ST. LOUIS COUNTY — The St. Louis County Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to withhold funding for MetroLink security until Bi-State can show real progress on curbing crime.
According to Bi-State Development — the agency that operates MetroLink — ridership is down more than two million passengers between 2013-2017. Over the same period, the annual appropriation the county gives to Bi-State has increased $34 million without any significant rail expansions.
“We are struggling with it and how to deliver a good product for our residents,” Colleen Wasinger of the St. Louis County Council said last week.
The three-term Republican who represents the county’s third district admitted she only uses MetroLink “occasionally.” But she said it’s clear the system is in need of some accountability for how county tax dollars are being spent to improve safety.
Wasinger proposed withholding $5 million in MetroLink security funding until police and Bi-State can show real progress on curbing crime and improving inter-agency cooperation and communication. The bill was approved by a 6-0 vote. One council member was absent.
“This is the only tool we have to get some answers,” she said last week.
The change does not impact funding through the end of this year.
