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Advocacy: Making a Difference in Your Community

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Advocacy: Making a Difference in Your Community

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    1. Advocacy: Making a Difference in Your Community Minnesota Public Transit Conference October, 2007

    2. Transit Riders Need YOU! Transit service makes a huge difference in peoples lives. Transit service makes an important contribution to communities. Transit service requires adequate, stable funding. People dont always know how or have time for political involvement they need guidance.

    3. Transit Advocacy Transit systems search for ways to improve service all the time. Expanded hours, new facilities, providing service in previously unserved areas requires money. What happens in St. Paul and Washington, D.C. affects your job every day.

    4. Transit Spokesperson We need people who are knowledgeable and committed to speak out for additional transit funding. People rely on you to speak out. Decision makers need to hear from folks on the front lines. Community leaders need to be made aware of the needs and the costs.

    5. Outreach Works! Campaign to dedicate Motor Vehicle Sales Tax to transit and roads Strategies: e-mail messages, mailings to bus riders, hitting park and ride lots, speakers bureau, targeting user groups, contacting the media, signs and other visibility, etc.

    6. Keep Up the Pressure More support for transportation funding In 2005 barely received a majority of votes in the House In 2007, funding bill passed with 2/3rds vote in both the House and Senate Transit would receive more dedicated funding Sales tax revenue in Metropolitan Area Increased MVST for Greater MN Transit

    7. YOU Can Make a Difference Legislators complain: Dont hear from constituents about transit Dont want to raise taxes Transit is subsidized Not many people use transit Just use volunteer drivers Major rail projects waste huge amounts of money Transit is not an issue in my district

    8. They Need to Hear from YOU Organize folks who use your system Help them contact legislators E-mail, phone calls are easy Talk to your legislators and Members of Congress Speak out in your community Rotary Clubs, church groups, county board meetings, etc. Talk to the media its free Use the internet

    10. What We Hear I work for a local government My agency receives federal funds I dont understand politics The organization I work for has other issues on their agenda I dont have time My legislator wont listen

    11. You Can Make a Difference You can send e-mails on your personal time Persistence is crucial Enlist others to help out Use stories about real people Local governments are making transportation a big issue Invite legislators to tour your system MPTA makes it easy

    12. 2008 Session Session starts in February Capital bonding year important for transit capital Need to get funding bill passed Greater MN Transit is facing a budget shortfall of $1.4 million for the biennium MnDOT Office of Transit estimates unmet need at $26M per year Metropolitan Area Transit unmet need - $300M per year

    13. Transportation Funding Bill HF946 would have provided almost $50 million over the next 10 years in additional revenue through dedication of sales tax on leased vehicles for GM Transit. HF946 would have provided an additional $5 million FY2008 and an additional $6.5 million in FY09 versus the bill that was passed for GM Transit.

    14. Advocacy Will Be Key MPTA will be working with a broader coalition Transit advocates will need to be vocal and visible Bridge collapse focuses attention on roads and bridges

    15. Nothing just happens in politics. If something happens, you can be sure it was planned that way. - Franklin Delano Roosevelt

    16. Transit Partners TLC / MPTA Senior Federation Sierra Club League of Women Voters ISAIAH MCEA AMS ATU Fresh Energy Transit Partners TLC / MPTA Senior Federation Sierra Club League of Women Voters ISAIAH MCEA AMS ATU Fresh Energy

    17. Stress

    18. One of the reasons why we are not meeting the recommendations for physical activity is that weve created environments that make it difficult, and downright dangerous, to be active as part of daily life. Would you want to walk here? But this is what much of our landscape looks like now.One of the reasons why we are not meeting the recommendations for physical activity is that weve created environments that make it difficult, and downright dangerous, to be active as part of daily life. Would you want to walk here? But this is what much of our landscape looks like now.

    19.

    20. Transit-Oriented-Development

    21. Transit Benefits Strong economy Economic development Households save $1,000 per yer Decreases congestion Transit is the most effective way to manage congestion (Pat Kessler, WCCO Reality Check) Quality of Life the emissions and energy use Connects communities

    22. Met Council 2030 Transit Plan KEVIN TO SCAN IN MAP 100% increase in ridership by 2030 (??? Note how much is do to population increase alone)KEVIN TO SCAN IN MAP 100% increase in ridership by 2030 (??? Note how much is do to population increase alone)

    23. Additional Transitways

    24. Met Council Transit Plan 2020 Snapshot

    25. Polling Data 72% Twin City residents support regional sales tax More than 50% of Twin City businesses support sales tax 75% of Americans prefer smart growth and increased transit over building new roads

    26. Transportation Choices 2020 Implement Met Council 2030 plan by 2020 Double bus ridership Build (and operate) eight new dedicated transitways Provide substantially increased funding for Greater MN transit needs Funding: cent regional sales tax ($275m/yr over 14 years).

    27. HF 946 vs. Governors Plan HF 946 = $185m/yr 50-75% of cent regional sales tax (approx $165m/yr) 37.5% of MVST on leased vehicles (approx. $20m/yr) Override attempt short by only 2 votes Governors Plan = $30M/yr MVST on leased vehicles ($50%) = $25M/yr Change split to 38/2 = $5M/yr

    28. Peer Region Comparisons Transit investment - 30% more Transit ridership - 60% more Leveraging FTA new starts money (Portland got $800 million more in last 15 years, Denver poised to get $1 billion more in next 15 yrs than Twin Cities) IDEA not to do whatever our peers do, BUT to recognize their ROI from transit. And that they see transit as Savings to residents and businesses Hedge against raising gas prices and global warming Response to aging (more diverse. immigrant) population IDEA not to do whatever our peers do, BUT to recognize their ROI from transit. And that they see transit as Savings to residents and businesses Hedge against raising gas prices and global warming Response to aging (more diverse. immigrant) population

    29. ISAIAH: TC 2020 Supporters

    30. Framing Jason Lewis Commentary Rebuttal vs. Our Frame Transit Partners and Worldview Training

    31. Transit Town Meetings Spring 2007: Burnsville, St. Cloud, Brooklyn Park, Minnetonka, Woodbury Fall 2007: Anoka, White Bear Lake, Apple Valley, Maple Grove

    32. Organizing Leaders day at the Capitol Legislative hearings

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