MARTA Board of Directors to Vote on 2012 Operating Budget

After hearing from more than 260 community members from Brookhaven and other parts of DeKalb County as part of the budget public hearing and comment process, the MARTA Board of Directors will vote Wednesday, June 22 on its proposed Fiscal Year 2012 Operating and Capital Budgets.  The Board meeting will be held at 11 a.m. at MARTA Headquarters, 2424 Piedmont Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30324. 

The Board will vote to adopt an FY 2012 Operating Budget of $413.76 million, a Capital Budget totaling $185.5 million and $143.7 million in debt service.  The budget focuses on maintaining MARTA’s long-term financial sustainability, preserving transit service and state-of-good-repair, enhancing some bus routes and implementing new security initiatives. 

In order to stabilize MARTA’s financial condition and maintain current service levels for our customers, a number of internal and external recommendations are included.  External recommendations include a base fare increase from $2.00 to $2.50, with weekly and monthly pass price increases.  In addition, the proposal includes the continuation of staggered increases for Mobility base fare, reduced fare and Mobility passes as indicated in the previous FY 2010 base fare increase. Mobility base fare, reduced fare and Mobility passes will not be impacted by the proposed FY 2012 base fare increase.

Internal recommendations in the proposed budget include no annual merit or wage increases for non-represented and represented employees, which would be the fourth year in a row.  

Despite recently projected increases in MARTA’s sales tax over the next ten years, the Authority’s finances have been negatively impacted by the overall economic downturn.  With no new funding sources on the horizon this fiscal year, MARTA is proposing these changes now to avoid any additional service cuts and to ensure metro Atlanta’s prospects for expanded regional transit in the future.

If approved by the Board of Directors as part of the FY 2012 budget, bus service enhancements would be implemented September 24, 2011, and fare changes would take effect October 2, 2011.  For more information about the FY 2012 budget proposal, please visit www.itsmarta.com or call 404-848-5000.

The information was provided by the MARTA commuications office.