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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information Contact:
Jim Jaquish
(404)-463-3194
jjaquish@atlantaregional.com



Atlanta Region Leaders Step Forward to Address MARTA Shortfall


ATLANTA, April 9, 2009 —Members of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) Transportation & Air Quality Committee (TAQC) unanimously approved a motion to pursue using federal stimulus funds to temporarily fill a shortfall in MARTA’s operating budget. The measure, if passed by the ARC Board of Directors, would allow the transit service to continue providing service at or near current levels through June, 2010.


The “resolution of intent” would provide up to $25 million of American Recovery & Reinvestment Act funds earmarked for transportation in the metro area to MARTA for operational purposes. The money is needed because the state legislature failed to pass a bill that would have allowed MARTA to shift a portion of its $65 million capital-investment budget into its general operations fund.


“This is an unprecedented action for an MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization – ARC’s federal designation for transportation planning),” said Tad Leithead, Chairman of TAQC. “MARTA affects 500,000 people in this region every day. There are no road projects in our plan in which we could invest $25 million and impact so many people. We just hope the legislature understands that no one will be here to bail them out if they don’t fix MARTA’s funding situation next year.”


Several committee members pointed out that the timing of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act made this a possibility and that this measure would be a temporary “band-aid” that can only be applied once and won’t solve long-term funding issues for MARTA. Along with thanks from Beverly Scott, CEO of MARTA, TAQC members also received praise from one of their own.


“The thing that makes ARC work, and what makes it a challenge sometimes, is that everyone must put their own counties and municipalities aside when they walk in those doors,” said Sam Olens, Chairman, ARC Board of Directors and TAQC member. “We had members from Walton, Barrow and other outlying counties saying that they absolutely agreed with helping MARTA for the good of the region and the 500,000 individuals a day who rely on it to get to work, doctor’s appointments and other vital destinations.”


ARC’s Transportation Coordinating Committee will review the motion next, before sending it on to the ARC Board of Directors for an official vote at its May 27 meeting.



About the Stimulus Package

As the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the 18-county Atlanta area, ARC received approximately $119 million from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to be allocated to transportation projects. ARC has already committed all but $53 million to projects in its six-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) that could be under construction by June 30, per stimulus funding rules. The planning agency is now considering giving as much as $25 million of that $53 million to MARTA to prevent the closing of a line, cancellation of service on Fridays and other drastic cost-cutting measures the transit agency is facing.

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