Committeewoman Cara Jensen

St. Louis County voters approved a half-cent sales tax to restore and expand Metro mass transit service.

Proposition A passed with 94,294 votes, or 63 percent, according to the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners.

“I thank the voters of St. Louis County for doing the hard thing because it was the right thing,” St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley said. “The people who benefit from this vote are young and old, black and white, rich and poor. They are our family, our friends, and our neighbors. They are seniors. They are students. They are disabled. They will ride buses and trains to get to work and to look for work.”

The measure previously failed in November 2008, forcing the bus and light-rail agency to slash service and lay off hundreds of workers. But this time, John Nations, mayor of Chesterfield, chaired Advance St. Louis, a campaign committee that raised money to move the issue forward.

Others working on the campaign included Metro President and Chief Executive Bob Baer, Nancy Cross of the Service Employees and Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton.

The sales tax increase will generate about $80 million a year for Metro. The measure also triggers a previously passed 0.25 percent tax increase in the city of St. Louis.

“The road forward for the St. Louis County community just got a little easier to travel,” Dooley said.