(The following article by Jim Ritchie was posted on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website on June 21.)
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — A state commission formed by Gov. Ed Rendell last year to help resolve financial troubles with mass transit and highway programs has spent nearly $1 million on a consultant’s studies and might spend $1.8 million more.
The state Transportation Funding and Reform Commission has spent $949,180, mostly to pay a Moon-based consulting firm to study the problems.
“It just seems rather high — to spend millions of dollars to find out what’s wrong with SEPTA and Port Authority,” said Steve Miskin, spokesman for state House Republican Leader Sam Smith, R-Jefferson County.
The Port Authority on Friday plans to adopt a $347.5 million budget, with a $31.5 million deficit, for fiscal 2007. Philadelphia’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority on Thursday plans to approve a $991 million budget, with a $50.3 million deficit.
Those and other mass-transit agencies are counting on state lawmakers to help them by Jan. 1, or they may offset the deficits by raising fares and cutting routes.
Rendell formed the nine-member commission in February 2005 after lawmakers failed to agree on how to help mass transit. He gave the commission a Nov. 15 deadline to find ways to end the chronic deficits, pay for aging bridges and maintain highways.
PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler chairs the commission.
“The work the commission is doing is probably the most comprehensive look at all forms of transportation operations and funding that has been taken in memory. It’s very detailed and thorough work, and that explains why there is this added expense,” said PennDOT spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick.
State Rep. Rick Geist, R-Blair County, a commission member who heads the House Transportation Committee, defended the spending.
“I think the story is not how much money they spent, but how effectively,” he said. “We have immense problems in Pennsylvania.”
Mass transit agencies have faced deficits for several years. Rendell helped by diverting $412 million in highway money to transit agencies when he formed the commission.
The commission’s expenses surprised local transit riders’ groups.
“A million bucks seems like a lot of money,” said Allegheny County Transit Council President John Tague. “I think this is overkill because it seems like an audit of audits.”
“I didn’t realize they were spending so much money,” said Save Our Transit Co-Founder Amanda Zeillers. “This crisis has been five years in the making, and all they’ve done is form this commission.”