Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano said the "bare bones" budget passed by the state legislature earlier this month would trigger a Bee Line bus fare increase of 35 cents, to $1.75, if transit aid is not increased in a supplementary budget. Spano called on Gov. Pataki to call a special legislative session to head off big cuts in state aid and government services.

The Pataki administration has called attention to the loss of mass transit funding in the sparse budget. Also because of the budget delay, CSX Corp. is preventing NY State from beginning work to upgrade Hudson Line tracks between Poughkeepsie and Albany. The bare bones budget omitted a sweeping reduction of railroad property taxes that state leaders agreed to earlier this year. CSX doesn't want the value of the tracks increased until property taxes go down. The work would speed Amtrak trains between Albany and NYC -- the plan is to reduce the trip to two hours flat.

Pataki has met with legislative leaders to negotiate budget issues several times this week, impelled by municipalities' need to send out school tax bills and a Sept. 15 deadline for the expiry of "reauthorizations" -- billions of dollars in unspent funds held over from previous budgets.

Attention Deficit: NY's Suburban Transit - October 16, 2000

Pataki Budget Proposal Hits Smaller Transit - January 28, 2000

NY Legislature's Budget Proposals Clear Way for Freight Rail Tax Relief - April 9, 2001

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