After years of wrangling and navigating complex political waters, momentum is finally moving the direction of an official RTA with taxing authority to establish and operate a fully functioning transit system that will serve participating counties in the Milwaukee Region.

The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority (RTA) voted on Monday, November 10 to recommend an increase the sales tax in Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee counties by up to 0.5 percent to pay for bus services and for the proposed Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter rail system.

The sales tax would provide a dedicated funding source for commuter rail and county bus systems. Racine and Kenosha counties could opt for a smaller sales tax increase because they have smaller bus systems than Milwaukee County. Other regional counties may join the RTA.

Membership

The RTA currently has seven members:

Len Brandrup, appointed by the Mayor of Kenosha

David Eberle, appointed by the Racine County Executive

Jody Karls, appointed by the Mayor of Racine

Karl Ostby, appointed by the Kenosha County Executive

Sharon Robinson, appointed by the Mayor of Milwaukee

Julia Taylor, appointed by the Governor of Wisconsin

George Torres, appointed by the Milwaukee County Executive

KRM

A key project, along with bus service, is the KRM Commuter Rail line, a vital link for connecting Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha and the METRA system in Chicago.

KRM Map