Metro closes doors to the public on 2008 budget

WMATA is already making key decisions about its 2008 budget--and without public input.

At last Wednesday's meeting of the Riders Advisory Council, member Kevin Moore reported on the work of the council's budget subcommittee. He explained that one of the most important parts of the budget process is when the Board of Directors gives so-called "guidance" to agency staff. This guidance will indicate, for example, how much subsidy dollars the budget will likely have, or whether or not the budget should include provisions for a fare increase. (Last year's guidance indicated there would be no fare increase.) Using this guidance, agency staff prepare a budget for the board's consideration.

Thus many of the big decisions--including those on fares, which riders are especially sensitive to--are made before the board even sees a budget. Rather, those decisions are made when the guidance is issued. Indeed, as Moore pointed out, the board pays little attention to comments it receives after the budget has been written. By the time the board has its official public comment period for the budget, Moore says, the substance for the budget will have already been set. So having input into the budget process before the board issues its guidance is key.

However, the budget process for fiscal year 2008 is already beginning--weeks earlier than was originally planned. In just a few weeks, agency staff members will brief the board of directors with forecasts that the board will use as it formulates its guidance. On July 13, the board will give its guidance to Metro staff. Thus Moore emphasized that it is crucial that members of the Riders Advisory Council be briefed by agency staff with the same information that the board will be getting. At least then the RAC would have a chance to offer its input on the budget.

Moore points out that the RAC was already frozen out of the 2007 budget process and that it is just weeks away from being frozen out of the 2008 budget process too.

Also at the meeting: staff members involved in "joint development," the folks who sell off Metro's extensive land holdings, briefed the RAC. Metro owns a lot of land near its rail stations, and it has several full-time staffers who try to promote the use of this land in development ventures so that the land will be used for transit-friendly projects. Involving the local governments while placating the NIMBYs can be a challenging process. The impact of joint development in areas like the Orange Line in Arlington, Virginia has been quite substantial, while Metro's land holdings in other areas--such as Prince George's County, Maryland--have not yet borne such impressive fruit.

The RAC's subcommittees meet this Wednesday. The rail subcommittee will hear a presentation about a common peeve of riders: audibility of train announcements.