Phoenix Follies & Light Rail Archives - Page 9 of 12

Arizona Planners Unaware of Massive State & Phoenix Budget Deficits Causing Cities to Reduce Bus Services Plan to Expand Light Rail

The State of Arizona is $3.2 billion in the whole. Phoenix has a budget deficit of $244 million. Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa, the three cities that participate in the 20 mile light rail system, are cutting bus services because of lack of funds. Buses serve more people and cost substantially less than light rail. A group of rail huggers is putting its head in the sand and planning on the future expansion of the Phoenix area light rail system.

Isn’t the goal of public transportation to move people? Why would any city ever pay for light rail over bus service. Buses are mobile and their routes can be adjusted to meet changes to maximize the number of riders and the areas served. Light rail is fixed and cannot change its route to go where the riders are and take them to where they want to go. Why would any responsible intelligent person ever chose rail over buses for transportation in a sprawling urban environment? See the story in the Arizona Republic.

Tempe May Cut $14 Million from Transit Budget & Reduce Services

The recession has reduced Tempe, Arizona’s, sales tax collections, including a sales tax passed by voters in 1996 that specifically allocates some of the sale tax revenue to transit services. Now Tempe is faced with cutting $14 from its transit budget over the next three years, which means that bus services will be reduced. There will be more cuts if revenue does not increase during 2011 and 2012.

Mesa Faces $20 Million Budget Deficit

Mesa will have to cut services because it is $20 million in the hole. It tax revenue has decreased by $110 million since 2006, which has forced it to layoff 570 full time people. More layoffs are expected, but don’t look for it to cut one big money pit, light rail.

Mesa Budget Woes Cause Cutbacks in Bus Service

The Arizona Republic reports that Mesa, Arizona, lost its state transportation funding and now faces a transportation deficit of $1.3 million. Mesa will be forced to cut bus and dial a ride services. Federal law requires cities to provide dial a ride services to disabled people within five miles of fixed bus routes for not more than two times bus fares. For Mesa, this unfunded federal mandate means that Mesa must pay $33.75 for every dial a ride passenger for which it collects $3 from the passenger. Mesa’s total federally mandated dial a ride cost is $4 million a year. I note that the story does not say that Mesa will cut any funding to its share of the cost for the highly favored, lightly used additional money pit known as the light rail.

Arizona Legislature Cuts $9 Million from Phoenix Transit Budget

Because of Arizona’ $3.2 billion budget deficit the Arizona legislature eliminated state funding that previously was allocated to city transit. The City of Phoenix will not get $9 million for transit that it would have received, which will force Phoenix to reduce transit services. Unaware of the laws of economics, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said:

“It’s just unconscionable what the Legislature continues to do to us – every resident in every city and town in the state. [Lawmakers] ought to be reducing their budgets and salaries like we have.”

Mayor Phil apparently doesn’t realize that: (i) Arizona has a deficit, which means it must reduce it’s expenditures, (ii) the Arizona legislature has reduced Arizona’s budget, which is why Phoenix now gets less state money, and (iii) the legislators are paid a poverty level wage of $24,000 and have not received a pay raise since 1998. I do like the Mayor’s suggestion that officials should reduce their salaries.

Mayor Gordon’s salary for 2009 was $88,000, which is $64,000 more than the legislators make. Mayor Phil should take his own advice and cut his pay to $24,000 so their will be $64,000 more available for Phoenix transit. He should also reduce the salaries of his assistants Milton S. Phelps ($124,000), Bill Scheel ($112,994), Marchelle F. Franklin ($99,500) and the other three assistants who together earn $238,909. Consider that while Phoenix has a budget deficit of $241 million, the city pays Mayor Gordon and his five assistants $639,403. During these tough financial times, why couldn’t the Mayor get by with only one assistant?