Click here to call or email the City Council, or keep reading for more information.

Yesterday the KCATA announced cuts to a third of the Metro bus routes in KCMO, in response to the KC City Council reducing funding by $7 million in the 2009-2010 budget. This funding cut is the result of three things.

1. Lower revenue from the KCMO transit sales taxes during the recession.
2. Diversion of transit sales tax money to the city’s traffic signal department.
3. More diversion the same money to TIF projects that provide no transit benefit in return.

The list of cuts are available on the KCATA web site, as well as a list of public hearings on the proposed changes. The KC Star also has a story about this.

The City Council will vote on the budget today at 3:00 p.m, so there is only a small window of opportunity left to call or email your councilmember and let them know how you feel about diverting transit funding to other uses.  Click here to look up your councilmembers’s phone numbers and/or send them a quick message.