Look closely at the 'priorities' they list:
Payroll Tax
Should payroll tax growth resulting from employment growth be dedicated to restoring and
expanding service? (duh, ridiculously obvious question)
2.
Passenger Fares
Should revenue gain from increased ridership be
dedicated to restoring and expanding
service? (duh X 2, idiotic question)
3.
Operating Costs
To ensure the cost of maintaining existing service does not reduce TriMet’s ability to restore
and expand service should TriMet establish a policy objective of holding its cost per revenue
hourgrowth to no more than the growth in regional inflation? (oh boy is that a loaded question if there ever was one. Of course the answer is yes)
4.
Reserve Funds
Should TriMet create a separate reserve fund or expand its fund balance policy target to
smooth out fluctuations in operating revenues throughout normal business cycles: Or allow
serv
ice levels (including expansion and restoration of service) to fluctuate with currently
available resources (what kind of question is this?)
5.
Pension Funding/OPEB
Should a target date be set for reaching fully funded status
for its pension plans? (stupid question)
Should TriMet continue to fund retiree benefits other than pensions on a pay as you
go basis, while
reducing the OPEB liability through a series of benefit and eligibility changes, and focus
funding on bringing the defined benefit pension plans to fully funded status before funding
an OPEB trustWe've seen this type of Trimet nonsense before, every single question is loaded to allow for the Trimet agenda to appear as if its 'supported'.
The fact of the matter is the whole thing is a set up to go after the employees health care.
These A-Hole just can't come out and be honest as in WE ARE CUTTING OUR EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS COME HELL OR HIGH WATER.
The Trimet executives are a deceitful self serving bunch of shameless careerists
"Should TriMet create a separate reserve fund"
ReplyDeleteThey did that before with the "Continguency fund" and had $20 million stored there, while claiming to have a $14 million in shortfall, while cutting service, while taking a 3% raise for the top 50 (all non-union of course) wage earners, while blaming the union contract for the shortfall (made up aLL that), while continuing to expand beyond the capacity of portland metro area, while ridership falls, while spending un-godly like sums on the newest and liability ridden items, while ignoring the constant compaints from those riders, while robbing the union pensions to pay for the "many" shiny things, while can't keep a dime to their name, while beholden to WallSteet and Shareholders' call for return on their investments, while......WELL YOU GET THE POINT.
HB