By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – The transit agency Metro wants a St. Louis County judge to stop a proposed referendum on bonds to pay for a new MetroLink line.
Agency officials say they need $150 million in county bonds to pay for cost overruns, or construction on the eight-mile extension will stop.
The county charter effectively prohibits referenda on certain budget issues, and Metro President Larry Salci says this is one of those issues.
"The county charter allows for referendums on ordinances that are not tied to an appropriation," Salci said. "We believe that this is tied to an appropriation because it's directly related to the quarter-cent sales tax."
But Metro critic Tom Sullivan says voters should decide whether the agency should get the money.
He also says the bonds are not meant to pay for county debt, and thus subject to a referendum.
"What we're saying is not so much that they shouldn't finish the project," Sullivan said. "We're just saying that we need some accountability and we need answers to questions and we need to scrutinize them in the future. They're saying they need $125 million now. Who knows? Next year they may say they need another $125 million."
A hearing on the case may be held next week.