Today, Joyce Eleanor, the areas highest paid transit CEO released a statement that more cuts are looming. In her letter, she says tax revenues are down. Per the Budget page, 2007 was $76.6 million, 2008 was $71.7 million, 2009 was $62.3 million and 2010 came in at $61.5 million. CT is projecting $62.7 million this year. From 2007, revenues are down $15.1 million. Or, if you want to add it up per year, Grand total loss $34 million. From last year its only $800,000 less. So where does that equal a 20% service reduction? Are fares down this much? She says the cuts when all done will equal 1/3 of the employees and service it had in 2007 (33%), but the sales tax revenues are only down 20%. Lets not forget fares were raised twice, so we don't know how much of that helped make up the lost difference. Snohomish County already has lost Sunday Service (and Holidays too), how much more can they do to the area? Buy Local for transit, if on Sundays you cant get anyplace on the bus, your not shopping. Then, they want to lay off more employees, who will not have the money to buy taxed goods. Heres some tough questions: What if the execs and admin took a 20% pay cut? Would that save jobs? What if bonuses were cut (since service is being cut, there should be no bonuses)? What if OT is curtailed, watched more closely (execs & admins)? Can CT save jobs, and maybe restore (some) service then?
The Herald article on this has a statement from another Snohomish County transit agency Everett Transit, "We're like everyone else, we're still behind where we were in 2008 (in tax revenue) but we have seen several months of measured improvement, we're hanging in there." The article also mentions Sound Transit giving a similar statement. CTs Facebook post is already full of comments by people who are fed up with the agency.
I think its time for this top heavy agency to look at other alternatives, and take service cuts off the table. This is just my take, but you can read the budget plan here, and make your own opinion. Public Transit is a service to the community, its not like shuttering under-performing retail stores, this is something those with no car depend on, it shouldn't be treated like this with so much upper management.
3 comments:
The executive class, very much a part of the ruling class, continues feeding off the working class.
It's so obvious, yet they get away with it, nothing we or anyone can do?
It's just like is the year 1500 again, royalty taking what it wants, the peasants complaining but powerless to the ruthlessness.
They have the army, the police, and will haul you off if you protest too loudly.
It proves Darwin was indeed right.
Survival of the fittest.
In the world of men its survival by vague notions of power and money, the peasants sit there, toiling day in and day out.
Makes me quite happy that I decided NOT to have children and subject them to this cruel and unjust world.
“A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts.”
I suppose eventually the whole mess will come tumbling down, the question is when?
At one time, you noted you had obtained a salary list. Maybe you should publish the "top 25" on your list. That might be quite enlightening. The number of directors, managers and supervisors vs. total administrative staff might be an interesting statistic.
The Facebook page seems to be gathering dust these days.
The link to the budget was mind-boggling, how they could compare the present circumstances to that of a Hopi Elder? IMO the report should be limited to, as the character Joe Friday used to say, "Just the facts..." I'd like to see staff reports and at least an audio of meetings, too.
See this post: http://punkrawker4783.blogspot.com/2012/09/community-transit-vs-trimet.html
Links to the salary list are at the end.
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