City Council supports Boston having a voice in the future of the MBTA

The Fiscal Management and Control Board (FMCB) was established in 2015 to monitor the MBTA’s finances, management, and operations as the MBTA faced challenges on these fronts.

Members of FMCB make critical decisions on the current operations and future investments of the MBTA, and the FMCB meets on a nearly weekly basis, and currently has five board members that are appointed by the Governor.

The MBTA is a critical component of the transportation system of our city, and many of our Boston residents rely on the MBTA as a mode of transportation. Boston also has the biggest share of MBTA ridership, and has the largest number of MBTA stations.

S.D. 1313, “An Act Relative to the Structure of the Fiscal Management and Control Board,” sponsored by Senator Nick Collins, is proposing to change the structure of the FMCB by expanding the Board to seven members, including one member to be appointed by the Mayor of the City of Boston.

The bill would propose that six members be appointed by the Governor, three of which shall be members of the Board, one of which shall have experience in transportation finance, one shall have experience in mass transit operation, and one shall be a municipal official representing a city or town in the MBTA service area. The other member would be appointed by the Mayor of Boston.

With the critical role that the MBTA plays in our City’s transportation system, and the large role that Boston plays in terms of ridership and operations for the MBTA, it would be appropriate that the City of Boston is represented on the FMCB.

S.D. 1313 would allow Boston to have a direct voice in the operations and future of the MBTA, and give the City fair representation on the FMCB as the municipality that is most impacted by the MBTA. This week, the Council voted in support of changing the structure of the Fiscal Management and Control Board, and urged the State Legislature to promptly pass this legislation.