Rogue Valley Transit measure on May 17 ballot

Photo by rickie22 on Flickr. Reused under terms of Creative Commons

Now that ballots have been mailed out to Jackson County, Oregon residents, I hope that locals will consider voting for 15-141, a “Local Option Tax” to support operation of Rogue Valley Transportation District. It’s the only item on the reverse side of my nonpartisan ballot, so be sure to check both sides.

Published in March 2016, this Mail Tribune editorial offers compelling reasons to support the levy proposal.

As a rider, I can attest that as the editorial states, buses do indeed take people to and from work and college students to and from classes. When I take a trip downtown, I might be making a delivery of piecework completed at home, I might be keeping an appointment related to work with another employer, or perhaps I need to purchase something from one of our local shops. My participation in the local economy is enhanced by public transit.

Local investments in public transportation also enable the transportation district to acquire funding that requires a local match. So that approximately $26 per year paid by a local homeowner may go a lot further than its surface dollar value.

Let me give final words to the Mail Tribune editorial:

“Bus routes have to be convenient enough, and buses frequent enough, to get people out of their cars because it's as easy as driving. To get to that point, the system needs tax support to expand service. You can help by voting yes on RVTD’s levy request May 17.”