Mayor Reed Calls for Unified Metro Transit Agency (Atlanta, Savannah: house, sales tax)

[PKCorey]

Marta does not recieve any operating funding from the State of GA at all.

The $6 million you mentioned is to match a federal grant that MARTA received.

MARTA budget clearly states that they don't recieve any money at all

[SIZE=3][SIZE=3]
[LEFT]Available funding for Transit Operations is $488.19M, which is funded
through three primary sources (Sales Tax, Operating Revenues and[/LEFT]
Federal Sources), as well as any Revenue Adjustments.

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[arjay57]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

Marta does not recieve any operating funding from the State of GA at all.

The $6 million you mentioned is to match a federal grant that MARTA received.

The $6 million grant from the state of Georgia is for capital expenditures, not operating costs.

Nonetheless, $6 million is nothing to sneeze at in my book. It's probably another three or four bucks from every taxpayer in Georgia. Including many who will never come near a MARTA train or bus.

And don't forget that the matching federal grant came from taxpayers, the vast majority of whom don't live in Fulton or DeKalb counties.


Again, let me emphasize that I'm pro-MARTA and hopeful that the agency can gain more funding. I'm simply saying that discussion has to take place in a realistic context instead of a bunch of moaning about how poor old MARTA has been abandoned. That's hardly the case.

[PKCorey]

From the FY2010 file, I don't see that but I do see State Capital Assistance $ 1,976,760. Which file are you looking in so I can read up on it

Either way, $6 million is small. Ill compare MARTA to MTA Maryland since MTA only operates in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and a little portion of northern Anne Arundel County so its closes to MARTA operating area.

Marta has 91 bus routes compared to 47 for MTA Maryland. As well as 4 subway lines compared to 1 subway and 1 light rail system plus MARC commuter trains for the MTA.

How much does the MTA Maryland get from the state? $503,729,463

Imagine, if the State spent a fraction of that for transit...

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

From the FY2010 file, I don't see that but I do see State Capital Assistance $ 1,976,760. Which file are you looking in so I can read up on it

Either way, $6 million is small. Ill compare MARTA to MTA Maryland since MTA only operates in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and a little portion of northern Anne Arundel County so its closes to MARTA operating area.

Marta has 91 bus routes compared to 47 for MTA Maryland. As well as 4 subway lines compared to 1 subway and 1 light rail system plus MARC commuter trains for the MTA.

How much does the MTA Maryland get from the state? $503,729,463

Imagine, if the State spent a fraction of that for transit...

I always knew other States invested heavily in their major cities public transportation as oppossed to the arrangement that Atlanta and Georgia have. But MY GOD. That's a rather shocking difference, especially so considering Baltimore's public transit system is no where near as complex or expansive as MARTA.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

From the FY2010 file, I don't see that but I do see State Capital Assistance $ 1,976,760. Which file are you looking in so I can read up on it

I'm looking at MARTA's annual report to MARTOC dated August 31, 2010.

Either way, $6 million is small. Ill compare MARTA to MTA Maryland since MTA only operates in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and a little portion of northern Anne Arundel County so its closes to MARTA operating area.

That may not be a good comparison. As I understand it, MTA Maryland is an agency operated directly by the state. I would think MARTA would do better on funding if it were folded into a state agency, but traditionally there has been resistance to that.

Also, does MTA Maryland have a dedicated 1% sales tax? Perhaps they do, but I can't recall.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I'm looking at MARTA's annual report to MARTOC dated August 31, 2010.

That may not be a good comparison. As I understand it, MTA Maryland is an agency operated directly by the state. I would think MARTA would do better on funding if it were folded into a state agency, but traditionally there has been resistance to that.

Also, does MTA Maryland have a dedicated 1% sales tax? Perhaps they do, but I can't recall.

OK. Give me a sec and Ill reload that one.

Yea, its a state agency. They changed the name to reflect that as of now (Used to just be MTA). The comparison was more so to its operating area of it vs MARTA including the fact that areas of the state of MD who pay for MTA Maryland but don't get to use it unless you include MARC commuter train.

No. MD doesn't do sales tax like here. Its the same rate across the state. 6% (used to be 5%).

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

No. MD doesn't do sales tax like here. Its the same rate across the state. 6% (used to be 5%).

Well, that sales tax is a pretty big whack. It pumps something in excess of $300 million a year into MARTA's coffers. As discussed earlier, $125 million of that tax money likely comes from Georgians who live in non-MARTA counties.

MARTA is also generating $107 million from fares and parking. If the non-MARTA county riders make up 12% of MARTA's users, that's another $13 million flowing into MARTA's coffers from Georgians who live in non-MARTA counties.

And we can't discount MARTA's substantial revenues from leases ($9 million) and payments from federal taxpayers ($87 million).

Again -- and I can't emphasize this too strongly -- I want MARTA to succeed and hope we can allocate more money to mass transit. My point is that it's not enough to simply holler that MARTA isn't getting enough money from the state of Georgia or that it's subsidizing surrounding counties. You can't have discussions like that in a vacuum. MARTA will be competing for hotly contested dollars and needs to be able to take an objective, factual look at its position relative to other needs.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by arjay57

$125 million of that tax money likely comes from Georgians who live in non-MARTA counties.

People.... There are many out of state travelers that come to Atlanta... they spend alot of money ...mostly in Fulton County.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

People.... There are many out of state travelers that come to Atlanta... they spend alot of money ...mostly in Fulton County.

True, and a good correction! I meant to refer to them as non-MARTA county residents.

[AcidSnake]

It seems like the Governor & the state legislature has been consistently creating the vacuum. They don't want the MARTA board to have the spending power over any potential state funds, and then at the same time they don't want to take over MARTA and make it a state agency.

It's a contradictory message. Even Dr. Beverly Scott at one point has said that she wouldn't care what type of form MARTA is organized as as long the transit agency itself get some sort of state support.

Face it: we are dealing with an illogical group in control at the statehouse. Maybe when the demographics in metro Atlanta diversify as time goes by this situation will change.

Originally Posted by arjay57

Again -- and I can't emphasize this too strongly -- I want MARTA to succeed and hope we can allocate more money to mass transit. My point is that it's not enough to simply holler that MARTA isn't getting enough money from the state of Georgia or that it's subsidizing surrounding counties. You can't have discussions like that in a vacuum. MARTA will be competing for hotly contested dollars and needs to be able to take an objective, factual look at its position relative to other needs.