Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure meeting
March 17, 2026, 9:30 AM
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held its FY2027 preliminary budget hearing on the MTA and New York City Transit, the Department of Transportation, the Taxi and Limousine Commission, and the Department of Design and Construction. The committee took testimony and recorded no votes.
What was discussed
- Committee convenes the Fiscal 2027 Preliminary Budget hearing on MTA, DOT, TLC, and DDC Chairperson Shaun Abreu gaveled in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's hearing on the Fiscal 2027 Preliminary Budget and Preliminary Mayor's Management Report for the MTA, DOT, TLC, and DDC, acknowledged Council Members Schulman and Dinowitz, and framed transportation as central to
- MTA opening testimony: the authority reports solid financial footing MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, joined by CFO Jay Patel, Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara, and Chief of Policy and External Relations John McCarthy, told the committee the MTA is in solid financial shape thanks to the 2023 Albany funding package, with balanced budgets across the five-year
- Will payroll mobility tax revenue keep growing, and what will it fund? CFO Jay Patel said the payroll mobility tax is projected to grow about $50 million a year through 2029, tracking business employment growth, and Chair Janno Lieber said the revenue is already dedicated to the MTA's five-year financial plan and has been key to balancing its budget. Lieber also
- Why is the MTA shifting more paratransit (Access-A-Ride) cost onto the city? Chair Janno Lieber defended the growing city share of Access-A-Ride costs, saying costs rose only because the MTA is delivering better paratransit service (a record 50,000 riders in one day, ridership up ~20% a year) at a lower per-trip cost, and argued the city's contribution cap should be removed
- Was the fare-free bus pilot a success? Chair Janno Lieber and Chief of Policy John McCarthy said the five-borough fare-free bus pilot produced a small ridership bump but did not speed up buses or attract many new riders, with much of the gain coming from riders shifting off paid routes. McCarthy cited a New York Times analysis finding
- What is the MTA doing about slow bus speeds? Chair Janno Lieber and Chief of Policy John McCarthy pointed to bus lanes and busways, expansion of ACE automated camera enforcement (which they said has improved speeds and reduced repeat violations), and closer collaboration with DOT Commissioner Flynn's team on depot operations and signal
- How are subway accessibility upgrades selected, and when will the system reach 50% accessible? In response to Council Member Shahana K. Hanif, Chair Janno Lieber said the $7.1 billion accessibility program prioritizes stations so no rider is more than one accessible station away, chosen with disability-community input and public comment, and that the current capital program will bring the
- What is the MTA doing to reduce elevator outages and repair times? Chair Janno Lieber told Council Members Shahana K. Hanif and Linda Lee that the MTA has reached 97% elevator availability and cut repair turnaround times, and said the worst performers tend to be privately operated elevators (10-20 of them, including at Barclays Center) built under weak decade-old
- Are unarmed fare-enforcement agents intimidating riders? Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez described her father, a senior in South Bronx public housing, being approached and unnerved by fare-enforcement agents despite having paid, and pressed the MTA on the approach and its cost. Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara said unarmed Eagle Team agents work
- How is the MTA preventing subway surfing? Chair Janno Lieber called subway surfing a life-or-death tragedy and described in-system announcements, an animated ad campaign, pressure on social-media platforms to suppress the content, and physical barriers between subway cars being deployed aggressively. Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara
- Can the MTA expand Metro-North service in the Bronx and add a 125th Street stop? Chair Janno Lieber told Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez the MTA has increased Metro-North service to the Bronx and would look at more, and told Chairperson Shaun Abreu that a Hudson Line stop at 125th Street had been studied in the MTA's comparative evaluation of major projects; McCarthy noted
- Where will $1 billion in projected casino revenue go, and what about Rockaway transit? In response to Council Member Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Chair Janno Lieber and CFO Jay Patel said casino license fees (about $1.5 billion programmed over three years) are a cornerstone of the operating budget funding service, with later tax revenue not arriving until casinos open. Lieber said the
- Has the MTA planned for an economic slowdown given its reliance on dedicated taxes? Council Member Linda Lee noted that nearly 45% of MTA operating revenue comes from dedicated taxes vulnerable to a recession and asked about contingency planning. Chair Janno Lieber and CFO Jay Patel said the MTA models its revenue on the conservative projections of the State Division of the Budget
- DOT opening testimony DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn introduced his team — First Deputy Commissioner Margaret Forgione, Executive Deputy Commissioner Paul Ochoa, Deputy Commissioner Eric Beaton, and Assistant Commissioner Rick Rodriguez — and thanked the committee, framing the Preliminary Budget as the first step in the
- Will DOT commit to the Streets Plan's bus- and bike-lane mandates this year? Commissioner Mike Flynn and Executive Deputy Commissioner Paul Ochoa would not commit to building the 30 miles of protected bus lanes and 50 miles of protected bike lanes required by Local Law 195 (the Streets Plan), saying only that DOT would do its best and that funding conversations with OMB
- Does the Preliminary Budget actually expand Open Streets? Chairperson Shaun Abreu argued the $2 million baseline for Open Streets and Summer Streets does not deliver on the mayor's promise to expand the program and is less than the prior administration provided. Executive Deputy Commissioner Paul Ochoa, Deputy Commissioner Eric Beaton, and Commissioner
- Is the administration still committed to universal daylighting? Commissioner Mike Flynn called daylighting an important safety tool and said DOT did over 400 locations last year and supports expanding it citywide, but would not commit to 'universal' daylighting, saying it must be done in a data-driven, location-specific way with finite resources. Executive
- How many DOT vacancies exist, and can the agency meet its savings target? Executive Deputy Commissioner Paul Ochoa told Council Member Linda Lee that DOT has about 800 vacancies and a vacancy-reduction target of 135 (lower than 50% because many positions are grant-funded and excluded), and that DOT expects to meet its 1.5% savings target this year and 2.5% in future years
- How quickly does DOT fill potholes and repair streetlights? Commissioner Mike Flynn and First Deputy Commissioner Margaret Forgione said pothole output varies with winter weather and that DOT responds quickly, framing potholes as a symptom of deeper roadway needs; Forgione said fewer potholes filled reflects fewer potholes, not less work. On streetlights
- Who maintains highway overpasses and clears trash along medians? Council Member Phil Wong raised the condition of railroad overpasses (CSX, Conrail) cutting through his district and trash and weeds along medians and highways, and asked whether the grid-based cleaning contract could be revised. DOT explained the maintenance responsibilities and contract structure
Agenda
1 item
- T2026-1361 New York City Council Budget and Oversight Hearings on The Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2027 The Preliminary Capital Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2030, and The Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report 9:30 p.m. MTA/NYC Transit 12:00 p.m. Department of Transportation 2:00 p.m. Taxi and Hearing Held by Committee