OCTA Board of Directors Approves Balanced Budget

The $1.26 billion budget for fiscal year 2013-14 includes increases in bus service and funding for 20 Measure M programs and projects
June 10, 2013
ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority board of directors approved a $1.26 billion budget for the coming year.

The fiscal year 2013-14 budget encompasses all services, project and programs administered by OCTA and includes a 4 percent increase in bus service.

Highlights of the budget include:

•    $281 million for bus operations, an increase of $14 million over fiscal year 2012-13

•    $153 million in Measure M funds, the half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, for voter-approved freeway improvement projects along the SR-91, SR-57, I-5, I-405 and SR-55

•    $322 million in Measure M funds for street and road improvements, including $150 million for the OC Bridges program, $140 million for city projects and $14 million for signal synchronization

•    $200 million for rail improvements including construction of the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, Placentia Metrolink station and the State College Grade Separation project

The budget also reflects a savings of $400,000 from a pension reform plan the board approved earlier this year in which administrative employees will begin paying a portion for their pension costs.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2014, administrative employees will contribute an average of 25 percent of the employee share to their pensions. That contribution will increase 25 percent each year until employees are paying 100 percent of their employee share by Jan 1, 2017.

OCTA is the county’s transportation agency, responsible for planning, financing and coordinating Orange County's freeway, street and rail development, as well as managing the countywide bus and rail service, the 91 Express Lanes and Orange County’s Taxi Administration.

For more information, visit www.octa.net/budget.