After years of bickering, a plan in place

With an announcement Dec. 19, 2011 that Milwaukee County would buy 136 new buses, County Executive Chris Abele followed through on a campaign promise to develop a plan to spend $36.6 million in federal transit money that had sat idle for 20 years.

The total cost exceeds $52 million, but the largest chunk -- the $36.6 million -- will finally be spent after having been appropriated by Congress in 1991.

The purchases will replace about one-third of the county Transit System's fleet with low-emission buses over the next two years, according to Abele.

The $36.6 million was part of $289 million appropriated by Congress in 1991 for a Milwaukee-area transit project. The $289 million became the centerpiece of years of disputes among city, county, suburban and state officials over how it should be spent.

We rate this a Promise Kept.