Throughout Boston and beyond, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has been holding public hearings where citizens are allowed to give testimony regarding two proposed scenarios of service cuts and fair increases. These scenarios are intended to bridge the MBTA projected $161 million budget gap for the upcoming fiscal year 2013. Opposition has swelled to the projected fare increases and service cuts on both scenarios by large numbers of metro residents.
Participants of Occupy Boston, Occupy Somerville, Occupy the T and Occupy the MBTA have taken part in these discussions, also testifying as to their opposition to these service cuts and fare increases. The debt is the direct result of “forward funding” legislation passed in 2000. This “forward funding” was supposedly a temporary fix, which has yet to be addressed. Legislators foolishly anticipated in 2000 that revenue from the sales tax would grow at 3 percent per year, when such collections have been actually decreasing. All the while, the T’s operating costs have grown 5 percent per year since 2000. In 2011, MBTA General Manager Richard Davey announced that Jonathan Davis would become the acting MBTA General Manager and MassDOT Rail and Transit Administrator. Davis has been in attendance to many of the hearings taking place across the state.
Somerville Hearing
Participant of Occupy Boston at Somerville MBTA Hearing /Photo by Matthew J Shochat
On February 28th, 2012, the city of Somerville had it’s hearing at 8pm, located at the Somerville High School at 93 Highland Avenue. Many participants of Occupy Somerville, Occupy the T and Occupy Boston testified that evening, with local legislators in attendance, such as Rep. Carl Sciortino, Rep. Denise Provost, and Rep. Sean Garballey. Here is a clip from that evening.
Cambridge Hearing
On February 29th, 2012, the city of Cambridge held it’s hearing at 6pm, inside the historic City Hall, located in Central Square. Several members of Occupy Boston came to testify that evening. They testified in front of the City Councilors E. Denise Simmons, Kenneth Reeves, Marjorie Decker, and Leland Cheung, in attendance of this hearing. Only half of those who intended to testify and received numbers, testified that evening.