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Bus Benefit Drawn In State Budget

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-899701.mp3

Kansas City, Mo. – By unanimous vote the Kansas City Council and mayor will lobby the Missouri governor to keep $3 million in the state budget for the Area Transportation Authority.

The Area Transportation Authority (ATA) has been operating on the edge, pumping in one-time federal stimulus money and drawing two and a half million dollars from reserve funds.

Councilman Terry Riley told colleagues there are no frills left in the bus company--"area transit authority is in dire need of these funds because if they don't get this gap funding, their funding will be depleted in about three years."
Last year Kansas City got no ATA funds from the state, while St. Louis took home $12 million. The current budget sent the governor pares St. Louis' portion to eight million, allotting three million to Kansas City. Mayor Mark Funkhouser was sending a letter to Governor Jay Nixon asking he keep the funding intact. The city council was behind him, without dissent.

ATA benefits from sales tax has been less than expected as collections have not met expectations.

 

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