The bad news from the MTA doesn't stop: This time, MTA officials say that lower tax revenues—an "alarming sharp decline" as the NY Times puts it—may mean the MTA has to consider cutting service and raising fares again.
According to revised state documents, the MTA will be getting $200 million less in 2009 than previously expected. The MTA has already instituted "doomsday" fare hikes and service cuts, because the State Senate is still stalling on any plans to help bailout the agency. MTA chief financial officer Gary Dellaverson told the Times the new tax revenue projections "suggests is that the M.T.A. will have to take additional actions in order to balance the budget,” which he "said that could include deeper service cuts or a second fare increase before the year is out, but he refused to give details of what was being considered."
Sources tell the Post that Governor Paterson is trying to tempt Republican Senators with pork barrel projects, "He's going to try to pick off a few of the Republicans to see if he could put them together with other Democrats in order to pass an MTA plan."
