CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County voters will be asked to approve either a .25 or a .5% sales tax increase next May to raise an additional $70 to $140 million a year for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. That was the vote of the RTA's Board on Tuesday. The board will determine how much to ask voters for by Sept. 22.
Earlier this year, RTA sought to close a $78 million budget deficit resulting from rising expenses, including a 24% increase in healthcare costs and the expiration of COVID and infrastructure funds. The RTA first proposed a 12% cut to services, which was eventually lowered to 3%. They also put in place a hiring freeze, eliminated vacant positions and implemented other cost-saving measures, but it won't be enough to hold off further cuts later this year if nothing is done.
"It's a very strong possibility that we would be looking at additional service cuts in preparation for 2027," said RTA CEO and General Manager India Birdsong Terry. "We would have to locate $10 million every January for the next three years, foreseeably to get to a $30 million gap that we're trying to shore up."
That's why Board Member Jeffrey Sleasman argued to place the ask before voters in this November's election.
"Right now, we're looking at service cuts coming up pretty soon here," he said. "I think it's a big mistake to wait until next year."
But Board President Paul Koomar and others argued that might not be enough time to make the case to voters on why the funds were needed.
"The first early voting starts in 73 days, I don't know how you pull together a campaign in that period of time," he said. "Rushing it, I don't think, will allow us to get our message out as well in '26."
When the RTA was first created more than half a century ago, it went to the voters and asked for a 1% sales tax, which to this day provides more than 75% of its funding. Voters in 1975 not only approved it, but they also did so with 71% of the vote. It was the last time they asked voters for money.
"Being 51, 52 years old with 1970s funding and being expected, which makes sense, to provide 2026 mobility is a little tough," Birdsong Terry previously told News 5.
The county's sales tax at the time, though, was 4%; it now stands at a state-high 8%, with this ask rising to either 8.25 or 8.5% depending on the final decision.
Voters in Cleveland News 5 spoke with in the past have been generally supportive of the ask.
"I think that the RTA doesn't ask for much, I think they do a great job, and if this is going to help them do a better job then there's nothing wrong with that," said Allexus Nennig.
But on Tuesday, we spoke with voters in the suburb of Strongsville. John Conway said he'll be a no.
"I'm pretty much taxed out," he said. "I'm a senior, don't use the buses, so it's at 8% now; I wouldn't want to go any higher."
But another voter told us she'd be open to the RTA's messaging.
"I'm not sure I'd have to really look into it, but I know it's great to have the buses, people really need transportation."
Messaging is key, said Terry McGrady of Cleveland, who showed up at Tuesday's board meeting in hopes of learning about their plans to fix the problems beyond throwing money at them.
"They're losing ridership, they're not taking into consideration that you have Uber, you have Lyft," he said. "It's just that they're trying to keep the status quo, and I think there needs to be some fundamental changes to the way that they're doing business."
