A History of Transit Sales Tax Initiatives: Madison County

In Madison County, the Madison County Transportion District d.b.a. Madison County Transit is the agency responsible for the funding and operation of the county’s public transportation needs. Madison County Transit currently operates its own buses and has been since 1985.

1981 – Illinois Mass Transit District Act

In 1981, the Illinois legislature passed the Local Mass Transit District Act which allowed counties in the Metro-East region of the state to levy a 0.25% sales tax for the purpose of funding public transportation. This act also created the local transportation districts that collect and distribute the monies generated by the sales tax.

Prior to September 1989, money generated by the sales tax was sent directly to the Bi-State Development Agency by the State of Illinois. Legislation was then passed that gave the local transportation districts direct control over the tax proceeds.

November 1997 – Proposition M

Proposition M would have funded the construction and operation of a MetroLink line to Granite City and possibly as far as Alton or Edwardsville. The measure failed with less than 40 percent voting in favor. A lack of firm plans and uncertainty of how sales tax proceeds would be used were cited as the primary reasons for the ballot measure’s failure.

East-West Gateway completed a feasibility study of possible MetroLink alignments in Madison County in 2004. No further action to advance MetroLink planning or funding in the county has been performed since then.