HART Regular Board Meeting 6/3/13 - Recap

During its regular meeting on Monday, June 3, the HART Board approved several action items. The main focus of the session was a presentation on the Proposed FY2014 Operating and Capital Budget by Jeff Seward, HART Chief Financial Officer.

"We are pleased to be able to provide the community a balanced budget which has a planned increase of service hours to our riders," said Jeff Seward, HART CFO. "Including new late night, midday, and weekend service on some of our key routes. All of that was achieved through strong fiscal stewardship yielding over $1.2 million of savings."

Highlights of the Proposed FY2014 Operating and Capital Budget

• FY2014 goals provide stable foundation for 5 years with continued emphasis on out-year fiscal sustainability.               
   
• Primary goals include: maintaining current levels of service, supporting continued ridership increases, and providing enhancements to selected current services, with a general focus on long-term fiscal sustainability, in order to enable migration from federal reliance.
        
• Cost saving measures include: across-the-board spending controls and realignment of resources. Reinvestment of savings will add $1.2 million of service enhancements.

• The Proposed FY2014 Operating and Capital Budget is balanced at $77,252,226, which is 26.7% under the FY2013 Amended Budget.     
• The Proposed FY2014 Operating Budget is$62,034,259, which is $453,748 higher than the FY2013 Amended Budget. 
                    
• The Proposed FY2014 Capital Budget is $15,217,967, which is $28,567,682 less than the FY2013 Amended Budget.   
                   
• Despite increased needs and only slight increases in revenue, HART's FY2014 proposed budget offers the following key elements:

     - Maintains current bus and paratransit service levels 

     - Adds over 16,000 hours of service enhancements to 9 routes   

      - Teamster step increases and non-bargaining cost of living wage adjustments 

     - Addition of operator and customer service positions for increased service levels 

     - Absorption of anticipated 11 percent increase in healthcare costs 

     - Funding for activities including a passenger survey, HART website and bus tracking system upgrades, DBE training, Streetcar safety assessment, and CNG operations/maintenance

Next Meeting 

The Transit Oriented Development Committee will meet Friday, June 14 at 9 a.m., at the HART Ybor Office, 1201. E. 7th Ave., in Tampa.