JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said Jefferson Parish is planning to withdraw from the Regional Transit Authority. This comes after their only three appointees resigned last week, following a meeting that raised concerns when the agency's CEO was asked about a $1.3M contract that wasn't board-approved.
Sheng sent a letter to RTA's board chairman Mark Raymond Jr. Friday, asking that legislation be introduced in the upcoming legislative session to allow Jefferson Parish to remove itself as a member.
Currently, the RTA board doesn't have enough members necessary to conduct business, without at least one Jefferson Parish appointee present.
According to Nola.com, Lee Sheng plans to appoint a temporary replacement to the RTA board at the next Parish Council meeting on Mar. 27.
“It will be my intention to fill those seats temporarily just so business can keep happening and there's no harm done from the vacancies,” said Lee Sheng.
State Rep. Joe Stagni, a Kenner Republican, said he's already filed a draft legislation to create a process for Jefferson Parish to leave RTA.
In 1979, the RTA was created by the Legislature to serve four metro New Orleans parishes including Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany.
Right now, RTA provides bus services in Kenner with bus lines running from New Orleans to Elmwood and the Louis Armstrong International Airport.
However, Jefferson Parish does have its own transit system.
“I don’t want anyone to feel alarmed,” Jefferson Parish Council Member Jennifer Van Vrancken said.
Van Vracken says that the Parish is working on a backup plan, and she doesn’t expect much to change for riders.
“We’ll figure it out and public transit will be there for you,” Van Vracken said.
Lee Sheng said she aims to maintain the current level of service offered in the parish.
"We don't want any changes on the street," Lee Sheng said.
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