SMRT RED ALERT

 

 

The La Crosse County Board had a brief presentation about the SMRT bus outlook for 2026 and beyond at 6 p.m. on Monday evening, July 6. We were notified about this agenda item by a county board member at about 5:50 p.m. on Monday, July 6. The online TEAMS broadcast of the meeting did not include sound nor closed captioning, at least for most of the meeting, but the PowerPoint presentation is here. There may soon be  recording of the meeting but it's not available yet. The presentation does not provide much new information from the 2025 presentation.

On the agenda for the La Crosse County Executive Board meeting for Wednesday, July 8 at 8:00 a.m., is a resolution to discontinue the SMRT on December 31, 2026. If you are able to attend this meeting, arrive by 7:45 a.m. to speak or by 8 a.m. to show support, please do. There is a limited time available to speak. The meeting is at the County Administration Building, 7th and State Street. If you are able to email county board members about this again, please do. This email address will email ALL County Board Supervisors: countyboardsupervisors@lacrossecounty.org

 

This resolution will, we think, be discussed and voted on at the July 16 at 6 p.m. County Board meeting. You are encouraged to attend and speak at this meeting. If you wish to speak, arrive early to register. This meeting will be at the County Administration Building, 7th & State Street. The agenda is not yet published, but we will post it at our website when it is.

Please help spread the word and encourage people to again speak up about this issue, now is the time.

As far as we are aware, there have been zero public information or input sessions since the same decision was made in 2025. We have been asking since December for updates and information about opportunities for public involvement and input. In March, we received a very minimal list of steps being taken which actually left out some important items.

Ironically, as this execution is being planned, state transit advocates are organizing to help lawmakers craft Regional Transit Authority (RTA) enabling legislation that would provide avenues for funding and organizing administration of these important connections to jobs, education, healthcare, social activities, and other transportation, especially Amtrak, around the state.

There are two meetings this month that will discuss the RTA legislation.

On Thursday, July 9 at 3:30 p.m., this month's meeting of the La Crosse Area Planning Committee' advisory Committee on Transit and Active Transportation will include discussion of the RTA input session for our area. There is no agenda item specifically about the SMRT situation, but this will probably be brought up. You may attend the CTAT meeting in person (in the County Administration Building, 7th and State) or online. Find agenda and online access info here https://lacrossecounty.org/metropolitan-planning-organization/committees/committee-on-transit-and-active-transportation along with a recently completed RTA study report (executive summary here) that noted, "Comparing these benefits to the level of investment required to provide transit service under each scenario, benefit-cost ratios range from approximately 4 to 5, indicating that each scenario produces several dollars of estimated benefit for every dollar of investment."

On Tuesday, July 14 From 2 to 4 p.m., the Coalition for more Responsible Transportation will host an online session to look at how we can promote and support RTA legislation in 2027. If you are a member of the Sierra Club, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, LATA, or other CMRT member organizations, you are invited to participate. Register here for the link to join: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/TIli0dO0RYicYEjYBlQa5Q The CMRT Steering Committee has also prepared a survey that all coalition members are encouraged to complete. Survey responses submitted ahead of the meeting will help shape the discussion: https://forms.gle/pNWKNMWdPbL44bA28

If you would like to learn or discuss more about the state RTA effort, plan to attend one or both of these meetings. Otherwise, please at least try to do one or more of the following:

• spread the word about this development
• call, email, or visit with YOUR local and county electeds about this issue (for talking points, read the executive summary of the LAPC RTA study linked above)
• call, email, or visit with LA CROSSE COUNTY supervisors (see link to email all above)
• attend the July 8 8 a.m. La Crosse County Board Executive Committee meeting at the County Administration Building, 7th and State Street, La Crosse
• attend the July 16 6 p.m. La Crosse County Board meeting at the County Administration Building, 7th and State Street, La Crosse

 

Please encourage others to speak up, too. This is not just about SMRT commuters or the thousands of non-drivers in our region. This is about reducing air and water pollution, making transportation more equitable and safer for all, regional economic development, and reducing transportation-related, greenhouse gas-causing emissions.