Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris laid out for the County Commission Wednesday a plan to fund the Memphis Area Transit Authority to the tune of $10 million, most of it through a sustainability fee paid by county residents who own more than two vehicles.

The funding for Transit Vision 3.0 would come from the 17% of county addresses where three or more vehicles are registered, who would pay an additional $145 annually for each vehicle. Those include commercial operations with fleets, like FedEx.

The proposed sustainability fee would raise about $9 million in dedicated funding for MATA, in addition to a commitment of 1.5% of the county’s capital improvement program budget, or another $1 million, Harris said.

The city has contributed $29 million to MATA, a $60 million operation, and the proposal mandates that Memphis not reduce its funding.

The proposal extends MATA’s most-used routes and creates a new express route to Memphis International Airport.

It does not include light rail, which Harris said costs upwards of $100 million a mile.

This is an opportunity to make a significant investment in transit, Harris said.

“At the same time, this would make a huge impact on poverty,” he said.

There also would be a positive impact on the environment, Harris said.

Commissioners commended Harris on the plan, but Commissioner Amber Mills questioned who specifically would be paying for it.

“It sounds like the suburbs will be footing the bill,” said Mills, who noted that there is no bus service outside of Memphis.

However, Harris didn't agree that idea that one group foots the bill and another group benefits. Everyone would benefit, he said.

“I don’t agree with the characterization that there is a suburb part of Shelby County and that there is an urban core of Shelby County,” he said. “I would contend that we are all one county and we are all tied one to the other. And we should stop as much as we can trying to figure out where the line should be drawn.”

Commissioner Van Turner, who represents unincorporated areas of Shelby County, also asked that the ongoing conversation include extending service beyond Memphis.

After the meeting, Mills acknowledged that her question addressed the elephant in the room, a fee for all county residents to provide a service her constituents can’t use.

“It’s not going to go over well in my district,” said Mills, who represents Millington and areas of North Shelby County.

There is minimal bus service in unincorporated Shelby County and no bus service in the suburban cities, where everyone must drive, she said.

“And that’s who will be paying,” Mills said.

Commissioner Tami Sawyer asked if consideration would be given to low-income households that might have three or four adults who all own cars.

Also in the plan, county employees, like city workers, would be able to ride the bus for free.

And, in keeping with the condition placed on the city when the commission included $2.5 million in the budget for MATA, there would be two county seats on the MATA board.

“I think that this is a great opportunity for the county and MATA to join ranks. And it’s a great opportunity for the people of Shelby County to gain the opportunity to experience good public transportation,” said Gary Rosenfeld, MATA CEO.

Commissioners were the first to learn the details of the plan, which they must approve in an ordinance.

Harris asked that the commission vote by February 2020, giving everyone time to work through the details.

Transit Vison 3.0 is an initiative that began in 2017, with input from community stakeholders like MICAH (Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope).

"We have just seen the plan, but we have had our many meetings with the mayor and with each county commissioner. We're guardedly optimistic that this meets our criteria of equity," said Leo Arnoult, a member of the MICAH transit task force.

MICAH will hold a public meeting on the proposal at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, 620 Parkrose Road.

A second community meeting will be held at noon Sept. 26 at Impact Baptist Church, 2025 Clifton Ave., and a third meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, 70 N. Bellevue Blvd.