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Ahead of ‘difficult’ budget proposal, Metro to lay off 100 workers

By Max Smith

WASHINGTON — As Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld finalizes a budget proposal for next year that could include fare hikes and service cuts, Metro is starting to notify 100 workers that they are losing their jobs.

The layoffs are part of the 500 positions Wiedefeld had announced earlier this year that he would cut. Many of the positions that had been cut so far were vacant.

“I anticipate that Metro will have to make many difficult decisions to balance the budget,” Wiedefeld said in a message to employees Friday. That could include further layoffs in addition to fare increases, service cuts and an increase in subsidies from local governments.

Wiedefeld’s budget proposal for the year that begins next July will be officially presented to the Metro board of directors next week.

It is only the framework for a final budget that will be shaped by debate from the board and public feedback.

Board members from the District have promised to block any fare hikes.

 

Audit: Metro put millions of federal dollars at risk in failed Buy America program

By Max Smith
WASHINGTON — Oversight and contracting failures at Metro risked an immediate loss of millions in federal funding, a new audit report from Metro’s Office of Inspector General found. The audit of Metro’s Buy America contract award and oversight process found $68 million in bus, paratransit or rail car vehicle and parts purchases did not meet federal contracting requirements, and $517 million of the $1.4 billion in contracts reviewed did not follow the Federal Transit Administration’s nonbinding suggested best practices.
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