Public Hearings on Proposed Fy2016 Fare Changes, Service Changes, and Capital Improvement Program
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PRESENTED AND ADOPTED: February 26, 2015 SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARINGS ON PROPOSED FY2016 FARE CHANGES, SERVICE CHANGES, AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM 2015-11 RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA TRANSIT AUTHORITY WHEREAS, The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) provides Metrobus, Metrorail, and MetroAccess services to the residents of the region; and WHEREAS, These services combine to provide over 340 million passenger trips per year; and WHEREAS, The operating cost of Metrobus, Metrorail, and MetroAccess services is funded in part by passenger and other operating revenues and in part by subsidies provided by the District of Columbia, the State of Maryland, local jurisdictions in Virginia, and the Commonwealth of Virginia; and WHEREAS, The Interim General Manager/Chief Executive Officer's (GM/CEO) current proposed Fiscal Year (FY)2016 budget forecasts operating expense growth in an amount greater than the growth in passenger and other operating revenues, leading to a substantial increase in proposed local jurisdictional subsidy compared to FY2015; and WHEREAS, The Board of Directors has considered a range of options for reducing the required local jurisdictional subsidy in the FY2016 budget, including administrative expense reductions, one-time funding sources, fare increases, and major service changes, but has determined that fare increases and major service changes are not required in FY2016; and WHEREAS, The Board of Directors has determined that other minor changes to WMATA's fare structure and parking fees in FY2016, as well as a limited set of Metrobus service changes in Maryland, are appropriate for public consideration; WHEREAS, The proposed changes to fares and fees and the proposed changes in bus service require a public hearing pursuant to the WMATA Compact; and WHEREAS, In order to meet Board-established deadlines for public hearing and public participation, staff must begin work immediately following adoption of this Resolution; and Motioned by Mr. Downs, seconded by Mr. Goldman Ayes: 8 - Mr. Downey, Mr. Goldman, Mrs. Hudgins, Mr. Downs, Ms. Tregoning, Mrs. Hampshire-Cowan, Mr. Corcoran and Mr. Evans WHEREAS, The GM/CEO recommends that the Board of Directors conduct a public hearing on the proposed FY2016 Capital Improvement Program in conjunction with the hearing on the proposed fare and service changes; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That, in accordance with Section 62 of the WMATA Compact, the Board of Directors will conduct a public hearing to solicit public comment on the proposed fare and fee changes and those bus service changes in Maryland as shown in Attachment A to this Resolution; and be it further RESOLVED, That the Board of Directors expressly reserves judgment on whether any of the proposed fare, fee, or service changes are appropriate or justified; and be it further RESOLVED, That Staff is directed to develop and implement an outreach program (as described in and guided by WMATA's Board-adopted Public Participation Plan) that will invite public input through means including public hearings, online surveys, and written email or website submissions, all of which shall become part of the public record of the hearing and community outreach meetings; and be it further RESOLVED, That the Board of Directors directs the GM/CEO to include the proposed FY2016 Capital Improvement Program, as described in Attachment A to this Resolution, in the public hearing to solicit public comment on the proposed fare and service changes; and be it further RESOLVED, That the Board of Directors directs the GM/CEO to report on the findings of the public hearings and that the Board shall consider these findings and other public comments in its deliberations on a proposed fare increase or service change, as well as in its decision on the FY2016 Capital Improvement Program; and be it finally RESOLVED, That, in order to meet Board-established deadlines for public hearing and public participation, this Resolution shall be effective immediately. %~;;J! and legal sufficiency, Mark R. Pohl Acting General Counsel WMATA File Structure Nos.: 9.12.9 Tariff (WMATA Fare Structure) 18.8 Public Hearings and Meetings 2 AMENDED DOCKET Attachment A Notice of Public Hearings Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Docket 815-01: Proposed FY2016 Fare and Service Adjustments and Docket 815-02: Proposed FY2016 Capital Improvement Program and Federal FY2015 Grant Applications Purpose Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority on the two dockets noted above as follows: Hearing No. 603 DATE. 2015 Metro Headquarters Building 600 Fifth Street NW Washington, DC 20001 Information Session at 6 p.m. - Public Hearing at 6:30 p.m. Please note that this date is subject to Metro's inclement weather cancellation policy. In the event of a cancellation, Metro w ill post information about a new hearing on wmata.com. The public hearing location is wheelchair accessible. Any individual who requires special assistance such as a sign language interpreter or additional accommodation to participate in the public hearing, or who requires these materials in an alternate format, should contact Oanise Peria at 202-962-2511 or TTY: 202-962-2033 as soon as possible in order for Metro to make necessary arrangements. For language assistance, such as an interpreter or information in another language, please call 202-962-2582 at least 48 hours prior to the public hearing date. For more information please visit www.wmata.com/hearings M metro In accordance with Section 62 of the WMATA Compact, Metro will conduct a public hearing at the location listed in this notice. Information on the hearing will be provided in area libraries, on Metrobus, Metrorail 1 and MetroAccess vehicles, and online at www.wmata.com/hearings. HOW TO REGISTER TO SPEAK - All organizations or individuals desiring to be heard with respect to these two dockets will be afforded the opportunity to present their views and make supporting statements and to offer alternative proposals. In order to establish a witness list, individuals and representatives of organizations who wish to be heard at this public hearing are requested to furnish, in writing, their name and organizational affiliation, if any, via email to [email protected]. The request may also be mailed to the Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 or faxed to 202-962-1133. Please submit only one speaker's name per letter. Lists of individual speakers will not be accepted. Please note that all comments received are releasable to the public upon request, and may be posted on WMATA's website, without change, including any personal information provided. Public officials will be heard first and will be allowed five minutes each to make their presentations. All others will be allowed three minutes each. These limits apply regardless of whether the speaker is addressing one or more dockets. Relinquishing of time by one speaker to another will not be permitted. HOW TO SUBMIT WRITTEN STATEMENTS - Written statements and exhibits must be received by 5 p.m. on DATE, by the Office of the Secretary and may be emailed to [email protected]. They may also be mailed to the Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 or faxed to 202-962-1133. Please reference the appropriate docket number (815- 01 and/or 815-02) in your submission. Please note all statements are releasable to the public upon request, and may be posted on WMAT A's website, without change, including any personal information provided. SURVEY - Additionally, if you wish to participate in a survey on Metro's budget and possible fare and service changes, please go to wmata.com/budgetsurvey. The survey will open by TIME on DATE and will close on DATE at TIME. You will be asked to respond to questions about Metro's proposed FY2016 budget and potential fare and service changes, as well as some demographic questions. This option is in addition to your ability to speak at a public hearing or to submit a written statement. The survey results, along with written statements and public hearing comments, will be presented to the Board and will be part of the official public hearing record. WMATA PROPOSAL FOR DOCKET 815-01: Proposed FY2016 Fare and Service Adjustments Metro faces difficult and important choices about how best to balance its budget in the coming year. Despite growth in Metrobus ridership, as well as higher revenues from advertising and joint development, the recent declines in Metrorail ridership pose a significant budget challenge. Metro's jurisdictional partners, who contribute an increasing share of Metro's operating and capital costs, are facing their own financial constraints as tax dollars are also needed to pay for schools, public safety, and other local priorities. Metro's challenge in FY2016 is to bridge this funding gap. The General Manager's proposed operating budget for FY2016 is $1.8 billion, an increase of less than four percent over FY2015. This budget supports the men and women who operate and maintain our Metrobus, Metrorail, and MetroAccess services, as well as other costs, including fuel and power to run buses and trains. The proposed budget also funds new safety-critical initiatives to manage employee fatigue through compliance with Metro's new Hours of Service policy. We have also dedicated resources to our Customer Care Initiative and for a new Internal Compliance Office that will focus on organization-wide adherence to financial management controls, processes and procedures. The proposed operating budget benefits from previous cost reduction initiatives, particularly the employee pension cost-sharing that began in FY2015. To reduce costs further, the proposed budget includes more than $5 million in administrative cost reductions by eliminating 50 non-safety sensitive positions, and further administrative reductions are being considered.