The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), and Technical Management Committee (TMC) are working on the RTA Next plan and need to hear from you! This plan will guide how and where money will be spent on transportation planning in our region for the next 20 years and is funded entirely by sales tax.

On June 26, 2023, by a vote of 18-6, the CAC adopted a budget framework that would dedicate more to public transportation, active transportation, and safety improvements than the current budget proposal put forth by the RTA staff and TMC. The CAC's adopted budget framework was informed by unanimously adopted guiding principles that include providing equitable transportation services and preparing our region for a new climate reality. For context, 52% of the CAC's adopted budget framework would go to road projects and 30% to public transit. In contrast, the RTA/TMC's budget proposal would spend about 62% on road projects and only 22% would go to public transit.

The RTA is regional, but there is no currently accepted definition, priority, or vision for what good regional transportation planning looks like. Every jurisdiction is going to have their own opinions and priorities, but one thing is certain: the urban core is both the mobility and economic hub of our region and it is not the obligation of urban voters to subsidize the special interests of suburban communities.