Home Contra Costa County Grayson: BART Should Tighten Its Budget Before Asking Voters to Approve Tax Increase

Grayson: BART Should Tighten Its Budget Before Asking Voters to Approve Tax Increase

by ECT

Walnut Creek – Yesterday, Concord City Councilman Tim Grayson joined State Senator Steve Glazer in asking BART directors, managers and employees to tighten BART budgets and expenditures before asking area taxpayers to fund a multi-billion dollar bond measure being considered by BART for the November 2016 election.

Below is the text of his letter to BART:

February 2, 2016

Dear BART Board and BART Employee Unions:

I have serious concerns about a potential multi-billion dollar BART bond that I understand that the BART Board of Directors may be considering for the November 2016 ballot.

Convincing two-thirds of Bay Area voters to agree to a tax increase is already an uphill fight. But the 2013 strike, drawn-out contract negotiations, and wage concessions for workers and management also damaged voters’ trust in BART.

Before ANY decision is made to move forward with a billion-dollar bond, initiating new taxes on our residents, it is imperative a new contract take into account the dire fiscal needs of the BART system and ensures that trains will keep running on schedule.

Thank you,

Tim Grayson
Councilmember/Mayor City of Concord

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4 comments

Voter Feb 4, 2016 - 12:55 pm

Brilliant comment Mr. Grayson. Makes complete sense!!!!

BART Simpson Feb 4, 2016 - 1:35 pm

Glazer: Rework BART union contracts before $3 billion bond vote

WALNUT CREEK — Saying BART has been irresponsible with its money over time, a group of East Bay elected officials called on BART to renegotiate its 2013 employee contracts before going to voters in November with a $3 billion bond measure to pay for rail system improvements.

“There have been decades of shortsighted fiscal and management decisions,” said state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, who led a news conference at the Walnut Creek BART station Wednesday.

Essentially, Glazer said voters shouldn’t trust BART to use $3 billion responsibly, and he has joined with Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-Dublin, Contra Costa County Supervisor Mary Piepho, of Discovery Bay, and 29 East Bay mayors and city council members in seeking a contract renegotiation.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_29470563/glazer-rework-bart-union-contracts-before-3-billion

Nick Feb 4, 2016 - 2:12 pm

I agree with Mayor Grayson. Enough is enough.

vp Feb 4, 2016 - 4:01 pm

BART should provide better service before it asks its taxpayers for any more money with their useless managers are making 400K a year and passengers are forced to put up with short, broken, down, filfthy trains, and an OVERALL LACK OF 2015 era security. BART has done little to keep up its system over the years, it has just abused and drained it because it won’t run direct to Richmond service during evening hours but rather overcrowd Pittsburg-Bay Point trains for one example. When East County E-BART gets rollings, thing are going to be a huge mess. Parking is miserable. Vehicle break-ins are up 31% just at BART.

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