NextStop Blog

Here’s the fun we can expect in fiscal year 2011, starting July 1, 2010!

Former Firefighting "Building" at St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia. New one will be built with American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds.

The Metro Board of Commissioners today approved an operating budget of $232.4 million for Fiscal Year 2011 that includes funds to restore transit services that were cut in 2009. The budget includes freezes on salaries and hiring and reductions to expenditures across the board.  The funds from the Proposition A half-cent sales tax in St. Louis County will not begin to be collected until July 1 and will not reach Metro until late September, so the main priority for the Agency is providing the money and resources necessary for service restoration.

Highlights:

• Wage freezes for Metro employees
• Hiring freeze except for those deemed “mission critical”
• $17.6 million will restore services lost in 2009
• $5 million will replace lost sales-tax revenue (spending down overall in region)
• $12 million will replace the one-time emergency appropriation from state of Missouri
• $6 million for higher costs for fuel, medical costs and utilities
• $4.8 million to provide additional services under contract with St. Clair County Transit District

Capital projects scheduled for 2011, in addition to service restoration (including ARRA projects):

• Beginning the Eads Bridge rehabilitation
• Installing track crossovers at the east end of Eads Bridge and at University of Missouri St. Louis
• Completing repaving of the North Hanley Station
• Repairing erosion along the MetroLink track between Fairview Heights and Swansea in Illinois
• Beginning construction on the new Scott Transit Plaza at the Grand MetroLink Station
• Public arts projects
• Downtown Airport Firefighting Building and Equipment

Capital Projects FY2011 – FY2013

• Integrated Fare System Upgrade
• Radio Replacement
• Union Station Tunnel Rehabilitation (funding to support this project is planned beyond the current FY11 – FY13 capital budget period
• ADA enhancements
• Installation of between-car barriers and tactile warning strips at all MetroLink stations
• Installation of heaters at MetroLink stations,
• Upgrades to passenger shelters and signage

Interested in all the fun details…here you go!

St. Louis Metro Transit FY2011 Operating and Capital Budget Presentation