密歇根新闻广播 促进交通行业发展

 

Wayne, Oakland, and Washtenaw counties hope that some proposed changes to state law will pave the way for an expanded regional transit¹ system in southeast Michigan—minus Macomb County, for now.

The proposal involves changes to the state's Municipal Partnership² Act, which allows local government units to form partnerships³ for the purpose of funding and offering services such as transit. They would allow the three counties to create a regional entity⁴ that could levy⁵ and collect taxes to fund expanded regional transit.

The partners already have a bill sponsor onboard, Monroe County State Rep. Jason Sheppard (R-Temperance). The initiative also has the support of Republican Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield, and Democratic Minority Leader Christine Greig. The city of Detroit and Mayor Mike Duggan also voiced support, as have members of the business and philanthropic communities.

Sheppard says the bill would make a few key amendments⁸ to the MPA, allowing, for example, exemptions⁹ to millage rollbacks under Michigan's Headlee Amendment⁷, and ensuring that all tax revenues raised would flow to transit, exempting¹⁰ them from capture by special tax districts like Downtown Development Authorities. It would also allow county commission boards to approve putting millage proposals before voters by a simple majority vote.

That's a big difference, Sheppard said. Because at that point, you're going to each individual city, and each individual little municipality, to try to get some resolution. This streamlines¹¹ that process, for the county board of commissioners¹² to make that determination if it's going to go on the ballot¹³ or not.

Sheppard and county officials say they hope to get the changes through Lansing by early next year. The idea is to get it in front of voters on the November 2020 ballot.

County officials say they don't yet have a formal plan for what transit expansion would look like, nor would they offer a cost estimate while unveiling the proposal at Royal Oak's Beaumont Hospital on Monday.

But one thing is for sure—the timeline they propose for getting it in front of voters is fast. But interim¹⁴ Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter thinks it's doable.

I think it's feasible. It's aggressive, Coulter said. And it's always been more important to me that we have the right plan than the right timeline, so if we can't get to the right plan, we'll keep working on it. But I'm optimistic that we can.

A 1.2 mill ballot initiative to expand regional transit through the Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority failed in 2016. It was voted down by a narrow margin¹⁶ in Oakland County, and by a large margin in Macomb County.

Under this proposal, the RTA will continue to exist as an entity to provide transit coordination¹⁷ and disburse¹⁸ federal transit dollars. Any millage money, if approved by voters, would flow to the region's existing transit providers.

Coulter says reaching out and engaging historically transit-averse voters in northern Oakland County onboard will be a key priority.

I think there's no question that in the north end of Oakland County, they did not perceive enough value for what they were being asked to pay [in 2016]. And that's why they turned it down, Coulter said.

Macomb County is not involved in this proposed partnership. But officials say one benefit of this option is that Macomb can opt¹⁵ in later if it likes.

At this point, the county has no interest in joining up, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel told Michigan Radio's Stateside on Monday.

Hackel says mass transit is not a priority for his constituents¹⁹. What I do hear, everyday, is at least one complaint about our roads, bridges and or infrastructure²⁰, Hackel said.

But a leadership change has shifted the political calculus²¹ in Oakland County. Longtime Republican County Executive and transit skeptic²² L. Brooks²³ Patterson died in August. Coulter, a Democrat⁶, has changed course and made regional transit a priority.

Dave Woodward, chair of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, says that county now has a pro-transit commission majority and this time around, Oakland County is all-in.

We are going to get transit done in southeast Michigan once and for all, and Oakland County's proud to be part of that partnership, Woodward said.

Jason Morgan, chair of Washtenaw County's board of commissioners, agreed.

We don't have time to wait," Morgan said. "We have people who need transportation. We have students who want to get to school, and get to the university. We have families who just want to get throughout our communities. And we know that transportation doesn't end at a county line.

1 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

2 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

3 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

4 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

5 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

8 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

9 exemptions   

n.（义务等的）免除( exemption的名词复数 )；免（税）；（收入中的）免税额

参考例句：

• The exemptions for interpretive rules, policy statements, and procedural rules have just been discussed. 有关解释性规则、政策说明和程序规则的免责我们刚刚讨论过。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• A: The regulation outlines specific exemptions for some WPM. 答：该规定概述了某些木质包装材料的特定的例外情形。 来自互联网

10 exempting   

使免除[豁免]( exempt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• EPA adopted regulations exempting discharges from agricultural activities, with certain exceptions for relatively major pollution sources. 环境保护局采用管制规章，禁止源自农业活动的各种排放，对于一些相关的大型污染源也有例外。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 streamlines   

把…做成流线型( streamline的名词复数 )； 简化使效率更高； （系统、机构等）效率更高； （尤指）使增产节约

参考例句：

• In a junction, there is no fixed pattern of streamlines. 在接头中，流线没有固定图形。
• Small droplets tend to follow the streamlines of the air. 小水滴顺着气流运动。

12 commissioners   

n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官

参考例句：

• The Commissioners of Inland Revenue control British national taxes. 国家税收委员管理英国全国的税收。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The SEC has five commissioners who are appointed by the president. 证券交易委员会有５名委员，是由总统任命的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

13 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

14 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

15 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

16 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

17 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

18 disburse   

v.支出，拨款

参考例句：

• Cashiers receive and disburse money in establishments other than financial institutions.除了金融机构，出纳员也会在一些社会机构里收款付款。
• On approval,we will disburse the fund to your designated bank account directly.一经批核，贷款将于扣除手续费后直接存入您指定的银行账户。

19 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

21 calculus   

n.微积分；结石

参考例句：

• This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。
• After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

22 skeptic   

n.怀疑者，怀疑论者，无神论者

参考例句：

• She is a skeptic about the dangers of global warming.她是全球变暖危险的怀疑论者。
• How am I going to convince this skeptic that she should attention to my research?我将如何使怀疑论者确信她应该关注我的研究呢？

23 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》