Money and MARTA's Future: A Conversation with MARTA Board Chairman Jim Durrett (Part 2)

By Denis O'Hayer

Atlanta, GA – Jim Durrett became chairman of the revamped MARTA board in January. The agency is entering possibly the most challenging years of its life, as it struggles with a chronic budget shortfall and tries to get more money from the state.

In the meantime, MARTA officials want the Legislature to permanently lift restrictions on how the agency spends its sales tax revenue. And MARTA is also trying to have its current operations included in the money stream from the proposed transportation sales tax. So far, lawmakers have excluded MARTA's current service from the "T-SPLOST" revenue.

On top of all that, MARTA will also try to merge itself into a new regional transit system, if voters approve the transportation sales tax. In part 2 of an extensive conversation with WABE's Denis O'Hayer, Durrett talked about MARTA's long-term money challenges, and its ambitious plans for expansion. Part 2 begins with a look at MARTA's current financial picture.