COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
HOUSE OF DELEGATES
RICHMOND
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‘CENTREVILLE, VIRGINIA 20122 gene Conmence AnD LABOR
‘The Honorable Jack Evans
Chairman
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
600 Sth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Dear Chairman Evans:
We are writing to share our thoughts on the financial problems facing the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority and the steps being taken to address safety concerns. The Metro is a valuable aspect of Northen
Virginia’s transportation network. Many of our constituents rely on the Metro to commute to work, and we are
‘committed to representing their interests.
We appreciate the efforts made in recent weeks to address critical safety needs, Virginians deserve to know the
Metro is safe and reliable. We support you, the WMATA Board, and General Manager Wiedefeld in taking the
necessary steps to fix safety problems and establish a culture of safety in all of WMATA’s operations, which is
necessary to restoring public confidence.
We also understand that Virginia is currently working with Maryland and Washington D.C. to establish a
“Metro Safety Commission.” This commission, which is mandated by the federal government, would be
responsible for the safety oversight of WMATA. We are willing to work collaboratively with Governor Terry
McAuliffe’s administration on the Virginia legislation necessary to create this important commission by the
2017 deadline.
However, some are suggesting the commission may be used as a vehicle to call for a “dedicated revenue source”
or new taxes for Metro. This is not a new idea. You and others have suggested that a tax increase should be
imposed on the people of Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland to establish such a dedicated source
‘of revenue to support WMATA’s operations.
We want to be abundantly clear that the Metro Safety Commission should not be used as a vehicle to propose or
recommend a new dedicated funding stream or tax increases to support Metro. In our view, this is a non-starter
in light of WMATA’s grossly inefficient operations. The public should not be left holding the bag for years of
mismanagement by your predecessors. The primary source of additional revenue should come from an
increasing number of safe and satisfied customers.
DISTRICT: (709) 615-1201 * RICHMOND: (80.4) 698-1040 * EMAIL: DELTHUGO@HOUSE VIRGINIA.GOVPage 2 of 3
Virginia has more than met its funding commitments to WMATA. In 2007, Virginia committed $50 million per
‘year for 10 years to fund capital improvements for Metro. In 2013, the General Assembly passed legislation to
increase funding for transportation, providing $300 million for the construction of the Silver Line and generating
about $80 million per year for the Commonwealth's Mass Transit Fund, The General Assembly also provides
an annual operating subsidy to WMATA of about $100 million, Virginia has delivered over and over again.
‘The solution to funding Metro’s safety needs and on-going operations lies intemally. WMATA’s financial
problems are, in our view, largely self-inflicted. Metro must get labor and operations costs under control.
WMATA’ labor cost increases in recent years have exceeded ridership increases, and as discussed at the most
recent Northern Virginia Transportation Commission meeting, benefits for WMATA employees are
significantly higher than the norm among big city transit agencies. WMATA also has a $2.5 billion unfunded
pension liability.
According to data reported by regional transit agencies to Federal Transit Administration, WMATA’s operating
costs are considerably higher than its four closest comparable transit systems in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco,
and Philadelphia, Specifically, in the most recent reporting year, WMATA’ expenses per vehicle operating
mile, vehicle operating hour, and passenger mile are 24 percent, 43 percent, and 51 percent higher, respectively,
than the average of these four comparable systems.
We strongly encourage Metro to negotiate a more fiscally-responsible labor contract and take other immediate
actions to lower operating costs. We believe the current negotiations with the Amalgamated Transit Union offer
an excellent opportunity to bring WMATA’s costs into line with reality. In addition, we support revising the
WMATA Compact to eliminate binding arbitration and other aspects of the Compact that are inconsistent with
irginia’s right-to-work traditions.
We look forward to working with you to improve WMATA and on legislation related to the Safety Commis
At the same time, we emphatically and unequivocally oppose any effort to create a new, dedicated revenue
stream, re-purpose non-transit transportation state resources, or raise taxes on hardworking Virginians to provide
additional funding to Metro when many alternatives exist to make WMATA’s operations more efficient. We
cannot in good conscience ask Virginia taxpayers to bail out years of mismanagement, negligence and wasteful
spending.
Respectfully,
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Timothy D. Hugo’ Jackson H. Miller
House Majority Caucus Chairman House Majority Whip
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David B. Albo James M. LeMunyon
House Courts of Justice, Chairman Delegate, 67" Districtcc:
Page 3 of 3
J. Randy Minchew Richard L. Anderson
Delegate, 10" District House Science & Technology, Chairman
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Bob Wwotert BeOS
Robert G. Marshall L. Scott Lingamfelter
Delegate, 13" District House Militia, Police & Public Safety, Chairman
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‘Thomas A. “Tag” Greason Mark Dudenhefer
Delegate, 32™ District Delegate, 2™ District
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David A. LaRock
Delegate, 33" District
‘The Honorable Aubrey Layne, Secretary of Transportation
‘The Honorable William J. Howell, Speaker, Virginia House of Delegates
‘The Honorable Thomas K. Norment, Jr, Majority Leader, Senate of Virginia
‘The Honorable S. Chris Jones, Chairman, House Appropriations Committee
‘The Honorable Ronald A. Villanueva
‘The Honorable Charles W. Carrico
‘The Honorable Gregory D. Habeeb
‘The Honorable George L. Barker
‘The Honorable Martin E. Nohe, Chairman, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority
‘The Honorable Jay Fisette, Chairman, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission
Mr. Jim Corcoran, Second Vice Chair, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Ms. Jennifer Mitchell, Director, Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation
Mr. Paul J. Wiedefeld, General Manager, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority,