Sound Transit held a virtual public hearing 11 a.m. November 12th to accept public comment on their proposed 2021 Budget'. I had responded to their offer to accept comments prior to the meeting with a somewhat revised version of the, "Sound Transit CEO Rogoff Incompetence" post on this blog. It was one of three submitted to the board prior to the meeting. I've been waiting for the meeting video to post Sound Transit's response on the blog.
The Nov 12th morning meeting video became available on the 17th. However the participants failed to mention any of the prior submissions. (They were originally posted but are no longer available on Internet). Since no one had signed up to speak during the meeting it was adjourned as having "no public comment".
The video of the subsequent board member meeting also became available on the 17th. It mentioned the fact Bill Hirt and two others had submitted comments. However, none of the submissions generated any response from the board members present. Instead they recommended the Sound Transit Board accept Sound Transit's Finance Department budget for 2021 in their December 17th meeting.
It's just another year of more than a decade of Sound Transit Board incompetence. Sound Transit should have never been allowed to extend light rail routed through the DSTT beyond UW to the north, SeaTac to the south, or across Lake Washington. The way to reduce I-5 and I-90 congestion was to increase access to transit with additional parking with access to increased bus capacity into both Seattle and Bellevue.
Instead the board has allowed Sound Transit to spend billions on light rail extensions that don't increase transit capacity and spend nothing to increase bus transit ridership that would. The board's "likely" approval of the 2021 budget on December 17th continues the incompetence.
The most blatant example was the board's prior approval of CEO Rogoff's 2019 budget for 2017-2041. It proposed spending $96.2B over those years implementing the country's most massive transportation system expansion. The budget's light rail ridership projections were delusional and it continued the decade long refusal to increase bus ridership.
The 2019 budget projected in 2041 Sound Transit would have a debt of $17B, requiring $1B annually for debt service payments, a $1.5B annual Operation and Maintenance Budget, and $0.8B for State of Good Repair by Assets cost. The budget projected paying for those expenditures in 2041 with $3.7B in tax revenue, $0.1B in grants and $0.47B in fares.
However the ST3 funding voter approved in 2016 ends in 2041. (Sound Transit used legislation enabling them to ask voter for $1B annually for 15 years to extend the ST3 taxes to 2041). Thus all the ST3 tax revenue will disappear in 2041. The budget accounted for that loss with, "Upon completion of all voter approved transit projects, the Sound Transit Board will initiate steps to roll back the rate of sales and use tax collected". I't not clear "initiating steps to roll back taxes", reflects that loss.
Two years ago a competent transit board would have recognized the folly of CEO Rogoff's plan to spend $96B on a transit system expansion that in 2042 results in a $1B annual debt service payment and $2.3B operating expenses with no way to pay. (A competent transit board wouldn't have even allowed the Prop 1 extensions.)
Instead they would have recommended funds for the light rail spine be diverted to the far less expensive to construct and operate Ballard-to-West Seattle link. Some of the spine funds would be used to add parking with access to increased bus capacity to reduce I-5 congestion. Instead the board not only approved Rogoff's budget, they renewed his contract for three years with a hefty raise.
Hundreds of millions have been spent on the spine but little to increase bus transit. The board is currently on a path to approve his equally inept 2021 budget response to the corona pandemic. The Nov 12th meeting video detailed plans to spend more than $1.5B on light rail expansions beyond Angel Lake, Northgate, and Overlake that do nothing to increase transit capacity. (Doing so requires they need a new $700M loan.) That when completed they'll increase operating costs, reduce access for current riders and do nothing to reduce area congestion.
The 2021 budget delays the West Seattle-to-Ballard link that would provide 100,000 commuters transit into Seattle. It continues a decade of refusing to increase bus transit capacity and increases the outstanding debt in 2041. (It would seem the lack of ability to fund debt service payments might be a deterrent to lenders.)
The "likely" Sound Transit Board approval of CEO Rogof's 2021 budget for light rail spine is just the latest example of incompetence. Sound Transit should have never been allowed to extend light rail beyond UW or SeaTac. It's way past time for the Seattle Time editorial board and Traffic Lab to recognize that reality. Doing so before the December 17th Sound Transit Board vote could prevent them from spending another $1.5B, at least abating the debacle.
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