CALL FOR A PUBLIC AUDIT OF METRO BI-STATE

More on the Minority Contractor vs. Metro Bi-State lawsuit that cost Metro 39 million dollars.

(Read my rampage about this:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metro-is-doing-with-your-money-and.html)

US Missouri courts register over 3000 legal cases against Bi State Development Agency.  Most are personal injury or wrongful death.

https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/cases/nameSearch.do

I think the public should be allowed to examine the records of these proceedings.  (And I really hope that this was hidden from the media and that they weren't just bought off on not reporting it.  I hope local media didn't ignore this purposefully.)

Also obtaining the exact wording of Prop A from 2010. I don't think that laws and legislation and bond props should be so hard to understand clearly. It hurts my pride that I was duped into voting for this.  I want to read and understand exactly how this happened.

EDIT: FROM METRO'S 2009 Report, page 14:

Missouri Sources

. Funding for Missouri projects comes from the City of St. Louis, St. Louis

County and the Missouri Department of Transportation (“MoDOT”). The City of St. Louis and

St. Louis County collect revenue from ½ cent and a ¼ cent local sales taxes. Both the City

and the County appropriate all of their receipts from the ¼ cent sales tax to Metro. The City of

St. Louis appropriates virtually all of its revenues from the ½ cent sales tax to Metro. St. Louis

County splits revenue collected from the ½ cent sales tax between Metro and funding road

and bridge projects within the county. The County appropriated approximately $40 million to

Metro in FY 2009. From FY 2002 through FY 2008, the County’s ½ cent sales tax

appropriation to Metro was indexed with the Consumer Price Index. At least two percent of

the appropriations to Metro from the ½ cent sales tax must be used for transportation for

developmentally disadvantaged persons. The balance is usually required to fund Missouri

operations. MoDOT provides Metro with limited operating and FTA discretionary capital

assistance.

Still going through the report-- but the B.S. about Prop A is actually "hiding right out in the open" in that paragraph.

Also looking into:

How Metro's funds are awarded and audited. I contacted the DOT but they sent me an email directing me to the Federal Transit Authority.   

There must be some sort of appeal we can make, or petition, to some governing body, to get absolute transparency on financial matters, planning, structure.  I do not think I should have to file a Sunshine Act request to find out how many bus drivers work on the average weekday.

Also, there must be some precedence, in this country or somewhere in the world, where a Business District or Business Development Agency was separated from it's public transit agency.  Metro needs to be separated from Bi-State Development Agency.

And a more balanced committee needs to chair it.  The more I investigate East West Gateway Council of Governments, the appointing of people by the Governor, the more I see how public transit needs to be determined locally.  And NOT for purposes of owning real estate, developing business, and paying for future political campaigns.

I also think the County Executive needs to be audited.

I haven't found it yet, but I know the solutions are out there.

St. Louis deserves a world-class transit system.  And I know that it is possible- with the funding it has now.

EDIT: http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2010/04/former_st_louis_mayor_sues_metro_freeman_bosley_jr.php 

Page 22 is enlightening, sadly the full court documents are not available at this link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/30306078/mokan-naacp-v-metro

EDIT: These records are from 2010, and you have to search by individual names, but here it is:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/metro-transit-agency-employee-payroll/html_1396d59c-088b-11e0-ad1c-0017a4a78c22.html

Robert Joseph Baer, CEO, John Nations predecessor: $190,000

Ray Friem: Chief Oper Ofcr-Transit Serv/Chief Operations Officer $174,350.00

Jessica Mefford Miller:  Chief of System planning and development: $86,000.00

Dianne Williams, Director of Communications: $85,696.00

Bus driver I knew the name of: $43,784.00