A recent bill sponsored by Board of Aldermen President Megan E. Green would ask voters to authorize the use of the city’s economic development sales tax to help fund a Bus Rapid Transit system.
Board Bill 106 would amend language in Proposition 1, which was approved by more than 60% of city voters in 2017. The one-half percent sales tax was created to support economic development and was originally tied to the planned North-South MetroLink expansion, more recently referred to as the Green Line.
Escalating costs have pushed the most recent estimate for the MetroLink project to $1.1 billion, according to Green’s office.
After the Federal Transit Administration expressed concerns about the project, the Bi-State Development Board of Commissioners canceled the North-South MetroLink expansion earlier this year. The board then authorized a contract to evaluate the feasibility of Bus Rapid Transit in the same corridor. A BRT system along a similar route is estimated to cost between $400 and $450 million.
“I support using the eco-devo tax revenue for Bus Rapid Transit; however, I think it’s even more important that residents demonstrate their support for it at the ballot,” Green said.
For the measure to appear on the April 2026 ballot, the bill must move through the Board of Aldermen and be approved by Jan. 27.
City voters will also be asked to renew the city’s 1 percent earnings tax in the same municipal election.
Since 2017, approximately $96 million has been collected for the MetroLink expansion project.