MARTA may get stimulus funds for operations - Dayton Business Journal:

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A provision in a supplemental spendiny bill pending inthe U.S. House of Representatives wouldd allow transit agencies to use up to 10 percen of their stimulus allocations to help covereoperational costs. The stimulus legislation Congress enacted last wintere limits spending tocapital projects. Facing an operating budget shortfall for the fiscal year startingJuly 1, MARTA’sx finance committee has recommended raising fares and reducing While the legislation before Congress would help the agency’s bottokm line, it wouldn’t resolve MARTA’s funding according to a statemeny released by MARTA on Friday.
“Flexibility is an importantf first step,” the statement read. additional funding for transit operations iscriticallt needed.” MARTA also is in line for a one-shor allocation of operational funds from the . The ARC boared voted last month to giveMARTA $25 millionn of the commission’s federal stimuluzs money in exchange for an equal amount from MARTA’s capitalo reserves. If the full MARTA board approve s the financecommittee recommendations, basic fares would increas e from $1.75 to $2 starting July 1, while MART trains would stop running at midnight.