After months of seeking solutions for the projected $12 million budget shortfall for the 2012–13 fiscal year, TriMet announced its final budget proposal on April 11. Still citing a stagnant economy, a dip in federal operating funds and continued problems negotiating the Amalgamated Transit Union 757 contract, TriMet scaled back some of the initial service cuts contained in the earlier budget proposals. However, the proposal retains some of the more drastic changes ever seen to the overall service the agency offers.
A merging of the original proposals released in late December 2011 and around 16,000 public comments TriMet has received since then, the final budget proposal represents the perceived convergence of public need and corporate ability to accommodate. The revised plan includes, among other things, the elimination of fare zones and the move to a flat-fare system, the elimination of the MAX Free Rail Zone and bus service cuts and reconfigurations.
System changes would take effect in September and will likely affect commuters who use buses and those who rely on the MAX Free Rail Zone, which encompasses downtown Portland and stretches to the MAX Lloyd Center stop on Northeast 11th Avenue. The final proposal will have a public hearing on April 25 at 9 a.m. at the City of Portland building in Downtown Portland.
According to TriMet, this final proposal emphasizes the agency’s continued consideration for its ridership’s input and opinion. In a memo from TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane to the TriMet Board of Directors, McFarlane lauds TriMet’s cooperation with the public to produce an outcome that takes into account the needs of the agency’s ridership while also recognizing certain financial needs of TriMet. “The recommended service changes reflect difficult choices and actions necessary for fiscal stability,” the memo states. It further reflects on the open-house process that TriMet arranged in order to solicit feedback from the Portland community. McFarlane writes that the public’s feedback warranted revisions of previous proposals. “Based on all comments received, staff further revised the service proposals.”
TriMet points to its cooperation in a press release issued on April 11. “During the outreach process, staff met with more than 5,100 people at dozens of community meetings and other venues, including riding affected bus lines to solicit feedback. In all, the agency received 16,000 comments on its service cuts and fare increase proposals. Based on public comments, the agency made additional changes to the service cut proposals,” the release stated.
TriMet Chief Media Relations Officer Mary Fetsch echoed this same sentiment in an email interview. “After meeting with more than 5,100 people and receiving 16,000 comments during our extensive outreach process, we used that feedback to help shape the refined and final proposals,” Fetsch said. “The final release highlights additional changes we made based on that feedback. We also made further internal cuts to be able to add back service to 7 bus lines to alleviate overcrowding.” These lines would be the 4, 9, 33, 35, 44, 76 and 94.
Speaking of the TriMet open house held at PSU last February, Fetsch discussed issues addressed in the final proposal. “Primary issues revolved around potential changes to lines 16 and 17, the fare structure change and increase for short trippers, TriMet’s funding sources in the long term and equity. Many were concerned about line 9 not going downtown, which was still in the proposal at that time, but has since been restored,” Fetsch said.
Under the new plan, September would see line 9 only serving Powell Boulevard, with the line’s Northeast route being fused with line 17 under the destination heading “17-Holgate/Broadway.” Other bus lines will see significant route modification and possible elimination entirely, including the 6, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 43, 47, 48, 67, 70, 73, 77, 82, 87 and 89 lines.
Fetsch said the proposal’s public feedback thus far has been largely positive, and people are receptive to the changes. “The feedback to the final proposal has been an appreciation that we incorporated their comments into the proposal and that we were able to add back service,” Fetsch said. “Our riders understand we’re balancing tough choices but with a focus of minimizing impact to them as best as possible,” she concluded.
But however understanding the public has ostensibly been so far, Portland State students still seem to have their gripes with the proposal. History junior David Sherman voiced concern with TriMet’s priorities. “So often, large organizations, when they are trying to cut costs, cut services, when, if they’re really looking to cut costs, they should be looking to innovate,” Sherman said.
History junior Kelly Linss considered the economic impact of eliminating the MAX Free Rail Zone. “The fairless square is especially helpful for tourists and people who are coming into the city from outlying areas into downtown to shop and bring money in, and if you make that more difficult and put more obstacles in the way, you’re not doing the city a favor,” Linss observed.
While earlier projections for the 2013 budget deficit hovered around $17 million, TriMet, for now, is counting on the state ruling in their favor in the long-standing contract dispute with Amalgamated Transit Union 757, a contract that, if accepted, would add $5–10 million to the 2012–13 budget. “We will kick that down the road,” McFarlane told the agency’s board last month, referring to the contract issue.
Inevitably, the whole issue of the budget deficit warrants high tensions on either end: TriMet must weigh the consequences of its ridership’s opinions, and riders could face the challenge of systemic service changes.
For more information on the public hearing, visit trimet.org/meetings/board/index.htm#commiteehearingnotice.