The County Commission was busy recently as it tried to finish up important business before the August recess. Several key votes relevant to our ongoing discussions about transit, planning and the Home Rule Charter were made (or delayed) at the July 17th and 18th meetings. Larry L. hit the nail on the head this morning in his assessment of what is going on. I know there are a precious few of us nerds who actually go to the meetings or watch them on TV, so here is a little more info on what is being discussed.
The Commission was given a budget by the Mayor that outlined the finances of MDT and the Metrorail expansion that included certain assumptions about fare increases and other new revenue streams that the board has not yet approved. The board balked at this and said that they want a basic pro-forma that does not make any assumptions, after which they will choose what they want to do. Most of this is political posturing. The fare increases and other measures are not drastic at all, and help show the FTA that we are working in good faith. I’m going to take the unpopular stance that commissioners Jordon and Barreiro really do care about this issue and are not only thinking about re-election. If this budget had not passed to the FTA then we would have certainly lost any chance of getting Quick Start funding for the Orange Line.
The real issue here, as repeated by Assistant Manager Ysela Llort, is whether the Orange Line is a priority of the Commission. Between Joe Martinez being against more gas tax and Sally Heyman against raising fares, one wonders whether these people understand that their constituents are the ones who lose by not making these decisions. It is disingenuous for these people to continue to posture like they give a damn about their consitituents when in fact all they do is pussyfoot around the issue, and mismanage billions of taxpayer dollars. As Commissioner Javier Souto said, “If this were a private business, everyone would be fired.” I agree Senator Souto, we should start with you.
The most sobering assessment of the situation is laid out in County Manager Burgess’ letter to the board. The one big recommendation that I have been against so far, but am changing my position is regarding the PTP dollars. As you see in the letter, the use of PTP dollars exclusively for new projects is hurting us in the long run. We need to allow the money to be used for our existing system. Whether that is what we intended in the first place or not is no longer the issue. Lets be smart about the money we have so that our system can grow at a strategic pace, and for god’s sake don’t repeal the 1/2 cent tax. If studying this situation has shown us anything it is that repealing the tax would kill our system, and send us back twenty years. Looking at other transit systems across the county, the norm for transit funding is equivalent to a 1 cent sales tax. That is part of the answer. We cannot advocate for more transit without wanting to pay for it. There is no one solution to this problem. As Commissioner Dorin Rolle said at the meeting, “We didn’t get here overnight. We have been asleep while this problem has grown.” I couldn’t agree more. I urge everyone who cares about this issue to write to your Commissioner and let them know what you think.
Below are some of the proposed resolutions currently on the table for discussion. If anyone has any other ideas, post them so that they can be considered. It is clear that the commission is useless and relies on other people to do their work for them. Let’s help them out.
- RESOLUTION MODIFYING THE SCHEDULE OF TRANSIT FARES, RATES AND CHARGES TO INCREASE THE METRORAIL PARKING PERMIT FEE FROM $6.25 TO $10.00, PER MONTH
- RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DISTANCE BASED AND/OR PEAK/NON-PEAK TRANSIT FARE RATES
- RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE MAYOR TO STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF RESTORING TWO CENTS TO THE 1993 FIVE CENTS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS LOCAL OPTION GAS TAX LEVIED ON MOTOR FUEL
- RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE COUNTY MAYOR TO STUDY AND TO SUBMIT A WRITTEN REPORT AS TO THE ADDITIONAL REVENUES TO BE EARNED BY INCREASING THE FARES FOR THE DADE-MONROE EXPRESS BUS ROUTE
- MODIFYING THE SCHEDULE OF TRANSIT FARES, RATES AND CHARGES BY INCREASING THE FARES BY FIFTY CENTS FOR METROBUS AND METRORAIL AND BY ESTABLISHING AUTOMATIC FARE ADJUSTMENT EVERY THREE YEARS CONSISTENT WITH MIAMI-DADE TRANSIT’S OPERATING COST INDEX (OCI) [SEE ORIGINAL ITEM UNDER FILE NO. 081541]
My big idea is to float GOB type bonds for individual Metrorail projects. We could put four proposed Metrorail lines on the ballot, each with a different cost and schedule. Let the people vote on where they want their money to go. That way the line that would get voted for would have a dedicated source of funding (without having to go to the FTA), and our system would grow. After three years, if we see that this is working, we could float another bond, and so on. (Keep in mind that the Commission is sending another GOB type bond to the ballot this November for more capital improvement projects. If they can do this for capital improvements, they can do it for transit!)
What do you think?
The problem with using bonds for building transit, is that bond projects are time sensitive. If the project isn’t built on time it affects bond ratings, and acrues interests that must be paid back. The rate that the county has gotten transit projects done makes bonds a scary solution.
I’ll write to my commissioner and let them know that there are solutions, and yours are a good start.
Good point. I considered the time sensitivity issue. It can either work as an incentive or a penalty. Either the commission would be aware of it and fast track the project (the way they did with the GOB projects) or they would fall asleep again and be penalized. Clearly there are going to be delays, but I think that with a dedicated source of funding that the project would have less chance of delay.
PS. When you write to your commish don’t forget to push the CSX corridor as well. This has the greatest chance of all because the ROW is already there. If enough people come out in support of it the NIMBY’s will lose support on the board.
Good start, except for the bond issues. As for the PTP half penny, put a measure on the ballot to modify it and allocate it only to Transit Projects by eliminating the municipal transit share, as well as any road projects. Finally, Eliminate the Citizen’s independant transit trust and task the Miami Dade expressway authority with overseeing the planning and construction of Metrorail projects, and let MDT answer to the MDX to make sure that PTP money only goes for productive bus routes.
After all, the MDX has the structure, the power and already employs much of the same talent that would be needed to get the job done.
I agree with TransitDave above me that the city cuts of the PTP funds need to be eliminated. The hefty 20% that they are given is being wasted on road projects, and the 20% of their share they are required to invest in transit (with some exceptions) is being reinvested in County bonds! So in the end the County pays the Cities twice!
A major problem, I feel, with the CITT is that it is the Citizens TRANSPORTAION Trust instead of Transit Trust. The people of the County were fooled by pretty ads saying that they were going to expand busses, help old people, and build the Metrorail extremely fast; and the independednt CITT would help them do it. But Transportation (which means it includes roads, sidewalks, “neighborhood improvements” AND Transit) should not be the priority of the Trust it should be only
Transit.
Between 2008-2009 an estimated $58.4 million dollars will be given to the cities in Miami-Dade. If since 2003 with the creation of the Trust, only four years, we would have saved that 20% and put it into a Metrorail funding account of some kind, over $125 million would be in it; thats over 1/6th of the estimated cost of the North Corridor $600 Million dollar price tag.
I think the solution to our problem is reorganization, and the ordinances passed earlier this month by the commission is one step closer to that ultimate goal.
TransitDave, You’ve commented previously that MDX would be better suited than the CITT to distribute funds. Elaborate a little more on why you think that is a good idea. I am unconvinced only because their primary mission has always been road/expressway building. I find that transit’s biggest enemy at times can be transportation engineers who just don’t ‘buy into’ transit. I’m sure a transit minded transportation engineer like Gabe can attest to that! I know that certain members of the MDX Board have made public comments about transit being secondary to roads/expressways.
Eliminating the 20% municipal contribution is a no-brainer. The problem is, as some commissioners have pointed out, that contribution was how the County mustered municipal support for the 1/2 penny tax.
Tony, my thought is that the MDX has the structure, power, ability to issue bonds, legal council, etc and most of all, the true independance that the CITT aspires to, so why re-invent the wheel?
If by narrowing the focus of the PTP by eliminating the Municipal subsidies and road projects, the only remaining oversight of the funds will be for Building our metrorail system, then again, why reinvent the wheel? The MDX is equipped to do right of way acquisition, planning and construction management for expressways, much the same has to be done for metrorail construction. The MPO determines which transit and road projects have priority, so MDX’s role would be more in the execution phase, rather than planning, so I don’t see the potential conflict. I don’t profess to have all of the answers, but adding a “T” to the MDX seems an obvious and faster alternative to what would be a huge duplication of effort to reinvent the CITT in order to make it truly effective and independant.
The problem I see is that the CITT is not designed to be an independant authority as MDX is. Instead, it is designed as an oversight organization who has had its wings clipped before it even left the nest. I think that this county really should create a more independant transit authority like MDX that is geared towards transit only. As the organization is currently, there are too many hands in the pot (mainly commissioners) and it is just turning any prospect of transit projects actually getting done right out the window.
How “bout drilling for oil off the coastline, and making sure that
a percentage comes back to Florida for infrastructure projects, specifically transit projects? many billions of dollars there potentially, and the Chinese will be drilling if we don’t……
Yeah, I don’t think drilling is a solution. That’s just more of the same car-centric planning that has gone on in this country for the last half century. I can’t wait for the election to be over so that people forget about drilling.
In other news, I have been keeping an eye on MDX and they work fast, I can’t deny that. I think the organization and structure of MDT needs to be rethought. Sounds like when we talk about the CITT/MDX/MDT idea we are really clamoring for an entity that is responsive, accountable, and effective.
Useless. Increasing the price of parking at stations will keep those in places where fewer people using transit from making Metrorail an option – “If it costs to much to park I’ll just drive to work.”
Peak, non-peak, transit fare? Sure. Nothing slows down fare collection and frustrates people like making them memorize or guess what the price is.
More taxes? Higher fares? All this distracts from the real problem which is spending the money properly and making the system more efficient. Planning it logically instead of “who” deserves it more would also help. HELP!
Actually, our big problem is that we don’t have enough money to expand and operate our existing system. Mismanagement is a big factor in this, as is the inefficiency of the system, but without adequate amounts of money the system will never get built. Not to mention that to get quickstart funding from the FDOT for future lines you need to show that the system is solvent.
PS. Increasing fares and fees at parking lots doesn’t compare with filling up $300 a month in gas (plus insurance, plus maintenance..etc) Unless we raise fares and fees to some ridiculous amount, this argument will not be very relevant. Sure there will be some people who try to justify using their cars by using this faulty math. Let them drive. Those people are less likely to take transit anyway.
[...] ideas were thrown around, most of which we have been championing for a while. (See Streetfoolish or The Week in Transit) Depressing though our situation may be, we have reason to hope that the [...]