MARTA staff presented its recommendations for the FY 2010 budget proposal to the Business Management Committee of the board of directors this morning. Recommendations account for a proposed budget worth $787.6 million that includes net transit operating budget of $399.1 million and a total capital budget of $388.5 million, which includes $134 million allocated for debt service. The proposal will now be subject to a public hearing process on June 16 and 17, 2009. Following the hearings, the budget proposal will be presented to MARTA's full board of directors on June 22, 2009, at which time, it is anticipated that the board will vote to formally adopt a budget.

Faced with a massive budget deficit exacerbated by the serious economic downturn, MARTA staff is recommending the authority's board of directors adopt a series of internal and external cost cutting measures to balance its FY10 budget.

External recommendations include a 25 cent base fare increase; a three-year adjustment in pass prices; a commitment to implement variable-based fares by FY 2012; a $1 parking fee hike at 9 lots; transit service modifications including elimination of non-productive bus routes and efficiency adjustments to duplicative, overlapping service routes; and adjusting rail service headway and hours of service to end rail service at midnight.

Internal cost savings/containment recommendations include the elimination of annual merit increases for all non-represented employees; an increase in medical benefit contributions for all non-represented employees; implementation of up to a 10-day furlough for non-represented employees. In addition, the Amalgamated Transit Union local 732, which serves MARTA's represented employees, has agreed to a 15-month deferral on collective bargaining on economic matters due to the current economic conditions. Staff recommendations are based on the assumption that a proposal by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) to re-allocate up to $25 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funding to the authority will be approved. The ARC's board of directors passed the measure yesterday. It must now be approved by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Board of Directors, which is scheduled to vote on the proposal on June 10, 2009. If the measure is passed, it will then need to be signed by Governor Sonny Perdue to become effective.

"We particularly want to thank the hundreds of public attendees at our community forums over the past several months. Their input was invaluable in helping us develop this budget proposal. Following the upcoming public hearings, our board of directors will make the final decision on all measures that are included in the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget," said Dr. Beverly A. Scott, MARTA general manager and CEO.

"The financial crisis we are all suffering from has made this budget development process extremely difficult. It has taken considerable work for our staff to produce the balanced budget proposal for FY 2010 that we presented to our Board today - particularly given the continued lack of state action to address the serious and well-documented statewide transportation funding issues. Fortunately, we look to be the beneficiary of several one-time financial relief measures that are helping to save the day in 2010 in addition to our own significant cost cutting and containment measures. While we're tremendously thankful to eek through 2010 - one-time measures aren't real long-term funding solutions."

MARTA's Fiscal Year 2010 begins July 1.

MARTA's public hearings will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the following locations:
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Atlanta City Hall
55 Trinity Ave.
Atlanta, 30303
Bus routes 21, 49, 55, 97 from Five Points Station.
Special bus shuttle will be provided from the Five Points Station.

North Fulton Service Center
7741 Roswell Road
Sandy Springs, 30350
Bus route 87 from the Dunwoody or North Springs Station.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009
South Fulton Service Center
5600 Stonewall Tell Road
College Park, 30349
Bus route 180 from College Park Station

Maloof Auditorium (Downtown Decatur)
1300 Commerce Drive
Decatur, 30030
One block west of Decatur Station

(Information sessions will begin at 6:00 p.m. at all locations on both nights.)

Students from Morningside Elementary School joined MARTA and the non-profit organization Creating Pride on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, to celebrate the installation of student artwork at MARTA's Arts Center rail station and five other stations throughout the system. Students created an artwork piece entitled "My Destination: Where I Can Go on MARTA" as part of an arts education program developed by MARTA and Creating Pride to reach out to the next generation of transit riders and give back to the community.

Students from Carter G. Woodson Elementary, College Park Elementary, Renfroe Middle School, Sequoyah Middle School, and North Springs Charter School of Arts and Sciences also created artwork pieces for the program.

Each school developed one "Patchwork Painting" that combined artwork from all the students showing how local commuters, metro residents and visitors can reach a variety of destinations taking MARTA. The artwork is also installed at Bankhead, College Park, Decatur, Doraville, and Sandy Springs rail stations.

The unique program was developed by Creating Pride, a local nonprofit arts and education organization, and MARTA to provide students with the opportunity to work on an art project while learning more about the benefits of transit.

MARTA recently received the Clean Cities Lifetime Appreciation Award from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) for its partnership with the city of Atlanta to significantly reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector. This award recognizes MARTA for having served since 1993 as a pioneer and industry leader in the use of Clean Natural Gas (CNG) buses and technology. Thanks to the 441 CNG buses that MARTA currently utilizes in its fleet, the authority displaces more than 7 million gasoline gallon equivalents of petroleum a year.

"I am extremely proud that MARTA is being recognized for its innovative efforts to reduce petroleum consumption to improve the environment and the overall quality of life in our nation," said General Manager/CEO Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D. "MARTA has been instrumental in the research and development of CNG technology from the beginning and continues to serve as an expert to national and international delegates who visit the authority to learn more about CNG."

MARTA was the first in the nation to procure a low floor CNG bus in 1995 for its bus fleet. In June 1996, the authority purchased 118 buses, which at that time contributed to displacing more than 3 million gasoline gallon equivalents of petroleum a year. MARTA has also helped the natural gas engine and alternative fuel industry by going through testing and evolution as a partner since 1996.

MARTA joined the DOE's Clean Cities program with the city of Atlanta as part of the original six city coalition that formed in 1993. The Lifetime Appreciation Award was presented to Atlanta and MARTA in recognition of the vision, dedication and pioneering spirit put forth to advance energy security through the use of alternative fuels, clean vehicle technologies, and petroleum reduction practices.

The Clean Cities program, sponsored by the US Department of Energy, is a government-industry partnership designed to reduce petroleum consumption and contribute to the energy, environmental, and economic security of the United States. The program currently includes almost 90 local coalitions more than 5,700 stakeholders, which have helped to displace more than 2 billion gasoline gallon equivalents of petroleum since 1993.

MARTA recently presented its annual police awards to recognize police personnel, MARTA staff and civilians who contributed to protecting the safety and security of transit customers and the community throughout the year. MARTA General Manager/CEO Beverly A. Scott was on hand to present the awards.

This recognition coincides with the MARTA Police Department's observance of National Police Week and National Peace Officers Memorial Day.

The MARTA Police Department, led by Chief Wanda Dunham, is a full-service police agency comprised of MARTA's 370 sworn officers and civilian employees. The department is one of only four transit police agencies in the U.S. to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).