Champaign Southwest MTD May Wait a Year for Referendum

A 5-year old mass transit district that started up to keep Champaign-Urbana's MTD from expanding could take some time before asking its voters what level of bus service they want, if any.

Board members with the Champaign Southwest Mass Transit District suggest they may wait until November 2012 to place an advisory referendum on ballots. Southwest MTD chairman Ed Vaughan says its board needs the time before then to come up with an education campaign.

"And it makes more sense doing it then because you get a bigger turnout at the election, and we get a much larger sample of our electorate by using the November election," he said. "So we're able to hear what they want."

At Monday night's Southwest MTD board meeting, Vaughan cited a recent meeting with about 80 residents of the Lincolnshire Fields subdivision. He says two people indicated they want more bus service, while 25 said they wanted none. The Southwest MTD board Monday night delayed a formal vote on the referendum, as well as its tax levy ordinance until December. Vaughan says it's possible that levy could go down, since its primary expenses have been legal, and that fight is over.

The Southwest MTD was left in limbo after Illinois' Supreme Court last spring refused to hear its legal battle with the Champaign-Urbana MTD, saying both transit districts could co-exist. Meanwhile, there's still a chance the two could contract service together. A letter to Vaughan from CU-MTD manager Bill Volk says a specific proposal would be needed for any additional services. And he says whatever service the CUMTD would provide would need to be 'in concert with the adopted Champaign-Urbana Urbanized Area Transportation Study's Long-Range Transportation Plan' (CUUATS.)

The Southwest MTD Board meets next December 8th.