wear and is better for the environment than thousand of additional cars on the roads. The challenge may be to set the fares appropriately so it can be more self-sustaining by those who use it and benefit from it, primarily workers and their employers. Have a thought? This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
