Audit Finds More MARTA Atlanta Program Due $70 Million, Transit Agency Disagrees

MARTA

Atlanta city officials say a review of the More MARTA Atlanta program for fiscal 2017 through fiscal 2022 concluded that it is due roughly $70 million.

However, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority officials say that independent auditor Mauldin & Jenkins’ calculations are wrong.

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MARTA Opens Updated Airport Station, Advances $1 Billion Rehabilitation Initiative

Metro Atlanta Regional Transport

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority re-opened its Airport Station on Monday following a six-week closure as part of a multi-million-dollar station update.

The $55 million upgrade to the station connected to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is part of a systemwide, roughly $1 billion multi-year Station Rehabilitation Program initiative to overhaul all 38 stations. The transit agency is paying for the upgrades using State of Good Repair Funds from its capital budget.

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MARTA Considering $654.5 Million Operating Budget for Fiscal 2025

MARTA

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority officials are weighing a proposed $654.5 million operating budget for fiscal 2025.

The budget anticipates roughly $386.5 million in sales tax revenue, nearly $82 million in passenger revenue and $80 million in federal operating assistance. The $654.5 million operating expenses are roughly $23 million more than the agency’s fiscal 2024 budget.

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MARTA Advances Capital Program with ‘Unprecedented’ State Funding

As the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority advances its More MARTA Atlanta Program, the agency’s position is bolstered by what an executive called “unprecedented” state funding.

MARTA officials said the agency is advancing a program estimated to cost $2.7 billion over 40 years. It is partially funded by a half-penny sales tax Atlanta voters passed in 2016.

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Metro Atlanta Focused on Bus Rapid Transit Rather than More Costly Light Rail

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority is advancing bus rapid transit for the Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative Project.

“Atlanta is not known for its mass transit system,” Wes Guckert, president & CEO of The Traffic Group, a traffic engineering firm, told The Center Square via email. “With more than 75% of the city’s six million residents driving to and from work, it should come as no surprise that Atlanta is tied for second worst place in the nation when it comes to using public transit to get to and from work.

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Buckhead Public Safety Task Force Issues Final Report, Plan to Halt Crime

The Buckhead Public Safety Task Force (Legislative Reference No. 22-R-3001) issued its final report on Friday, with recommendations and a plan to curb crime in the northernmost Atlanta district, wherein the city stated a new police precinct will open up in June.

“Task Force participants were able to hear from a broad spectrum of public safety stakeholders, and I look forward to seeing that expertise translated into a meaningful action plan,” said District 7 Council member Howard Shook.

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Head of Atlanta’s Transit System Kills Self by Stepping in Front of Commuter Train

aerial shot of MARTA

The top executive of Atlanta’s MARTA transit system has died by suicide after stepping in front of a commuter train, officials said.

Jeffery Parker, 55, the CEO and general manager of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority since 2018, was hailed by MARTA Board Chairwoman Rita Scott as a dedicated civil servant and leader in a statement Saturday announcing his death.

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Georgia House Appoints New Committee Chairmen, Democrats Gain One Chair

The Georgia House of Representatives recognized 8 new committee chairmen, with House Democrats earning one chair. State Representative Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) was appointed to chair the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee (MARTOC), a statutory body overseeing the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) budget.

Oliver was the only Democrat appointed to chair a committee; no Democrats chair any of the subcommittees or special committees either. MARTOC’s designation as a joint committee means that it doesn’t handle legislation, and members don’t vote with the MARTA Board of Directors.

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