State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli recent Metropolitan Transportation Authority report concerning their failure to collect $13 million in fines missed more significant financial issues.
How is the MTA managing its ongoing $27 billion 2015-2019 Five Year Capital Plan?
Are there any carryover projects and dollars from the previous 2010-2014 Five Year Capital Plan?
Some financial problems with the MTA may be attributed to less funding provided by both Albany and City Hall, not Washington.
Federal support for transportation has remained consistent and growing over past decades.
When a crises occurred, be it 9/11 in 2001 or Hurricane Sandy in 2012 Washington was there for us.
Additional billions in assistance above and beyond yearly formula allocations from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation Federal Transit Administration was provided.
In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided billions more.
Most federal transportation grants require a 20 percent hard-cash local share.
In most cases, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration accepted toll credits instead of hard cash for the local share.
This saved the MTA $1 billion in the previous 2010-2014 five-year capital program.
The same will be true with the 2015-2019 five-year capital program.
Washington has made available over $1.3 billion in 2016 formula funding for the MTA, which helps pays for 35 percent of its capital program.
This includes $35 million in buses and bus facilities; $668,289,033 in State of Good Repair and $573,253,980 Urbanized Area federal funding.
There are other opportunities for up to several hundred million more in discretionary competitive grants and remaining balance of $432 million in available Disaster Relief Recovery Act of 2013 (Hurricane Sandy) dollars.
Does the MTA submit grant applications to DOT FTA on time?
Are current federally funded programs being completed on schedule and within budget?
Are all federally funded grant staff positions filled?
Employees are needed to manage projects and programs to insure compliance with federal rules and regulations.
Are construction projects being completed according to original specifications with few if any change orders?
Is there any waste, fraud or abuse for expenditures of any taxpayers dollars?
Have state Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan or state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie conducted public hearings to do the same?
Have either Flanagan or Heastie ever asked any of their respective legislative committee chairpersons to do the same?
The MTA currently manages an active portfolio of federally funded capital improvement projects and programs in open grants worth over $21 billion that utilize over $10 billion in direct US DOT FTA financial assistance.
Both the MTA and FTA have independent engineering consultant firms to supplement in house staff for oversight.
These companies provide both oversight and technical assistance for capital projects. Engineering firms which monitor the progress of major capital projects prepare monthly progress reports.
Does DiNapoli receive and review these documents?
They are made available to MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast, MTA headquarters staff, MTA Board members (including four directly appointed by Cuomo), MTA Agency presidents including Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu, New York City Transit President Veronique Hakim, Long Island Rail Road President Patrick Nowakowski, Metro North Rail Road President Joseph Giulietti, MTA Bus President Darryl Irick, MTA Chief Engineer, DOT FTA headquarters and regional office senior management teams and in house project oversight staff.
As part of master grant agreements, the MTA provides updated Quarterly Financial and Milestone Progress Reports to DOT FTA on billions worth of active capital improvement projects and programs.
Does DiNapoli receive and review these reports?.
Does Di Napoli coordinate his oversight efforts with New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, New York City Office of Management and Budget, New York City Independent Budget Office, DOT Office of Inspector General, state Office of the Inspector General, NYC Office of the Inspector General and MTA Office of the Inspector General?
All perform periodic audits of MTA projects and programs.
Gov. Cuomo continues to never give any specifics of how he will come up with $7.3 of the $8.3 billion promised to meet the shortfall in the 2015-2019 MTA Five Year Capital Plan.
The same is true for New York City Mayor de Blasio and his promised $2.5 billion.
Has DiNapoli held either accountable for meeting their commitments which are necessary to fully fund the $27 Billion MTA 2015-2019 Capital Program?
Larry Penner
Great Neck
(Larry Penner is a transportation historian and advocate who worked 31 years for the US Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration Region 2 NY Office).
