Fare evasion needs higher priority
BART staff presented the fiscal year 2020 budget in March, and the Board of Directors adopted the $2.3 billion plan this month virtually unchanged – but not before much debate over priorities.
The budget has two parts: a $947 million operating budget and $1.4 billion for capital projects. The budget expects riders to pay for 55 percent of the operating revenue, with taxpayer sources covering most of the balance. The largest tax is from three BART counties, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco.
Since taxpayers fund about 90 percent of the capital budget, they are funding in total about 70 percent of this FY20 budget.
Labor costs are the largest component of projected operating expenditures, at more than 62 percent. That’s a 7 percent increase over FY19. The amount of labor costs shifted from operating to capital budget increased 10 percent. Overall, BART added 73 full-time positions.
The operating budget included new initiatives of $17.3 million to addressed public safety, homelessness, compliance, and the modernization, efficiency and financial stability of BART operations and administration.
For public safety, an additional $2.6 million will provide 19 new police officers and four new fare inspectors as midyear additions. For homelessness, the budget commits $2.1 million for the continuation of the homeless outreach teams, the pit-stop attended restroom program in San Francisco stations, and the reduction of encampments on BART property and under trackways. Another $1 million goes to additional fare-evasion control efforts, in addition to prior year initiatives, while $1.2 million is for station access.
Much debate ensued over the last five months in public sessions, as well as in the media, over priorities for this budget. Everything from fare increases, police officers vs. “community ambassadors,” the need for tougher fare-evasion control, fare gate replacement, homeless programs and raising parking rates was on the table.
Each director had different ideas. Two directors have suggested we should not add more police to BART. Four directors want up to $1 million dedicated to a pilot “ambassador” program that would employ community members from San Francisco transitional programs for vulnerable populations to patrol stations and trains wearing BART vests. The goal is that their presence would help deter crime.
Most directors were uneasy about raising fares. In the end, I supported the existing budget, which contained an already approved 5.4 percent fare increase, after unsuccessfully lobbying to remove it before the meeting. Since the $12 million in additional revenue from that increase is dedicated to fund new railcars, which are almost two years behind in delivery, it seemed logical to me to reallocate that fare increase money to station hardening – something that would have more of an impact to riders. The motion failed.
So fares will increase on Jan. 1, and we are left with the original commitments to fare-evasion control, which I don’t believe will be sufficient.
It really comes down to priorities.
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Contact Debora Allen at debora@fixourbart.com.