From General Manager Wes Kooistra

 

Even under normal circumstances, our annual budgeting process must consider risks and uncertainties.   

 

Our largest source of operating revenue, a tax on vehicle purchases, is notoriously hard to predict. Efforts to create more dedicated transit funding have fallen short, leading us to rely on one-time state funds for ongoing operating costs.   

  

While continuing to cope with these issues, we must now confront the unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As is true for many businesses and organizations, the pandemic’s many uncertainties increase the risks of what we know today. 

 

A preliminary 2021 operating budget shared with Metropolitan Council Members this week recognizes and accounts for the challenges we are facing, including:  

• Proceeds from the state’s Motor Vehicle Sales Tax (MVST) that are well short of earlier expectations;  
• An expected drop in fare revenues, as 2020 and 2021 ridership falls below half the annual totals we’ve seen in recent years;   
• Increased costs related to cleaning and other pandemic-related safety measures.  

As we manage these challenges, we have three objectives that rise above the others:  

• Providing service that protects the health and safety of our riders and employees;
• Providing essential services to people who rely on transit to get to work and address their personal needs;  
• Keeping our staff employed.   

Meeting these objectives will be very difficult as it is, but without the federal CARES Act funding this would be impossible. Through 2021, fare and MVST revenues are projected to decline by more than $240 million across the Council’s transportation services, including Metro Transit, Metro Mobility, Transit Link, and contracted bus services. In addition to the lost revenue, we must account for new COVID-driven expenses, such as rigorous cleaning and disinfecting and added trips to maintain social distancing. 

 

The Council’s allocation of $214 million in one-time federal funds is critical to our 2020 and 2021 budgets, but it is not enough to cover our expected revenue losses and added expenses. To close the gap, we are tapping available reserves, reducing service plans to 80% of pre-COVID levels and cutting administrative expenses. We need to watch every dollar.  

 

Our budgets represent our priorities. This should be most evident when we are most challenged. In June, I directed staff to begin developing an equity analysis for our operating budget and Capital Improvement Program (CIP), one of several initial equity action steps.   

Metro Transit has considered equity in its budgeting before, but we will be more deliberate and intentional in our approach moving forward. As we begin this work, we are examining the ways that:  

• Service funded in the preliminary 2021 budget can meet the needs of riders who rely on transit the most;   
• Existing programs that contribute to more accessible and equitable transit can be improved, such as Better Bus Stops and the Transit Assistance Program;  
• Organizational practices critical to advancing equity are supported, including public engagement, workforce equity efforts and purchasing from or contracting with traditionally disadvantaged businesses.   

The budget presented to the Council is a preliminary budget. We will continue to review our spending plans against our priorities, learn more about the pandemic's impact on our revenue streams and hear from the public. Changes will continue to be considered until the Council adopts the final 2021 budget this December.  

 

We are learning as we go. I want thank each of you who are participating in the development of a budget that will successfully meet our objectives. Thanks also to those who continue to be supportive and patient as we work through this critical process.

 

While I will not understate the challenges, I will continue to be confident that we can meet these challenges in a way that supports the needs of our communities, riders and employees. 

 

Review the budget presentation provided at this week's Transportation Committee

Learn more about Metro Transit's Initial Equity Action Steps and provide feedback

Refugees and residents receiving Unemployment Insurance may apply for the Transit Assistance Program (TAP) in the coming weeks. 

 

The expanded eligibility supports Metro Transit’s commitment to equity. More than 211,000 people in the Twin Cities region are currently unemployed, or a 10.4% unemployment rate.    

 

Nearly half of Black workers and 1 in 4 white workers have applied for unemployment benefits since March, according to the state. Between 1,000 and 5,000 refugees arrive in Minnesota annually.  

 

Since 2017, TAP has offered eligible riders the opportunity to ride for $1, less than half the regular adult fare. To be eligible, residents must qualify for 20 plus programs like  SNAP, Medical Assistance, or Metro HRA.

 

While many schools will offer distance learning this fall, Student Passes, College Passes and U Passes are still available to eligible students.

 

Learn more about the Transit Assistance Program

Previously: Bus buddies help refugees build confidence, join community

One of the most significant and challenging hurdles to becoming a bus operator or mechanic technician at Metro Transit is the state-required Commercial Drivers License road test. It’s a test that’s also in high demand, meaning people who seek the test through the state may wait weeks before they can take it. 

So it’s considered a significant win that two Metro Transit instructors, CJ Camp and Jean Hammonds, will soon become state-certified, third-party CDL testers who can administer the test as new hires work their way toward full-time employment. 

 

Their certifications follow background checks, weeks of classroom training and a difficult final exam, which they each passed on their first attempt. 

 

"I'm looking forward to this because it's a chance to help people go further in life," said Hammonds, who began as a part-time bus operator 32 years ago.  

While bus operator hiring has been paused, Camp and Hammonds will put their certifications to use next month when they begin training and testing a group of prospective technicians who are in the final stages of the Metro Transit Technician Training program. The program offers participants a paid Metro Transit internship and can help cover some of the costs of earning an associates degree. 

Instructors Mark Davis and Steve Nichols are also certified to administer the state’s CDL test. Camp and Hammonds stepped forward after recent retirements left the Instruction Center down two of its state-certified instructors. 

“I couldn’t believe how well it worked out,” Instruction Center Manager Dan Stoffer said. “I’m really proud of them and am especially happy they’ll be able to immediately apply what they’ve learned.” 

Across the organization, Metro Transit employees’ work has been changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These "In This Together" Q&As illustrate how employees are adapting both on and off the clock. Read more interviews here.

 

How has the pandemic affected your day-to-day work?

As a Community Service Officer (CSO), a lot of our work revolves around promoting Metro Transit’s values of community-oriented policing through community engagement. As a result of the pandemic, many of the special events from which we could achieve this engagement were canceled or put on hold. Despite this, we still have the opportunity to positively engage with others through the performance of our other duties and continue to assist our community with this goal in mind.

 

What’s it like working through a pandemic?

It can be a challenge at times. Some of our other duties include performing fare inspections and responding to calls for service that do not require a sworn police officer. While in the performance of these duties that involve contact with the public, we want to ensure their well-being. With safety as a vital priority, this is why we continue to move forward with appropriate personal protective equipment.

 

How has your life changed outside of work?

I was attending my last semester of college when the decision was made to close campus and everyone began the transition into online coursework.This was a sudden change for my classmates and me as we were completing a lot of group projects at the time. Consequently, many of our new schedules started to vary from each other and communication became difficult. Thankfully, we were able to make arrangements and graduate together without further incident. Outside of this, I am excited for what is to come and hopeful for the future.

As Mustafa Adam enters the job market, he can tell potential employers about his experiences managing gameday crowds and monitoring Go-To Card vending machines as a Revenue Operations intern for the past two years. 

 

What his resume might not reflect is that he assumed those responsibilities while undergoing a fourth round of cancer treatment and recovering from COVID-19 this summer.   

As he wraps up his internship this week, Adam credited his supervisors, Abdul Ahmed and Dennis Dworshak, not just for helping him learn but for recognizing when he was overwhelmed and stressed from cancer treatments.    

 

“It is great to accomplish your goals, but it was always nice knowing I had co-workers willing to give me a hand,” said Adam, who graduated from Augsburg College in 2018 with degrees in business administration and economics. 

 

Adam is now working to become a certified financial planner and looking forward to starting graduate school at the University of Minnesota. His time at Metro Transit, he said, has helped him prepare for whatever career path he takes. 

 

"This job has really developed me as a professional and given me the ability to make presentations, talk among a group of people in a confident manner and to manage projects,’’ he said.

 

Above right: Mustafa Adam (left) with his younger brother Shihab.

 

Augsburg football player's fight with cancer (KARE-TV)

Mustafa Adam named nominee for Mayo Clinic Comeback Player honor (Augsburg)

Managers: Watch for more internship information soon 

Due to COVID-19, the Council's 2020 internship program was significantly reduced. Even so, 25 interns were hired earlier this summer and there are now 52 interns working across the Council. Sixty percent of the recently hired interns are people of color, and half identified as female. Human resources will provide managers additional information about the 2021 internship program soon. For more information, contact Luis Martinez.