17K Signatures Collected To Force Referendum For Street Car Project

Petitioners seeking a Street Car referendum have 30 days to surpass their 17,000 signatures that have been collected so far.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

February 6, 2015

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Thursday, Mayor Tom Barrett couldn't provide additional information at the Journey House meeting about how much would it cost taxpayers to extend the proposed 2.5 mile route of the Street Car Project. The Street Car Project will cost $124M for the 2.5 mile proposed route and a taxpayer wanted to know from the Mayor what would be the projected additional cost to extend the route.

Alderman T. Anthony Zielinski told the crowd at the Journey House that information about the operating costs was completely "side tracked" from public information. People are in a fixed income and they can't continue to afford to pay higher taxes for the project. He also said, the Milwaukee County Transit doesn't want anything to do with the project because they don't have enough funding and are cutting back on services. Zielinski is opposing the project due to unforeseen costs of a Street Car that goes in a circle around downtown. Alderman Bob Donovan who also opposes the project told those in attendance that 17,000 signatures have been collected so far and have an additional 30 days to get the needed signatures to force a referendum on the issue.

Stop the Milwaukee Street Car Facebook page posted, that "Downtown parking meters to (will) see an increase of 50 cents an hour."