Peach Tree Times

The House Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee (MARTOC), led by State Representative Deborah Silcox, met to discuss KPMG's review of the More MARTA Program. The program, approved in 2016, seeks to expand transit within Atlanta.

Rep. Silcox emphasized the need for "accurate and transparent cost allocation" in the program. She noted that while the threshold methodology was initially suitable, it failed to account for changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to misleading conclusions. She stated that "the proportional methodology offers a more realistic and equitable approach" by considering shared transit system costs.

KPMG representatives reviewed cost allocation between More MARTA and other routes. They discussed two methods: the threshold method attributing post-2016 service changes solely to More MARTA, and the proportional method allocating costs based on 2017-2019 service levels. The latter was found to provide a more accurate allocation, showing $865,000 owed by MARTA instead of $82 million suggested by the threshold method.

KPMG recommended updating agreements between More MARTA and Atlanta to define funding allocations and include a formal process for documenting service changes. They also advised establishing regular reporting between MARTA and the city.

The full meeting recording is available online.