Wayne County Transit Authority faces lawsuit over $570 million millage proposal
A group of Wayne County residents is suing the Wayne County Transit Authority over a proposed bus tax that will be on the August ballots.
The lawsuit also names the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, also known as SMART, as a defendant.
A group called Not Smart Wayne accuses the Wayne County Transit Authority, its chair, the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, and SMART of breaking open-meeting laws and using misleading language to secure voters' support for a more than $500 million bus tax proposal.
"It's clear these Wayne County bodies did not follow the rules around conduct for meetings, notice regarding new taxes, and the requirement for ballot language," said Matthew Wilk of Not Smart Wayne.
He said they're filing the lawsuit in response to the defendants' failure to provide proper notice of a March 19 meeting.
"We only found out about this because a pro-transit group tweeted out, congratulations, this is going to be on the millage. It wasn't posted on the Wayne County website, it wasn't posted on the SMART site until months later," Wilk said.
Wilk says the second part of their lawsuit concerns the language in the ballot proposal they claim is prejudicial and misleading.
"It's no question it's prejudicial when you're highlighting it's less than one percent of the budget as a use of the funds, and it's also misleading because you're not explaining to the Wayne County voter that for one million of you, this is a brand new tax," he said.
The proposal asks voters to approve a 10-year, $570 million millage in August to improve and expand bus services, specifically targeting outlying former 'opt-out' Wayne County communities where bus service is sparse.
Wayne County Deputy Executive Assad Turfe issued the following statement:
"We categorically reject the baseless allegations and false claims made in this frivolous lawsuit and remain confident the facts and truth will come to light through the legal process. From day one, the Wayne County Transit Authority has been transparent and followed all disclosure and notice requirements under Michigan law. Public transit provides an affordable transportation option for tens of thousands of Wayne County residents at a time of rising gas prices and car insurance. We will not be intimidated or deterred from our mission of preserving an important lifeline for seniors and people with disabilities who cannot easily drive on their own."