Meeting_Body
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS BONIN, GARCETTI, SOLIS, GARCIA, AND KUEHL
Related to Item 10: Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Budget
The COVID-19 Crisis has created incredible strain on Metro's operations and finances. An unprecedented drop in sales tax and other revenue has caused a $1.2 billion decrease in Metro's budget from FY20 to FY21, with additional volatility likely throughout FY21 and beyond. At the same time, COVID-19 health and safety measures and labor agreements have increased operational costs per hour of service. Despite an infusion of federal funding from the CARES Act, Metro still faces an uncertain operations budget that will require continuous updates throughout the fiscal year.
The proposed FY21 budget is an accurate reflection of today's greatly diminished transit service levels. However, maintaining current service levels for the remainder of the fiscal year is not acceptable for riders nor is it consistent with the agency's strategic priorities, including NextGen. At a time when COVID-19 has exposed all of the region's underlying inequities, Metro must plan for and facilitate an equitable recovery that prioritizes the mobility needs of our county's most vulnerable populations, who disproportionately rely on bus service.
Metro should prepare an FY21 Operations Recovery Plan that outlines a clear decision-making framework for restoring service and identifies the financial and human resources needed at each stage of recovery. This Plan should clearly articulate how NextGen parameters are being applied to interim service decisions, in addition to public health and customer experience considerations. Most importantly, this Plan should commit to achieving NextGen's performance outcomes (revenue miles, number of high-frequency lines, number of people with access to frequent service), even if pre-COVID revenue service hours may not be necessary to achieve them.
Subject
SUBJECT: FY21 OPERATIO...
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