The previous post detailed the Seattle Times Traffic Lab project to “Comment about how money is spent on transportation” hadn’t “commented” on the Sound Transit 2025 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan”. This post details more examples in the 2025 budget worthy of comment.
For example, Appendix C “Departments and Staffing Budgets” details budgets by department total $957.5 million for 1572 positions gives an average cost per position in 2025 of $609,000. A 36% increase over the $447,000 per position for the 1570 positions and $701.8 million 2023 budget. Both would seem worthy of comment on “how money is spent”. (Especially since the cost of each Staff position “dwarfs” the $200,000 each of the 18 Sound Transit Board of Directors previously thought "worthy of comment")
The number of positions in 2025 budget for each department also raises questions. First, where do those who occupy the positions work? There’s no indication the 1572 staff positions in any department are collocated somewhere. That not doing so would seem to detract from effectiveness. Also, why are there 194 "executives" in the 2025 budget, 30 more than those in Design, Engineering & Construction Management Department presumably responsible for expanding the system. Also, one can understand the 320 positions in Operation and 89 in Safety for operating the transit system
The question remains why they need 75 positions in Communications, Marketing, and Engagement Department, 74 in Finance, 42 in Human Resources, 145 in Information Technology, 30 in Legal, 99 in Planning, 226 in Portfolio Service Office, and 127 Passenger Experience Departments. Especially since each position is costing $609,000.
A question the Traffic Lab should comment on.
They should also comment on Sound Transit obfuscating transit system expansion costs by no longer releasing the monthly Agency Progress Report. It’s 180 pages typically included a "Link Light Rail Program Overview" of the 16 projects detailing, “Authorized Project Allocation, Commitment to Date, Incurred to Date, and Estimated Final Cost"
Each project had a Project Summary, Key Project Activities, Closely Monitored Issues, Project Cost Summary, Risk Management, Contingency Management, Project Schedule, Staffing Summary and a breakdown of the project into smaller packages to facilitate implementation. For example, the June 2024 version included 10 pages of details for the Federal Way Link Extension (FWLE). That its “Staffing Summary” included both the 32.8 in ST Staff and 72.9 consultants whose "positions" weren't included in the 2025 budget.
The bottom line is Appendix C in the Sound Transit 2025 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan” and no ionger releasing the Agency Progress Report raises questions worthy of Traffic Lab comment.
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