tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11021719.post5555036382652831495..comments2024-03-01T02:02:02.520-08:00Comments on VTA Watch: VTA to face state audit and moreaccountablevtahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14035365902584938185noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11021719.post-17581506622520380832007-08-30T14:47:00.000-07:002007-08-30T14:47:00.000-07:00I noticed in today's Mercury that VTA General Mana...I noticed in today's Mercury that VTA General Manager Michael Burns was ''adament'' that the choice of VTA directors should never be allowed to be decided by the taxpaying citizens. His arrogance is so thick you could cut it with a knife.<BR/><BR/>After reading that story, I started looking online for the total VTA budget. Whaddya know? It's really buried. In fact, I was unable to find the current VTA budget.<BR/><BR/>It would be helpful if this site [which I've now bookmarked] would provide a running total for the following information in a convenient sidebar:<BR/><BR/>The total annual VTA budget, broken down into the major categories, such as the cars given to individuals that act as private taxis;<BR/><BR/>All past ridership projections, along with the current, actual ridership;<BR/><BR/>The amount of each fare that is subsidized by the taxpayers; <BR/><BR/>The compensation in pay and benefits for each VTA voting member;<BR/><BR/>Future ridership comparisons by VTA, and by outside entities;<BR/><BR/>The dollar amount of personal/property taxes estimated to be lost due to government ownership of all VTA rights-of-way, buses and cars.<BR/><BR/>And so on. Easy access to this information would be extremely helpful to the taxpayers, when we are *again* asked for ever *more* mega-$millions per year, to fund this self-serving and totally inefficient money-burning bureaucracy.<BR/><BR/>Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com