(The following story by Alfonso A. Castillo appeared on the Newsday website on April 29, 2009.)
NEW YORK — MTA board chairman H. Dale Hemmerdinger lashed out at Albany lawmakers Wednesday, accusing them of “failing to meet their obligations” in rescuing the financially reeling agency from its ever-growing hole.
“There is clearly no sense of urgency north of here,” said Hemmerdinger, who blasted the latest delay in a bailout plan as “ludicrous.”
A vote by the State Senate on the Democrats’ plan to bail out the MTA likely won’t take place until next week because of minor amendments made Tuesday.
Democratic senators had hoped to adopt the rescue plan Wednesday, rebutting criticism of their rejection of an alternative that was embraced by Gov. David A. Paterson and the Assembly. But small changes that were made to the Senate bill mean that lawmakers must have another three days for review before voting.
Passage of the legislation remains uncertain, with suburban Democrats Craig Johnson of Port Washington and Brian X. Foley of Blue Point joining Republicans opposed to a payroll tax on employers in the 12 counties served by mass transit. Thirty-two votes are needed for bill adoption and only two seats separate the political parties in the 62-member Senate.
At its meeting Wednesday, the MTA board also approved a “dramatic” plan to change the agency’s usual budget planning to create a unique 18-month budget that would include the last six months of 2009 and all of 2010, when the MTA anticipates a $1-billion shortfall.
Hemmerdinger said the goal is to “spread the problem over more time.”
MTA officials also discussed the possibility of consolidating some administrative efforts of the LIRR and Metro-North Railroad.