Fiscal Note
The City's current ordinances pertaining to non-represented employees and employee labor agreements with represented employees already provide for some measure of subsidies for employee transit fares. In 2003, the City cost for such subsidies totaled $48,914; in 2004, the City cost totaled $51,831. The 2005 City Operating Budget includes $75,000 for the employee transit fare subsidies in anticipation of the transition to a full employee bus pass program.
If the Metro Unlimited Ride Pass Program is implemented August 1st, as is currently the goal, total 2005 costs for both subsidies and the new pass should be something less than the $75,000 that is budgeted. If we assume that the full annualized cost in 2005 for the current subsidies might range from $50,000 to $55,000, then estimated 2005 costs for the subsidies and passes may total an estimated $54,000 to $65,000, as detailed below:
Low Range High Range
Current Subsidy (Jan 1 - July 31): $29,167 $32,083
Unlimited Ride Pass Program (Aug 1 - Dec 31) $25,589 $32,569
Total Estimated 2005 Cost $54,756 $64,652
If the Unlimited Ride Pass Program had been in place for all of 2005, City costs would have ranged from a minimum of $61,414 to a maximum of $78,166. These costs are derived from Metro's estimate of all City employee-associated annual fare revenues on the low end to an upper-range estimate based on projected ridership from survey and other data multiplied by Metro's current benchmark fare rate of $0.825 per ride, plus an additional allowance for paratransit rides. (The pricing model is similar to Metro's current fare contracts with the University of Wisconsin, MATC, and other non-City entities.)
There may also be some nominal costs associated ...
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