Concerns over MATA’S $60 million deficit are not going away, and a tense meeting with key stakeholders added to the chorus of demands for transparency from the transit company's leaders.
“These are long standing issues. The investment issues are long standing. I’m just asking for the grace and the opportunity to be able to work through those issues,” said MATA CEO Bacarra Mauldin.
Mauldin took questions from frustrated transit riders on Friday along with several members of the Memphis City Council, including U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton, at a packed house in North Memphis. They preached transparency and togetherness, but actual solutions were few and far between.
“I’m sitting there listening to a bunch of talk and nothing relevant. It was really bizarre,” said. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen. “It was a lot of rhetoric.”
Cohen noted federal funds can only be used for capital projects and not everyday expenses. The $60 million gap comes from pension fund payouts, a bridge loan from the city and operational expenses, and funds to reduce that gap must come from the City Council.
“In Memphis, we don’t have a lot of choices. It's either a tax here or a tax there. We just want to make sure we’re being equitable in all of our assets, and seeing what we really need to fund,” said Memphis City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas.
Public transit advocates have been pushing for more accountability and transparency from the transit provider. Memphis City Council members on Friday declined to reveal who on the council is fighting against MATA funding, despite efforts from Cohen and others to reveal the roadblocks.
“I tried to get the answer. I said, ‘Who on the council is leading the fight to get more money from MATA and who is not?' And they said, ‘Oh, we’re all doing the same,'” Cohen said.
Cohen added he has co-sponsored a bill that would allow federal funds to cover more day-to-day transit expenses, but he’s not optimistic that it will pass in congress.