In what we hope will turn out to be a watershed vote, the Regional Transit Authority voted Monday to set up a permanent regional transit oversight body for southeastern Wisconsin and to fund bus, rail and other transit modes with a sales tax of up to 0.5 percent.

The measure, adopted by a 6-1 vote, now goes to Gov. Jim Doyle for possible inclusion in the state's 2009-11 biennial budget.

The sales tax would provide a stable funding source for transit operations in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties for the foreseeable future and would provide sufficient funding to make the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail a reality.

To be sure, there were compromises in the proposal. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett insisted on - and got - a provision for a 0.15 sales tax to support police and fire departments. Racine County Executive William McReynolds urged that Racine County's area west of Interstate 94 be clipped from the transit region - and that, too, happened.

Another sweetener in the transit proposal is a requirement that the municipalities involved reduce their property tax levels by the amount shifted to the sales tax. In Racine, for instance, that would likely mean a $1 million reduction in the property tax. Shifting it to the sales tax would mean the transit operations here would be supported in part by people from outside the municipality.

We hope the political tweaks and revisions are enough to finally put KRM on track to passage.

Even as southeastern Wisconsin gets set to pour some $1.9 billion into rebuilding the portion of I-94 that pounds through Racine County with a heavy transit load, we know that the day will soon come when those lanes too get filled.

We have seen it in places as nearby as Chicago and as far away as Atlanta and Seattle. Just a few days ago we saw reports of Atlanta girding for the traffic crush of - Halloween. Parents headed home early to get their children costumed for trick-or-treating have in years past left "thousands of Atlantans … stalled for hours as they all hit the afternoon streets at the same time."

In Seattle, the overtaxed freeways have also been the source of major gridlock. It was no surprise, then, that in this month's elections a referendum to authorize a half-cent sales tax to spend $17.9 billion to expand light rail, commuter train and bus service won approval from 59 percent of the voters.

"It was an act of great generosity to our grandchildren," said one transit board member.

It is that kind of vision and understanding of the need for balanced transportation systems that southeastern Wisconsin must embrace now before it is too late.

Sound regional transportation systems will get workers to jobs and attract new economic opportunities up and down the lakeshore while at the same time giving area residents increased access to cultural and sporting events in major metropolitan areas to the north and south.

It is the right thing to do now, and it will be absolutely imperative to have in place for our economic future. We urge Gov. Doyle and area legislators to work together to make KRM and a viable regional transportation system a reality.