D.C. Council Okays Dedicated Funding for Metro

The D.C. Council passed emergency legislation today that signals to Congress that the region is ready to do its part to guarantee a steady stream of much-needed federal funding for Metro. The legislation, which passed 13-0, is widely expected to be signed by Mayor Adrian Fenty (D).

The bill matches legislation already enacted by Maryland and Virginia. Together, the actions by the three jurisdictions meet conditions set by Congress last year when it authorized spending as much as $1.5 billion over 10 years to maintain the aging transit system.

In addition to matching the federal money, the three jurisdictions also agreed to the addition of four federally appointed representatives to the board, including two voting members. (The 12-member board has six voting members, two from each jurisdiction).

Maryland and Virginia enacted the required legislation during recently concluded legislative sessions. The District had passed an earlier bill that was at odds with the two states' legislation. The city held back, saying it did not want federal representatives added to the board unless the Obama administration guaranteed there would be federal money each year, $150 million a year for 10 years.

But two weeks ago, Metro board chair and D.C. Council member Jim Graham said the city would change its legislation to conform to Maryland and Virginia's to take advantage of the federal budget process. The Obama administration is expected to release its detailed spending plan this week. Metro, local government officials and Metro's supporters in Congress hope the plan will include a line item for Metro appropriations.

The region's congressional delegation has already submitted formal requests to the House and Senate appropriations committees to provide funds for Metro.

Metro is the country's only major transit agency without a significant source of dedicated funding, such as a portion of a sales or gas tax. It is also the second-busiest rail system in the country. Over the years, its capital needs have grown tremendously, with leaky tunnels and crumbling station platforms reinforced with two-by-fours. The new money would be used to fix such problems.

"Everyone thought this would take years to accomplish because everybody had to get same exact language, down to the comma," said Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein, referring to the identical legislation that had to be passed by each of the three jurisdictions. "That this was done in fairly short order shows that everybody is really on the same page and moving forward. This could mean more federal funding sooner."