Zooming in
City Council unanimously approved the extension, which requires the city to contribute 1% of sales tax funds to METRO, at a Dec. 1 meeting. In return, METRO reimburses approximately half of that amount into Missouri City transportation and mobility projects.
The contract went into effect in 1978—as voted for by Missouri City citizens—and without its extension, METRO would not be required to reimburse any money to the city while still receiving tax funds, City Attorney E. Joyce Iyamu said.
While there is currently no state law provision allowing the city to get itself out of the contract, the city is planning to actively pursue state legislation to exit the contract with METRO, District C council member Joanna Ouderkirk said.
“I think the vast majority of this council [and] city staff would like to see something different,” Ouderkirk said. “This is not necessarily feasible at the moment, but it is something that is being examined.”
Iyamu said METRO has rejected several suggestions from Missouri City staff, including:
- A revenue cap on the amount contributed to METRO
- An increase in reimbursement to the city
- A shorter time frame on the contract
- A removal of the clause preventing the city from exiting the contract
Kumar said METRO has also assisted several other projects, including:
- Establishing the 270 bus line
- Curb-to-curb services
- Money for essential transportation services such as operations, management, sidewalk and street rehabilitation, and traffic signal upgrades
Kumar said city staff are working with METRO to get the most benefit out of their contract, with projects in the works including:
- Funding a $2 million roundabout at the intersection of Knights Road and Watts Plantation
- Sponsorship of a $1 million trail project providing connectivity to METRO facilities
