Should SMART be available throughout Oakland?

By Steven Schwartz, County Commissioner
Printed in the Detroit Free Press
Thursday, November 19, 2009

Oakland County is at a crossroads with regard to public transportation.

The millage to provide public transportation through SMART bus service expires in 2010. Two divergent options are being considered.

One proposal is to maintain the status quo for four years. Each city, village and township may decide to opt in to the SMART bus system or to opt out. Taxpayers in "opt in" communities pay .059 mills to receive bus service; "opt out" communities pay nothing and receive no service. Elected officials decide whether to opt out.

The second proposal, which we support, is to call for a countywide referendum on making SMART bus service available throughout Oakland County. The proposal would let voters decide. Taxpayers in opt in communities, such as Birmingham and Bloomfield Township, would receive a tax reduction, since the millage would be set at .054 mills or less. Taxpayers in opt out communities would share in the millage for three years, but would receive bus service for the first time. All money generated by Oakland County taxes would be spent in Oakland County.

Maintaining the status quo is not financially viable. Property values in Oakland County are expected to decline 11% per year for three consecutive years. The impact on bus service is dramatic. The status quo plan would have SMART operating in a multi-million dollar deficit by the second year, with that deficit increasing significantly in the third and fourth years. As a result, bus service would be curtailed dramatically.

Second, the current system is a hodgepodge of illogical routes. Because every community, no matter how small, may opt out, service is disjointed and uncoordinated. A regular bus line that runs through Farmington, Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield on Orchard Lake Road ends at the Keego Harbor/West Bloomfield border because Orchard Lake Village, Sylvan Lake and Keego Harbor opt out. Thus, three communities totaling 6,000 residents create a huge gap in service in a county of over one million residents.

The countywide proposal addresses both of these concerns. First, because the tax burden would be spread throughout a larger tax base and the millage would be for only three years, the system would be financially viable and would not operate in a deficit. Thus, service in opt in communities would be maintained. Second, a rational, comprehensive bus system would be available throughout all of Oakland County. About 90% of the county's residents would be close to a fixed route that runs on a regular schedule, allowing residents to get virtually anywhere in the county by bus.

The countywide proposal would also provide "dial a ride" paratransit for "opt out" communities that have no such service. Paratransit acts like a taxi service, picking up riders at their door and taking them to a specific destination, such as a medical clinic or shopping center. By coordinating paratransit routes, the lower population communities in northern and western Oakland County could offer paratransit service for their senior citizens, disabled residents and students.

SMART bus service is a key economic development tool, with 70% of the 44,000 daily riders using the service to get to work and 20% using the system to go to school.

Oakland County can choose a comprehensive, financially solvent system or it can continue the current system, which will have to be severely cut back. The countywide proposal is the clear choice.

Source: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091119/OPINION05/911190389/1068/opinion&template=fullarticle

An essay voicing the opposing perspective is also available: http://www.freep.com/article/20091119/OPINION05/911190390/1068/OPINION/Opt-in-opt-out-system-fine-proposal-is-ploy-by-southeastern-part-of-county-to-get-money-from-others