The entity that shapes public transit in the City of Omaha is shifting to a regional focus – signaling expansion of services beyond the city limits that soon will be guided by an elected governing board.

Metro’s current board, appointed by the mayor, voted Thursday for the change that takes effect in August.

Representatives said the agency had no plan to increase fares. But broadening the scope of public transit would bear a cost, and the board has authority to raise the Metro property tax rate, which currently is at 4.7 cents per $100 in valuation. Under state law, the tax cannot exceed 10 cents per $100 in valuation.

Now officially called the Transit Authority of the City of Omaha, Metro will formally become known as the Regional Metropolitan Transit Authority of Omaha.

Part of the transition means that the agency’s board of directors will be elected. Current members are to serve as Metro’s temporary board until the first election in 2024. Elected members would take office the following January.

“Having an elected board of directors is a very exciting step for us,” said Board Chair Amy Haase. “We have heard a lot of feedback on our MetroNEXT program, which includes a call for a better response from elected officials.”

MetroNEXT was an extensive, yearlong look at ways to improve public transit through the decade.

The expanded regional focus was made possible by the Nebraska Legislature’s 2019 adoption of the Regional Metropolitan Transit Authority Act.

“Omaha is growing. Omaha is interconnected,” said Metro CEO Lauren Cencic. “We need to start supporting ourselves as a region. This is a step to start to think that way and start to prepare ourselves for future growth.”

Thursday’s vote does not immediately change Metro’s service area, according to a Metro statement outlining changes. Nearby cities and towns can eventually join the regional entity if they choose.

“While we don’t plan immediate growth outside our current service area, this acknowledges that our region goes beyond downtown Omaha,” Cencic said. “This is a vital step in creating a more connected, prosperous region.”

Metro officials said Thursday that the vote does not trigger an immediate change in Metro’s operational budget, which in 2021 was $33 million. However, implementing the full slate of suggested MetroNEXT regional strategies would, according to the document, push costs beyond $100 million.

Public input and discussion would come, the board says, before any potential property tax rate increase.

Additional funding streams are key, the Metro statement said, to executing projects outlined in the MetroNEXT plan. Those include: permanent funding for the K-12 Rides Free program; 50 new bus shelters with real-time arrival displays; expanded night and evening service; 24th Street transit and other corridor enhancements; and expansion of service to the airport.

Cencic called the new regional focus a fitting celebration of Metro’s coming 50th anniversary “and the millions of riders we’ve connected to people, places and opportunities.”

The Transit Authority of the City of Omaha was created in 1972 by the Legislature. It provides local, express and circulator routes and bus rapid transit. Contract services are available to nearby cities of Council Bluffs, Bellevue, Papillon, La Vista and Ralston.

Investment in improved transit for a more connected region has been a priority highlighted in previous plans and studies, including MAPA’s Heartland 2050 and the Greater Omaha Chamber’s ConnectGo initiative.

MAPA’s 2020 study showed that expanding regional transit would add as many as 8,000 jobs and provide an economic impact of an additional $1.8 billion in business revenue by 2050, the MetroNEXT plan said.

Said Daniel Lawse, board member, “We’re taking on the challenge to provide for the people in the community and connect them to the places that matter.”

This story was originally published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. It is part of the national nonprofit States Newsroom. Find more at nebraskaexaminer.com.