Here’s a story about Billy Joe and Bobbie Sue,

Two young lovers with nothing better to do.

Actually, it’s a story about the Dane County Board and the Regional Transit Authority. That sounds almost as fun, right? Earlier this winter, the county board established the RTA to examine new transportation options for the county, including the hotly contested commuter rail proposal.

The establishment of the board included the power to levy a 0.5 percent sales tax to pay for the RTA’s operations and projects, which the board ruled last week would only be enacted after a countywide referendum.

While the County Board postponed setting a date for the referendum, this editorial board suggests waiting till next fall. Just as you might wait to set a date for your wedding until the fall to enjoy nice weather and changing leaves, we suggest waiting for the referendum to enjoy, well, practicality.

If the referendum is put to voters now, they basically have to decide whether they’ll fund the RTA to do whatever it wants. By next fall, a more solid plan should be in the works, including the locations of stops for the commuter rail, some idea of how it would be integrated with bus system changes, as well as with the high-speed rail line from Milwaukee and the Twin Cities and how the Dane County Airport could be tied into the plan.

Giving people a referendum once there are some concrete plans in place allows voters to express not just a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to a nebulous proposal, but a solid opinion on what the funding would actually pay for.

We are glad there will be a referendum before the RTA can tax their hearts out. But this time, we think it’s better not to take the money and run (or walk, or bike, or take a bus, or carpool, or take a commuter rail) until you have a plan.