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United States News Title: Layoffs and cuts hammer transit (The Obama Depression) Publicly, most local transit officials applaud the billions of dollars in federal stimulus money that have gone to high-speed rail. Privately, they question the government's transit priorities in the current recession. As federal and state investment in high-speed rail ramps up, local bus and light-rail systems are retrenching, cutting service and laying off workers. The public has signaled it wants high-speed rail, and elected officials are responding accordingly. But as the country invests in the future, it cannot ignore the present, specifically the dire situation facing local transit. Sacramento Regional Transit is a case study of the crisis. Think about no buses or light rail in Sacramento County after 7 o'clock at night or no transit service at all on weekends. Prepare for longer waits at light-rail stations. Instead of 15 minutes between trains, the wait might edge up to 20 or 30 minutes. Those are the kinds of service cuts RT officials must consider as the area's largest public transit agency struggles with a third straight year of deep declines in revenue. Sales tax receipts are 14 percent below what was projected when the budget year began. In addition, "Furlough Fridays" and unemployment have reduced fare box receipts. Finally the state, reeling from its own budget crisis, has drastically cut support for transit. And though RT gets some funding from the federal government, including $22 million in stimulus money thus far, much of that money comes with strings attached. It must be used for capital expenditures, not for operations. Coming together, big declines in sales taxes, fare box receipts and state support have left a gaping $16 million hole in RT's $140 million annual budget. The transit agency must bridge this year's shortfall by June 30. Next year it must cut another $20 million. To absorb revenue shortfalls of that magnitude, RT is laying off people for the first time since the early 1980s. Sixty layoff notices have gone out already. An additional 240 people have received warnings to prepare for layoffs. The first phase of layoffs will affect administration – planners, clerical workers, managers, budget officers, customer service representatives. Most will be without a job by April. The next phase of layoffs will involve operations. Workers who drive the buses and operate the light-rail system will be let go, along with mechanics and service personnel who maintain them. Those jobs will be gone by June. On March 8, RT's board will meet to debate and hear public testimony about service cuts, which routes to eliminate or reduce. On March 20, the board will vote. In June, the service cuts will go into effect, stranding thousands. The economy will not rebound in time to prevent the 60 layoffs already announced. The 240 additional layoffs and accompanying service cuts can be reduced only if the state or the federal government provides more operating cash. Local transit operators got some hope when the state Senate voted last week to restore $300 million to transit that the governor had proposed to eliminate. If the governor rejects the Senate plan, RT's future will be even more precarious.
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#1. To: padlock (#0)
I don't understand what you are saying here, Puddin'...you are FOR fewderal subsidies of local tramsportation?
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