Capital Operating Ferry Metro Ferry Metro 93 59 50 107 225.7 94 83.1 44.3 113.5 237 95 69.5 52.6 113.5 237 96 84 73 117 270 97 127 106 123 294 98 96 53 129 314 Total Cap 897.5 Total Op 2280.7 Total 3178.2

I have no idea how this will format, but the numbers above are a spreadsheet for the years 1993-98. They show the combined capital and operating expenditures for Metro and WS Ferries for these years, the only years that I could pull out of the National Transit Database. What they demonstrate is that in these six years these two agencies spent almost $900 million in capital expenditures and almost $2.3 Billion in operating funds. $530 million a year was spent. About $360 million ($60 million/year) was paid for through fares. The rest, $480 million a year, came from non-user fee taxes. Now it might be debated as to whether this was worth it or not, but no real debate ever occurred. It was background, just part of the annual funding line for these agencies. If nothing else, I-695 has at least lead people (including our legislature) to look in to these agencies, which are subsidized to a far higher extent by taxes than either BC Ferries or the majority of other transit agencies. We owe Mr Eyman thanks, if only for that.

The Craigster

-- Craig Carson (craigcar@crosswinds.net), January 18, 2000