MARTA makes case for revised state funding

MARTA officials laid out their financial plight Tuesday to a committee of state House and Senate members that oversees the agency.

The committee didn’t take any votes, according to a Senate spokeswoman, but members asked MARTA officials to put together more details about their financial situation. The committee doesn’t handle legislation, but it can make recommendations, said the chairwoman, Rep. Jill Chambers (R-Atlanta), and its members can propose bills to other committees.

MARTA officials revealed Monday they will have to make “draconian” cuts to services if they can’t fill a $60 million funding gap.

MARTA officials told the legislators they need the General Assembly to lift a requirement that dictates what portion of its money the agency can spend on operating costs vs. capital costs.

The agency’s officials have long sought to erase the requirement, but they will have an uphill climb with some committee members.

“I appreciate that MARTA is feeling the pinch of the economy, but until they prove that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely, I won’t support a change in funding,” said state Sen. John Wiles (R-Marietta), vice chairman of the committee, in a statement issued after the meeting. “Funds should be invested in capital rather than operating costs.”

Chambers said she planned to propose a bill that would lift the requirement, but would also put MARTA under the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority. It would also prohibit “speculative investments,” she said.

That’s a reference to some of the information the committee requested regarding MARTA’s investment in transit-oriented development. At the Lindbergh station, for example, townhouse-type buildings are right next to the train stop, allowing people to commute from home to work without having to drive.