September 29, 2023 | Sarah Kim | DCist

Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the transit advocacy non-profit Coalition for Smarter Growth, says it’s “concerning” that the agency may have to rely more on capital budget funds to reduce the deficit.

“We don’t think that’s ideal,” he said. “We think Metro funding should be the top regional transportation priority for local jurisdictions.” Schwartz says Metro has been relatively successful in minimizing extraneous use of such funds over the years.

Now, he says jurisdictions may need “some sort of mechanism for regional agreement” that will allow them to act ahead of the legislative schedules.