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MTA Rejects $20 Million Plan To Restore Previously Cut Services
By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 20, 2011
Modified Dec 20, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 20, 2011
Modified Dec 20, 2011
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Last year, to the dismay of many, the MTA made some serious service cuts (nixing dozens of bus routes and two subway lines) in the name of keeping saving $93 million in its $12.6 billion budget. Yesterday MTA board members Mitch Pally and Allen Cappelli tried to introduce an amendment that would have restored some of those services for a mere $20 million—nice Christmas gift, right? Not so fast. The rest of the MTA finance committee smacked down the idea in a 7-2 vote. Maybe next year?
"If we don't do it now, we will most likely never be able to do it—at least in the next five to six years," Pally told amNewYork yesterday before promising to still bring it up again next year. "Believe me, we can provide more service and get leaner in other areas," Cappelli added. Or, as Pally put it: "We can afford it now. It's a question of prioritization."
Sadly the rest of the board disagreed with Cappelli and Pally. "This can always be looked at in the future, and I think it should be looked at in the future," Andrew Saul, acting chairman and head of the finance committee, said before the vote. "But at this moment, with this budget and what's happened, it would just be suicidal were we to add service." He added it is "a disastrous time" for the agency to be spending more.
It might be a disastrous time, but its hard to describe the goodwill the MTA might have garnered if they'd just given a little bit back to straphangers in exchange for all those past and future fare hikes.
Tagged
MTA
mta budget
mta finance committee
no trains for you
service cuts
Garth Johnston
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