Metro News Release

For immediate release: March 27, 2009

Metro sets six public hearings on proposed budget


Metro Board considers $13.5 million in Metrobus service adjustments

Six public hearings (pdf) in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and northern Virginia will be held in April to receive the public’s input on Metro’s proposed budget, including $13.5 million in proposed Metrobus service cuts and adjustments that would take effect at the end of June. The cuts are part of an overall effort to reduce Metro’s budget shortfall for fiscal year 2010, which begins July 1, 2009.

All hearings will begin at 6:30 p.m. The hearing dates and locations are as follows:

• Monday, April 13, at First United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall, 6201 Belcrest Road, in Hyattsville, Md. (hearing number 538)
• Monday, April 13, at Marshall Road Elementary School Cafeteria, 730 Marshall Road SW, in Vienna, Va. (hearing number 539)
• Tuesday, April 14, at First Baptist Church of Wheaton, 10914 Georgia Ave. in Wheaton, Md. (hearing number 540)
• Wednesday, April 15, at Arlington County Government, 2100 Clarendon Boulevard, County Board Room, 3rd Floor, in Arlington, Va. (hearing number 541)
• Wednesday, April 15, at St. Francis Xavier Church, Bailey Room, 2800 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, in Washington, D.C. (hearing number 542)
• Friday, April 17, at Metro Headquarters, 600 Fifth St., NW, in Washington, D.C. (hearing number 543)

The cost of Metrobus, Metrorail and MetroAccess services is funded in part by passenger revenues and, in part, by subsidies provided by the District of Columbia, the State of Maryland and local jurisdictions in Virginia. Earlier this year, Metro announced it faced a $154 million shortfall for fiscal year 2010. Metro managers are already making $81 million in internal cuts, including eliminating 313 positions. The gap was reduced further by increasing revenue and cost savings estimates, leaving the current $29 million budget gap.

The District of Columbia, City of Alexandria, Arlington County, City of Falls Church and the State of Maryland proposed $13.5 million in bus service cuts and adjustments and about $15.5 million in subsidy increases to balance the budget. Fairfax City and Fairfax County proposed increasing their subsidy with no service cuts. The proposed changes would impact 72 routes on 42 bus lines throughout the region.

Savings would be gained by increasing the interval between bus arrival times on 28 routes region wide; replacing some Metrobus service with ART bus service in Arlington County; having Metro take over three Ride-On routes on the weekends; and eliminating or restructuring 35 other bus routes, mostly in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland.

Maryland transportation officials also proposed charging $3.10 cash or $3 with SmarTrip® for express service on routes J7, J9 I-270 Express and W19 Indian Head Express. The City of Falls Church proposes raising fares on the GEORGE 26A, 26E and 26W routes from 50 cents to $1.35 cash or $1.25 with SmarTrip®.

Metro’s Board is expected to take a final vote on budget proposals in June after weighing public input.

All organizations or individuals desiring to be heard with respect to the proposed adjustments or the General Manager’s proposed fiscal year 2010 budget will be afforded the opportunity to present their views, make supporting statements and offer alternative proposals. In order to establish a witness list, individuals and representatives of organizations who wish to be heard at these public hearings are requested to furnish, in writing, their name, address, telephone number and organization affiliation, if any, to the Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001 by 2 p.m. of the day of the hearing at which they wish to speak. Alternatively, requests to speak may be faxed to 202-962-1133 or e-mailed to
public-hearing-testimony@wmata.com  Please submit one speaker’s name per letter and reference the hearing number for the hearing at which you wish to speak. They are listed above. Lists of individual speakers will not be accepted. Others present at the hearing may be heard after those persons who have registered have spoken. Public officials will be heard first and will be allowed five minutes each to make their presentations. All other speakers will be allowed three minutes each.

Written statements and exhibits may be submitted until 5 p.m. Monday, April 20, to the Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. Alternatively, individuals may send an e-mail to public-hearing-testimony@wmata.com  Please reference the hearing and/or docket number listed above in the submission.

These public hearings are being conducted in locations that are wheelchair accessible. Any individual who requires special assistance, such as a sign language interpreter, to participate in the public hearing should contact Danise Peña at 202-962-2511 or TTY 202-638-3780 by Monday, April 6, for Metro to make the necessary arrangements.

For a list of proposed service cuts, see the Notice of Public Hearing:

For a detailed listing of the proposed service cuts, see the Public Hearing Docket:

How to get to the public hearings:

For more information about the fiscal year 2010 budget, view or listen to presentations from past Board meetings.

Metro also will post information about the public hearings at: http://www.wmata.com/community_outreach/public_hearings_meetings.cfm

News release issued at 7:17 pm, March 27, 2009.