The Public Safety & Transportation Committee approved the following (see the report and watch the meeting video):
- New Public Auto License for Limo Class Inc. (7-0, Councilor Greenberg not voting) Tom Mountain of Limo Class Inc. at 117 Truman Road was granted a public auto license after vehicle inspection approval by Sergeant Babcock.
- Renewal of Public Auto Licenses were granted for the following (7-0-1, Councilor Greenberg abstaining):
- Michael Gimmelfarb, American Truck & Equipment Sales, LLC, 274 Dedham Street
- Lahcene Belhouchet, Boston Cool Ride Limo Inc., 32 Adams Street
- Donald LaPlante, Don’s Car Service, 21 Parker Street
- Dhanraj Mahase, MHS Worldwide, LLC, 275 Grove Street, Suite 2-400
- Rajiv Kumar, Om Sai Enterprises, 2323 Washington Street, Apt. #G3
- Vasif Vali, Vali Bros Transportation LLC, 132 Charles Street #303
- Abderrahmane Fellah, AB Inc., 159 Washington Street #1
The Public Safety & Transportation Committee voted No Action Necessary on the following:
- Presentation and Discussion with MBTA Advisory Board (8-0)
Brian Kane, Executive Director of the MBTA Advisory Board, discussed the critical financial situation facing the MBTA, detailing how underfunding impacts service reliability and infrastructure maintenance. The MBTA Advisory Board is strictly advisory and has no budgetary powers. Mr. Kane emphasized the importance of state-level support to avoid significant budget deficits expected in the upcoming fiscal years. In 2025, the T faces a $700 million operating deficit. The T is funded by the state sales tax, which has grown at a much lower rate than anticipated for the last 25 years (2.5% versus 6 to 8%) The difference in funding for the T between projections and actual revenue is over $9 billion. The T has an infrastructure backlog of $24 billion. More than 60% of the State’s fleet is not in a state of good repair. “It would take an additional $2.5-3 billion each year to bring the T into a state of good repair.” The T is taking steps to collect the 25-30% of fares currently not collected. Kane outlined potential consequences for Newton, including reduced services and delayed improvement projects, which could affect local commuters. Half of the additional $1 billion in revenue from the Fair Share Amendment is insufficient. 80% of the state’s population and 97% of the state’s economy is in the MBTA service area. The Advisory Board believes the region should have 2,000, not 1,000, public buses. “It’s in every driver’s interest for more people to be on buses and trains.” “Councilor Downs offered to draft a resolution (on T funding) for Governor Healey.”
Present: Councilors Grossman (Chair), Downs, Lucas, Wright, Block, Greenberg, Lipof and Bixby
City Staff: Sergeant Babcock, Newton Police Department
Others Present: Brian Kane, Executive Director, MBTA Advisory Board and NewTV