Reducing the city's earning tax is a bad idea.

 

Asking for only 0.8%  is a bad idea.

 

Splitting the new sales tax funding between "infrastructure" and buses is a terrible idea.

 

The only positive if these pass if that the bus system won't completely crumble but this certainly won't be the transit panacea the Chamber et al would like you to think.

 

I'm will not support Issue 22. I'm on the fence about the sales tax simply because we need a functioning bus system.

Edited October 1, 20195 yr by brian korte

1 hour ago, jjakucyk said:

 

Except for being able to slip through the most congested areas, which is kind of the whole point.  No Madison Road BRT plan will have any real benefit if the buses are stuck in the O'Bryonville or Oakley Square logjams during the evening rush.  Dedicated lanes through East Walnut Hills and Hyde Park would be of little use since that's not where there's traffic.  And let's be real, BRT needs the equivalent of a dedicated light-rail corridor, except it's paved with concrete instead of having tracks, which generally needs Central Parkway sized streets to work on.  Bus-only lanes are not BRT, they're simple express/limited buses.  We need that too, it's just not BRT. 

 

Having dedicated lanes and signal priority between the business districts along Madison would still have a HUGE benefit. I drove from O'Bryonville to Madisonville recently during rush hour and it is a logjam at pretty much every light, not just in the business districts. Just looking at Google Maps traffic data right now, there are slowdowns near Easthill Ave, Vista Ave, Observatory/Dana, Erie, Edwards, and Eileen. And that's just between O'Bryonville and Oakley. And it's only 2:45 pm. The bus would also still get signal priority in the business districts, just not a special lane. 

11 minutes ago, taestell said:

 

Just to be clear, the Union Terminal sales tax expires after 5 years. What the Hamilton County commissioners are talking about is putting a new tax on the ballot that will go to the county's budget. This is not a situation like the stadium tax where there were vague promises of the tax expiring after 30 years but it wasn't actually put into the ballot issue, so it'll probably continue forever.

 Yes, but it is essentially semantics (new tax by commissioners to replace the expiring one the voters voted in). It keeps the tax rate the same. I know a .25 raise does not need to be put before the voters, but it may cause a number of people to vote against the bus tax who may have otherwise given it a chance if the County goes back on their promise to roll back the .25 tax voted in 5 years ago.

1 hour ago, jjakucyk said:

 We need that too, it's just not BRT. 

 

There is basically no such thing as BRT, anywhere.  The term "rapid transit" was coined 100+ years ago to describe a duel track railroad on a fully grade separated right-of-way with exclusive stops spaced every 2,000-4,000 feet.   So Cleveland and Indianpolis do not have "BRT" services, they have the equivalent of street-running light rail.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

11 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

 

There is basically no such thing as BRT, anywhere. 

 

Pittsburgh has it on old rail ROW

23 minutes ago, brian korte said:

Reducing the city's earning tax is a bad idea.

 

Those who earn over $200,000 pay 12% to California (there is no local earnings tax).  That same income pays 7.1% in Cincinnati (5% state, 2.1% local).  

 

If high earners and companies aren't fighting to move from California to Cincinnati now, just wait until that combine tax drops to 6.8%.  

2 minutes ago, ryanlammi said:

 

Pittsburgh has it on old rail ROW

 

It's not the same because so much of it is in ravines and it doesn't have exclusive access into the downtown like a subway or el does.  

I didn't realize you were going to add additional requirements to satisfy your definition of rapid transit. The busway in Pittsburgh is grade separated, connects major densely populated neighborhoods (Lower Lawrenceville, The Strip, Bloomfield, and Shadyside) to downtown, and gets you there faster than driving (especially during the terrible rush hours in Pittsburgh along the two lane highways that back up for miles). It may not be grade separated once you get into downtown, but it's a great service. I used it frequently when my brother lived in Shadyside. It also connects to all of the new large retail stores in East Liberty. 

It's not my definition, it's the definition.  The Pittsburgh busways predate the rise of the deeply flawed "BRT" term.  

 

 

 

22 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

It's not my definition, it's the definition.  The Pittsburgh busways predate the rise of the deeply flawed "BRT" term.  

 

 

 

 

Here is the definition according to the ITE, who may know something about transportation:

 

Quote

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a high-quality bus-based transit system that delivers fast, comfortable, and cost-effective services at metro-level capacities. It does this through the provision of dedicated lanes, with busways and iconic stations typically aligned to the center of the road, off-board fare collection, and fast and frequent operations. 

Because BRT contains features similar to a light rail or metro system, it is much more reliable, convenient and faster than regular bus services. With the right features, BRT is able to avoid the causes of delay that typically slow regular bus services, like being stuck in traffic and queuing to pay on board. 

 

They're wrong.  You don't get to tack "rapid transit" onto bus while ignoring the definition of rapid transit.  A light rail line with even one grade crossing is, by definition, not rapid transit.  

 

The only new-construction rapid transit system under construction in the United States is the elevated metro rail in Honolulu.  It will use self-driving trains.  Imagine building that same 15+ mile elevated guideway and then having drivers drive traditional city buses on it.  That illustrates the fundamental absurdity of the "BRT" term.  

 

Busway?  Fine.  Express Bus?  Great.  There has never and never will be a true bus rapid transit system.  

1 hour ago, ryanlammi said:

I didn't realize you were going to add additional requirements to satisfy your definition of rapid transit. The busway in Pittsburgh is grade separated, connects major densely populated neighborhoods (Lower Lawrenceville, The Strip, Bloomfield, and Shadyside) to downtown, and gets you there faster than driving (especially during the terrible rush hours in Pittsburgh along the two lane highways that back up for miles). It may not be grade separated once you get into downtown, but it's a great service. I used it frequently when my brother lived in Shadyside. It also connects to all of the new large retail stores in East Liberty. 

 

I'll add that Philly and Boston have busways too. 

 

You know, it is true that whatever we get in Cincinnati is unlikely to have dedicated lanes/busways along the entire route. But it is very likely we will get dedicated lanes for part of the routes, mass transit-like stations, off-board fare collection, frequent operations, siginal priority and BRT branding. Call it BRT. Call it Express. Call it whatever you want, but it'll be a vast improvement over the current options. 

3 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

They're wrong.  You don't get to tack "rapid transit" onto bus while ignoring the definition of rapid transit.  A light rail line with even one grade crossing is, by definition, not rapid transit.  

 

The only new-construction rapid transit system under construction in the United States is the elevated metro rail in Honolulu.  It will use self-driving trains.  Imagine building that same 15+ mile elevated guideway and then having drivers drive traditional city buses on it.  That illustrates the fundamental absurdity of the "BRT" term.  

 

Busway?  Fine.  Express Bus?  Great.  There has never and never will be a true bus rapid transit system.  

 

Leave it to Jake to emphatically state that the ITE are wrong about what BRT is and actually he knows best. Come on, man. You're arguing semantics here. Call it what you want. Metro will call it BRT and everyone else will too. And it'll be awesome. 

1 minute ago, DEPACincy said:

But it is very likely we will get dedicated lanes for part of the routes, mass transit-like stations, off-board fare collection, frequent operations, siginal priority and BRT branding. Call it BRT. Call it Express. Call it whatever you want, but it'll be a vast improvement over the current options. 

 

Is it "very likely" though? I've not seen a guarantee or even a vague description of what might come. And I'm skeptical considering many keep calling Metro*Plus "BRT Lite." 

Metro*Plus is has frequent operations and branding—but it's little more than just a frequent bus line. And it still takes way too long to traverse Montgomery. 

6 minutes ago, Gordon Bombay said:

 

Is it "very likely" though? I've not seen a guarantee or even a vague description of what might come. And I'm skeptical considering many keep calling Metro*Plus "BRT Lite." 

Metro*Plus is has frequent operations and branding—but it's little more than just a frequent bus line. And it still takes way too long to traverse Montgomery. 

 

Well I personally think so. I know folks at SORTA. They have a very good staff there and do a lot with what little crumbs they currently get. I don't know what the details will be or which routes will be prioritized but I do believe we will get a good service and it will be based on best practices to the extent that is possible. 

 

And who is calling Metro Plus BRT lite? I don't think SORTA calls it that. I took Metro Plus yesterday and regularly take the 15x. Both work extremely well considering the resources we currently have. Honestly, just expanding the 15x hours and making it more frequent would make me increase my transit usage like 300%. I would never take an Uber downtown again and I'd rarely drive to work if the 15x came every 15 minutes for the bulk of the day.

30 minutes ago, DEPACincy said:

But it is very likely we will get dedicated lanes for part of the routes, mass transit-like stations, off-board fare collection, frequent operations, siginal priority and BRT branding. Call it BRT. Call it Express. Call it whatever you want, but it'll be a vast improvement over the current options. 

 

26 minutes ago, Gordon Bombay said:

Is it "very likely" though? I've not seen a guarantee or even a vague description of what might come.

 

You could have the best people in the world working at the lower levels of SORTA (I know several of them as well), but if you don't have leadership at both SORTA and the City who believe in that vision and are willing to fight the political fights to make it a reality, it's not going to happen. I have brought this example up multiple times in this thread, so I apologize for repeating myself, but buses were supposed to get signal priority at the intersection of Taft and Vine, and the extra lane was even built as part of the Uptown Transit District project. However, the staff at our City's DOTE is so car-focused that they removed signal priority from the plan, after the infrastructure was already built. We also hired a company to do a traffic study of the downtown street grid which made several recommendations for how to speed up buses and streetcars; and City Council voted in favor of giving Metro*Plus and the streetcar signal priority at several intersections downtown. However the city administration refuses to implement these very simple changes. On a daily basis, I walk past the "bus only" lane on Main and see cars parked in the lane (or stopped with their flashers on) and buses having to get out of the lane to go around them. It's only in effect 2 hours per day and the city refuses to dedicate any resources to enforcing it. So, I have no reason to believe it is "very likely" things will change until there is a complete turnover in the leadership and transformation of the culture at DOTE and SORTA.

20 hours ago, DEPACincy said:

 

Well I personally think so. I know folks at SORTA. They have a very good staff there and do a lot with what little crumbs they currently get. I don't know what the details will be or which routes will be prioritized but I do believe we will get a good service and it will be based on best practices to the extent that is possible. 

 
As do I, very well, and while I have all the faith in the world in their abilities—my worry isn't what they're capable of, but rather, what resources they'll be given on account of pairing this proposed funding with "infrastructure."
 

Quote

And who is calling Metro Plus BRT lite? I don't think SORTA calls it that.

 

This term has been used several times in Reinventing Metro and community meetings by various personalities both affiliated and not affiliated with SORTA. 

 

Quote

I took Metro Plus yesterday and regularly take the 15x. Both work extremely well considering the resources we currently have. Honestly, just expanding the 15x hours and making it more frequent would make me increase my transit usage like 300%. I would never take an Uber downtown again and I'd rarely drive to work if the 15x came every 15 minutes for the bulk of the day.

Totally agree on expanding the hours and operations of some of the express routes. Before I moved to the city, I rode the 42X regularly. It offered very little wiggle room if I ever had to leave the office early or wanted to stay in town for a happy hour. However, from what I've seen on ReinventingMetro.com it seems currently that the express routes will not likely have expanded hours (I could be missing that somewhere). The bulk of hour expansion seems to be focused on key corridors to boost frequency and hours (Rt. 43 for example). 

Edited October 2, 20195 yr by Gordon Bombay

On 10/1/2019 at 2:57 PM, jmecklenborg said:

 

There is basically no such thing as BRT, anywhere.  The term "rapid transit" was coined 100+ years ago to describe a duel track railroad on a fully grade separated right-of-way with exclusive stops spaced every 2,000-4,000 feet.   So Cleveland and Indianpolis do not have "BRT" services, they have the equivalent of street-running light rail.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleveland has offered commuter rail service (the Rapid) for almost 100 years. It has been the only city in Ohio to offer such services, but similar to Cincinnati and Columbus, the state prefers to fund roads versus regional rail service. BRT, a relatively new concept with dedicated bus lanes, were introduced in Cleveland this decade.

Edited October 6, 20195 yr by Frmr CLEder

5 hours ago, Frmr CLEder said:

Cleveland has offered commuter rail service (the Rapid) for almost 100 years. It has been the only city in Ohio to offer such services, but similar to Cincinnati and Columbus, the state prefers to fund roads versus regional rail service. BRT, a relatively new concept with dedicated bus lanes, were introduced in Cleveland this decade.

 

We would never call street-running light trail in dedicated lanes with some signal priority "rapid transit".   Yet people wholeheartedly gush over "BRT" in that same setup because it's buses, not trains. 

 

If tracks were laid on the Health Line "BRT" bus lanes, or the new Indianapolis "BRT", would those transit corridors suddenly become "rail rapid transit"?  Of course not.  That's why the use of the term "BRT" is completely and totally preposterous.  

 

 

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_rapid_transit_creep

1 hour ago, jmecklenborg said:

 

We would never call street-running light trail in dedicated lanes with some signal priority "rapid transit".   Yet people wholeheartedly gush over "BRT" in that same setup because it's buses, not trains. 

 

If tracks were laid on the Health Line "BRT" bus lanes, or the new Indianapolis "BRT", would those transit corridors suddenly become "rail rapid transit"?  Of course not.  That's why the use of the term "BRT" is completely and totally preposterous.  

 

 

 

 

 

Agreed, however it is what t is. IMHO, it's just another "Express Bus," with limited access, preferential traffic lanes. Personally, I would have preferred to see light rail traverse Euclid Ave.

I just got this message on my phone:

 

Cincy EZRide will no longer sell new tickets starting Oct. 23, 2019. If you have pre-purchased Cincy EZRide tickets, begin using them as soon as possible. You have until June 30, 2020 to use all tickets before they expire. No refunds or exchanges will be given.

Metro is launching Transit App with EZFare on Oct. 23. Plan your trip, pay your fare and track your bus in one app for Metro, TANK and BCRTA.

Get more info on this exciting new app
https://tapit.us/MMInI

 

I use EZ Ride all the time.  It works for Streetcar and bus and is pretty easy to use.  I hope the new app is ok and I noticed they didn't say it would work for the streetcar. 

 

On 10/6/2019 at 8:27 AM, Frmr CLEder said:

Cleveland has offered commuter rail service (the Rapid) for almost 100 years. It has been the only city in Ohio to offer such services, but similar to Cincinnati and Columbus, the state prefers to fund roads versus regional rail service. BRT, a relatively new concept with dedicated bus lanes, were introduced in Cleveland this decade.

I don't see how what you've said here is relevant to the comment you replied to. But in this context it's worth noting Cincinnati is the only city in the state to have actually put rails in the ground in decades.

35 minutes ago, Jimmy Skinner said:

I just got this message on my phone:

 

Cincy EZRide will no longer sell new tickets starting Oct. 23, 2019. If you have pre-purchased Cincy EZRide tickets, begin using them as soon as possible. You have until June 30, 2020 to use all tickets before they expire. No refunds or exchanges will be given.

Metro is launching Transit App with EZFare on Oct. 23. Plan your trip, pay your fare and track your bus in one app for Metro, TANK and BCRTA.

Get more info on this exciting new app
https://tapit.us/MMInI

 

I use EZ Ride all the time.  It works for Streetcar and bus and is pretty easy to use.  I hope the new app is ok and I noticed they didn't say it would work for the streetcar. 

 

 

I use the Transit app for tracking the streetcar and it's great. Eliminating the EZRide app and putting the tickets in Transit just means that I can use 1 app now instead of 2. I bet the streetcar will be in there as well. I wouldn't be surprised if Metro staff has been told to downplay the streetcar in their messaging in advance of the upcoming bus tax ballot issue.

20 hours ago, Frmr CLEder said:

Agreed, however it is what t is. IMHO, it's just another "Express Bus," with limited access, preferential traffic lanes. Personally, I would have preferred to see light rail traverse Euclid Ave.

 

"Light Rail" is a very weak term.  If any rail term should have creep, it would be "commuter rail".  We all know that commuter rail almost always refers to passenger trains that share tracks with freight railroads, but for the purpose of winning ballot issues, I don't think there is anything wrong with calling light rail "commuter rail".  The term sends a clear message to the electorate - the purpose of the project is to provide an alternative to driving.  

 

My main criticism of the Health Line is that is just plain doesn't look good or sound good.  Instead of a nice traditional boulevard with transit operating in a landscaped median (i.e. the St. Charles streetcar in New Orleans), there are hordes of speeding diesel buses and plopped-down stations out in the median.  It doesn't look like a classic part of the city.  

 

 

26 minutes ago, Robuu said:

I don't see how what you've said here is relevant to the comment you replied to. But in this context it's worth noting Cincinnati is the only city in the state to have actually put rails in the ground in decades.

Cleveland built its waterfront line in the mid 90s so that it wrong.

2 minutes ago, Htsguy said:

Cleveland built its waterfront line in the mid 90s so that it wrong.

 

This is semantics, but isn't 23 years technically "decades"?

Just now, ryanlammi said:

 

This is semantics, but isn't 23 years technically "decades"?

Could be but it seemed to me he was bombastically saying something like 40-50 years.  At least that is how I read it

45 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

 

"Light Rail" is a very weak term.  If any rail term should have creep, it would be "commuter rail".  We all know that commuter rail almost always refers to passenger trains that share tracks with freight railroads, but for the purpose of winning ballot issues, I don't think there is anything wrong with calling light rail "commuter rail".  The term sends a clear message to the electorate - the purpose of the project is to provide an alternative to driving.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rs are really hung up on the idea that rail trips are mostly for commuting and are seldom used for anything else. That's one reason they hate streetcars; they think that the point of streetcars is commuting as well -- then find out that they aren't used for that nearly as much in favor of trips between businesses and apartments. "How is that supposed to save time to Mason?"

29 minutes ago, Htsguy said:

Could be but it seemed to me he was bombastically saying something like 40-50 years.  At least that is how I read it

Fair enough that that is more recent than I'd been thinking -- I glanced at the Wikipedia page and saw this:

 

Quote

Began operationOctober 25, 1859 (first streetcar line)
December 17, 1913 (current lines)
March 15, 1955 (Rapid transit)
October 11, 1980 (Light rail)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTA_Rapid_Transit

 

Anyway, Cincinnati's streetcar is still significantly newer (and what I said is still "technically correct" -- the best kind of correct) so my point still stands. Cincinnati has also been slapped down by the state's unwillingness to fund rail. In fact, the TRAC board changed the rules from underneath the streetcar as it was ending the planning stages in order to deny state funds. It was the city's resolve and support for rail that ensured the line as it exists was actually built.

55 minutes ago, GCrites80s said:

 

 

Rs are really hung up on the idea that rail trips are mostly for commuting and are seldom used for anything else. That's one reason they hate streetcars; they think that the point of streetcars is commuting as well -- then find out that they aren't used for that nearly as much in favor of trips between businesses and apartments. "How is that supposed to save time to Mason?"

 

Public transportation advocates tend to not understand that you need to use completely clear and straightforward language to get attention and make a point.  You have to make the argument from a pragmatic viewpoint - that it's the sensible thing to do.  Getting into the weeds with dreamy, vague stuff is asking to get stomped on talk radio.  

35 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

Getting into the weeds with dreamy, vague stuff is asking to get stomped on talk radio.  

 

The WLW crowd has less and less influence in Hamilton County nowadays, thankfully. Their base has abandoned Kenwood and Blue Ash for the collar counties.

3 hours ago, Robuu said:

I don't see how what you've said here is relevant to the comment you replied to. But in this context it's worth noting Cincinnati is the only city in the state to have actually put rails in the ground in decades.

Excellent! Long overdue.

 

Perhaps the State will begin to value urban transit versus massive suburban/rural road construction. 

3 hours ago, taestell said:

I use the Transit app for tracking the streetcar and it's great.

 

How?  All I see are inbound and outbound routes but no vehicles. 

When you tap on the route and you will see the time with the pulsating lines on the top right. It always seems quite accurate for me and matches up with what is displayed on the stops, so I believe it is actually real-time and not just based on a schedule.

Hmm but it only shows them for half the route, either inbound or outbound.  Is there no way to just see where all the cars are without having to swipe between directions? 

In Transit, the "inbound" and "outbound" vehicles are treated effectively as separate routes. For buses this is not a problem (if you want the inbound 17, you don't really care when the next outbound 17 is coming) but for streetcar this is less than ideal since many people ride around the ends of the loop. As far as I can tell, you can only get real time arrival for the next arriving vehicle, you can't see when the following vehicle will come.

if you slide your finger across the schedule left or right you can switch between inbound and outbound.

Greater Cincinnati gets new app linking real-time transit info with fares

 

The region’s transit systems are launching a new transit app later this month that will allow people to buy their fares and track their bus in one mobile app.

 

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Agency’s Metro buses, the Transportation Authority of Northern Kentucky and the Butler County Regional Transit Authority are launching an app called Transit with EZfare.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/10/08/greater-cincinnati-gets-new-app-linking-real-time.html

I don't know why SORTA/Metro is doing this publicity push now, since the Transit app doesn't yet support buying tickets. They should have waited to do the publicity push until Oct 23rd when the app is updated/ready to buy tickets. 

5 minutes ago, jwulsin said:

I don't know why SORTA/Metro is doing this publicity push now, since the Transit app doesn't yet support buying tickets. They should have waited to do the publicity push until Oct 23rd when the app is updated/ready to buy tickets. 

 

Especially when a bunch of noobs are going to be searching how to buy tickets for Blink.

On Twitter, the official streetcar account announced that they will ask everybody going northbound to exit at Findlay Market. I'm not 100% sure why they're doing this... but I suspect it's to control the large crowds, and discourage folks from just riding consecutive loops. If somebody is going northbound and wants to get off at Rhinegeist, I'm not sure if they'll be forced to get off at Findlay Market.

 

 

I had the idea to do something like this-. Have the front two doors open and have everyone alight and then have the back two doors open for everyone to board. Apparently you'd need to re-program the cars for this. 

Realistically if you want to do a "everyone needs to get off" point, it would be better to do it at the Banks. Just extend the platform. Stop at the first platform, everyone gets off (have a railing so people have to walk around so they would have to obviously run if they were going to re-board, then pull forward and board on the second platform. Plenty of room to extend the platform 

Hopefully they will allow passengers to stay on board if they are just going 1 additional stop north to Rhinegeist. At Findlay-Elm, they should announce "All passengers must exit here unless you are planning to exit at Rhinegeist. You may reboard the streetcar on the west side of Findlay Market at Race Street to head south towards The Banks." The majority of passengers will exit here. Then at Rhinegeist all remaining passengers should be required to exit. The passengers who want to ride the loop can just exit at Findlay-Elm, walk over to Race and re-board.

 

Hopefully there will be some ambassadors on the streetcar or at the Findlay-Elm stop to explain this. Or else suburbanites are going to be extremely confused.

They really need people on board to help facilitate this, and to explain to people. The operator shouldn't be fielding questions from behind the door.

 

I think it's important to have this policy since some people will just sit on the streetcar for an hour as it makes loops (which is dumb, but will happen).

4 hours ago, thomasbw said:

I had the idea to do something like this-. Have the front two doors open and have everyone alight and then have the back two doors open for everyone to board. Apparently you'd need to re-program the cars for this. 

 

In Philly, the trolleys (their streetcars are called trolleys) do this in the downtown tunnel. They pull up and everyone gets off and then they pull forward to the area where the westbound passengers board. It makes the whole boarding/unboarding process much smoother than rush hour subway trains where people are trying to push themselves on the train while people are getting off.

On 10/1/2019 at 2:30 PM, Brutus_buckeye said:

So - what are the odds of this passing? It seems as if it is hated by a lot of people. There is still a ton the County can do to poison the well on this  (such as not letting the Union Terminal Sales tax roll off) as well as if the earnings tax repeal fails in the city.  However, taking things as they are now, is the feeling that this passes ?

 

Welp. Today the Hamilton County commissioners voted to approve a new 0.25% sales tax for county operations that will start on April 1, 2020, the day after the 0.25% Union Terminal tax ends. I was previously under the impression that the county would have to go to the voters to ask for this tax increase, but it is apparently within their powers to simply increase the rate. However, anti-tax groups have 30 days to gather signatures and force the issue onto the ballot. So, we could actually see two separate sales tax increase issues on the March 2020 ballot -- one for SORTA and one for the county.

Here we go, the worst case scenario is about to happen:

1. COAST trolls their way to getting the streetcar divorce to happen (and oh, what's this? they aren't dropping the issue now that it is happening? Color me shocked!)

2. Sales tax fails as all of the anti-tax people come out to prevent huge sales tax increase in March.

3. County makes more bus route/service cuts (continues to bleed ridership)

4. County can't keep the lights on because the state hates funding for big cities