Legislator Proposes Shrinking MARTA Board

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – A state legislator will propose cutting the size of MARTA's board by more than half, in an attempt to make its operations more "efficient." But Representative Kevin Levitas of DeKalb County admits his proposal won't directly address MARTA's immediate problem: money.

WABE's Odette Yousef reports.

Levitas proposes shrinking the board from 18 members to 7.

MARTA says it's, quote, encouraged by the recent legislative interest", but hopes it will, quote, "ultimately translate into a sustainable source of funding."

Levitas says his idea won't solve that.

LEVITAS: Continued viability of funding for MARTA is a very complicated issue. Reducing a board size is a much less complicated issue, though it certainly has implications for how MARTA will operate.

Levitas does support the controversial idea of a state takeover of MARTA, especially if the transit system wants to start drawing on statewide support.

MARTA currently does not receive funding from the state, and was unsuccessful last year in persuading lawmakers to loosen restrictions on how it uses revenues from a local penny tax.

Odette Yousef, WABE News.