John Tuohy, and Brian Eason

IndyStar

The City-County Council on Monday night agreed to give Marion County voters the chance to raise their income taxes to pay for a major investment in public transportation: a dramatic expansion of the city bus service, including a bus rapid transit system.

The November referendum will ask voters if they would support a 0.25 percent tax hike — about $100 a year for a worker making $42,000 annually — to help pay for expanded bus service.

The council — while it appeared deeply divided on the merits of the plan — overwhelmingly agreed to allow voters to decide for themselves and approved the ordinance authorizing the referendum 18-6.

"I have some concerns with the proposal," said Councilwoman LaKeisha Jackson, a Democrat, "but that is not what tonight is about."

The tax hike would raise $56 million a year for IndyGo, the city’s bus agency, allowing it to run more buses with shorter wait times, longer hours each day and more connections. The extra funds also would help pay to operate the rapid transit Red Line and go toward the development of two other BRT lines in Indianapolis.

Or, as Republican Councilman Jeff Miller put it, “it will make it so people can actually use the system."

Today, IndyGo ridership pales in comparison with other major cities, with long wait times and sparse service in some areas making it inconvenient for many potential riders.

The Red Line: What you need to know

The business community, led by the Indy Chamber, has lobbied heavily for a regional mass transit system, of which Marion County's BRT lines would be the central piece. Chamber officials argue that it will help the regional economy, connecting low-income, urban workers with jobs in the suburbs, and vice versa. They also argue that the paucity of quality public transit in Indianapolis puts the metro area at a competitive disadvantage with other major cities.

“It’s also a growth issue; employers and younger workers are moving to more walkable areas served by transit," Indy Chamber President Michael Huber said in a statement after the vote.

The first leg of the Red Line will be built in Indianapolis, but the long-term plan is to extend it to Westfield to the north and Greenwood to the south. State law gives residents of Hamilton and Johnson counties the option of raising their income taxes through a referendum to pay for the BRT expansion, but there are no plans to put it on the ballot for this election.

Indianapolis has been selected for a $75 million federal Department of Transportation grant to build its segment of the Red Line, but the grant needs budgetary approval by Congress, which could come in the fall.

Red Line funding no sure thing for Indianapolis

The first leg would be nearly 14 miles from 66th Street in Broad Ripple to the University of Indianapolis on Hanna Avenue, much of it in dedicated lanes and with stations that resemble train platforms. The estimated cost of the first leg is $96.3 million, with the city funding $21.3 million.

A handful in each party voted against the referendum, saying it would raise taxes for a service they believe few would use.

Councilwoman Christine Scales, a Republican, said she couldn't "in good conscience" vote for a referendum that she thought voters might support against their best interests.

“IndyGo, MIBOR, Indy Chamber, they’re going to spend millions of dollars to control the media’s message," Scales said.

Scales and others argued that the expanded service wouldn't benefit those who need transit the most.

"I think this is a system that is still broken, and we’re going to spend a lot of money," said Councilman Joe Simpson, a Democrat. "People are going to pay for something that they’re not going to get and not going to use."

But most believed that should be up to the voters to decide.

"We will let our families determine the plan for public transportation in our community," Council President Maggie Lewis said. "... An expanded public transportation system will also connect our city in more ways than we have imagined, making us more inclusive and providing equal access for all.”

In other business Monday, the council approved a series of corrections to the city’s flood control ordinance. Earlier this month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency threatened to suspend flood insurance policies across the city because Indianapolis was out of compliance with federal law.

Call IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at (317) 444-6418. Follow him on Twitter: @john_tuohy.

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