ABSTRACT
State governments began to pick up more of the funding responsibility, the effects of state and local tax limitation movement of the 1970s and 1980s and the limits of state government finances generally meant that, increasingly, local transit agencies needed to raise more of their own funds. One increasingly popular approach has been for local governments to use local-option sales tax increase initiatives, which require voter approval. Local governments, transit agencies, and others involved in the management and funding of local transit services needed to know how to be more successful at passing this kind of tax increase legislation in local elections. In 2000, transit agencies were facing the challenge of trying to raise revenue via sales tax increases approved via citizens in the initiative process. Numerous challenges confronted the research team. At the time of the initial study, little was known about transportation tax initiatives.
