Congestion Charge To Be Decided Behind Closed Doors: Report

NEW YORK, NY — When the Metropolitan Transit Authority names a panel that will make recommendations on how to best institute congestion pricing the group won't be holding its meetings in public, according to reports.

The MTA claims that the Traffic Mobility Review Board — which will recommend toll prices for drivers entering Manhattan's central business district — isn't required to follow the state's open meetings laws, the New York Post first reported. Government bodies subject to these laws are required to post notices of their meetings and allow members of the public to attend the meetings as well as access and copy meeting minutes.

An MTA spokeswoman told the Post that the panel won't have to follow the open meetings laws because it won't perform a "governmental action subject to the open meetings law."

Transit and good government organizations called on the MTA last week to promptly form the board and ensure that it conduct its business in public, according to the report. The Traffic Mobility Review Board won't be able to release its recommendations until after the 2020 state legislature elections, the Post reported.

Congestion Pricing was a major part of this year's state budget and Gov. Andrew Cuomo expects the policy to raise at least $15 billion for MTA capital projects. The MTA awarded a $507 million contract to a company called TransCore to design, install and maintain what the MTA calls a "first-of-its-kind" tolling system below 60th Street in Manhattan. Congestion is expected to take effect for all drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street in 2021.

Read the full New York Post article here.