Jack Evans • September 17, 2015

In January, I rejoined the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors. Almost immediately, I realized that Metro was in worse shape than when I previously served on the board during the 1990s.

Last week, however, was truly troubling. Jack Requa, WMATA’s interim general manager, announced that the cause of a train derailment on Aug. 6 was essentially that a section of the track had become too wide. The biggest problem? The track issue was discovered in early July, but not fixed.
This is unacceptable. Quite frankly, I’m furious.

I’ve been calling for months for WMATA to encourage employees to be looking constantly for problems in the system, reporting problems when they are discovered, then getting them fixed. This is the type of culture and these are the types of people we want working for Metro. It’s a critical piece of making the system better: constant improvement and commitment to safety.

Requa said as much in his announcement. He, unfortunately, didn’t know about the rail deformity, but someone did. The board demanded an immediate and rapid investigation into the incident and reiterated Requa’s call for the agency, following the investigation, to undertake “organizational changes or any appropriate personnel actions — and that may include termination.”

This maintenance issue was a failure plain and simple. It has appropriately received substantial media attention.

Another issue of concern that I want to bring to your attention is WMATA’s financial condition.

I was elected by my colleagues on the Metro board to chair WMATA’s Finance Committee this summer. I will be in charge of overseeing the agency’s budget process during the coming year. To those of you who know my record as Finance Committee chair on the D.C. Council, it may not come as a surprise to hear that I’m already making substantial changes to restore responsible financial management to WMATA.

WMATA just finished its 2014 fiscal year audit nine months late. This past year, the agency’s credit rating was downgraded and its pension liabilities became unfunded to an even greater extent. I’ve instructed WMATA’s CFO and inspector general to ensure that we have enough resources to get our audit done in a reasonable amount of time. I told management that any budget presented to the Metro board must indicate our total actuarial pension responsibilities for the year and our unfunded maintenance needs. I’ve put the CFO to work evaluating the total cost of making Metro a first-class system and funding its pension and operating obligations. A rough estimate is in the range of $25 billion over the next 10 years.

These improvements on the operating and budgeting side are things we must do. The jurisdictions — D.C., Maryland, Virginia and the federal government — have to step up to the plate with the required funding if they want the system that so many politicians are now demanding and that riders deserve.

This won’t be easy, but for those of you who remember the mess the District was in 20 years ago, you know that the hard work and laser-focus that I and others committed to rebuilding our government paid off. I intend to bring that same focus and leadership to WMATA.

Jack Evans •

I like to use this column to provide helpful information that you might not otherwise hear about. Information about the budget, our credit rating or legislation I’m proposing. This time, I’m writing about something I know almost all of you are familiar with … the poor condition of our roads.

Last week, a transportation research organization called TRIP ranked the District as having the worst roads in the country compared to the 50 states. The study deemed 92 percent of our major roadways in “poor” condition. A story about the rankings appeared in the Washington Post.

Obviously, our frequently used city roads are going to receive much more wear-and-tear than a miles-long straightaway in Montana, but that’s no excuse to accept our roadways in the poor condition we all too often find them.

I was shocked when the District Council voted to transfer funds away from street and alley repair with this year’s budget. I introduced an amendment to restore the higher funding level that the Mayor had initially proposed, but my colleagues voted against it.

Since the beginning of my time on the Council, I’ve championed investments in our streets, alleys and sidewalks. These kinds of public infrastructure investments not only make our city more livable, but pay for themselves with increased residential and commercial activity, improved public safety, and higher tax revenues.

In the budget that the Council just passed, we earmarked $113 million for the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT). This budget includes funding for streets, alley, and sidewalks, along with several major bridge repair projects. It is a huge sum of money to be sure, and now we need to make sure that we are getting our money’s worth.

We can’t spend money to repave a street and then tear it up a month later for utility work. I introduced a bill several years ago that forbids the city from tearing up a street that has been repaved for five years. We need to coordinate across agencies to get utility or other underground work done before we repave a street. While I’m pleased to say that bill passed, I’ve had to step in at least once to make sure it’s followed.

I’ve driven through streets all across the Ward with our new DDOT Director, Leif Dormsjo. I believe Director Dormsjo has already taken important steps to improve his agency and begun the necessary work to better maintain our public assets. I’ll continue to work with him to make sure this happens.

Jack Evans • June 4, 2015

Doesn’t it seem like it was only a few years ago that sports teams in the District were more a source of embarrassment than of civic pride? Those days seem like a distant memory right about now.

The Wizards and the Capitals aren’t just in the playoffs; it looks as if both may extend their run beyond the second round. With the first playoff-series sweep in franchise history, the Wizards breezed by Toronto and appear to have the advantage over top-seeded Atlanta. The Caps are keeping it more interesting with a seven-game win against the Islanders, and what looks to be a back-and-forth series with the Rangers.

Even the Nationals, who got off to a startlingly rocky start, have turned things around after taking three out of four games in New York against the Mets this weekend. It’s been ten years since baseball returned to the District, and every day it seems like an even greater benefit than any of us imagined at the time.

And potentially besting all three of their more publicized neighbors, D.C. United is tied for first place and off to the best start in franchise history (5-1-2). With the opening of a new stadium in a few years’ time, the team will have an excellent facility in which to continue to set milestones.

Beyond just offering laurels, I want to follow up on a previous column dealing with a college basketball series for some of our local teams: a D.C. Big 6 Tournament. Our neighborhood team, the Georgetown University Hoyas, announced a few weeks ago that they will play the University of Maryland Terrapins in a home-and-home series beginning in the 2016-17 season.

This is great news to be sure, reconnecting the region’s two top men’s college basketball teams for the first time in seven years (and the first time on either’s home court since 1993). But there’s a longer drought that continues. On December 16, 1981, Georgetown beat George Washington 61-48 at the Capital Centre in Landover, behind star senior “Sleepy” Floyd and freshman Patrick Ewing. Since that game, the two neighbors have stayed silent.

Two weeks ago, I introduced a “Sense of the Council” resolution calling for a D.C. Big 6 Tournament. Even before a regional tournament, I think it’s finally time for a “Downtown Game” between the Georgetown Hoyas and the George Washington Colonials. It’s been 35 years since the teams played each other in the District, on December 13, 1980, at McDonough Arena. These two schools, which I’m proud to note are both in Ward 2, would provide their communities and the entire District with a long-overdue reunion.

Let’s hope the good sports vibe happening now extends to a “Downtown Game”; our continuously dominant local World TeamTennis team, the Washington Kastles (who will welcome back Serena Williams this season as they look to win a fifth straight WTT Championship); and to the Washington Redskins.

Go Wizards! Go Caps! Go Nats! Go United! And, most of all, Go D.C.!

Jack Evans • April 23, 2015

I am very pleased to report that just one week after I joined Mayor Bowser, Chairman Mendelson and CFO Jeff DeWitt to meet with the major credit-rating agencies, Moody’s Investors Service upgraded the District of Columbia’s General Obligation (GO) bonds to Aa1 from Aa2, one notch below AAA, the highest level. This is a very exciting, and long overdue, move by Moody’s that will make it easier for us to make the strategic capital investments that will benefit the District for years to come.

The rating increase affects $2.8 billion of outstanding GO bonds. In addition to upgrading the rating on our general bonds, Moody’s raised the Tax Increment Funding (TIF) rating to Aa3 for $43.5 million of rated tax-increment financing bonds.

In my last note to you, I talked about all of the reasons I believe we deserved this upgrade. I won’t list them all again, but I will say that the District is in a very strong financial position. Our leadership is committed to financial discipline, our reserves are strong and the District economy continues to grow and diversify.

In their report, Moody’s stated, “Financial governance is particularly strong, including multi-year financial plans, debt affordability analysis and mandated reserves, which provide a robust framework for the District to maintain a healthy financial position going forward.”

The report continued, “The general obligation upgrade to Aa1 reflects a variety of strong credit features and a degree of resilience in the District’s economy to federal downsizing. The District’s fund balances have continued to strengthen in recent years and are on a trajectory to continue to increase in the next several years.”

This is very good news for the District, but the work of financial stewardship is never done. I’ll continue to provide the strong oversight of our financial agencies and budget processes that I have for the last 15 years as chair of the Finance Committee. I look forward to writing to you in the not-too-distant future about our bond rating achieving AAA status.

On a related note, Mayor Bowser will submit her first budget request to the Council in the coming weeks. I will be sure to share the highlights of the budget and my thoughts on the mayor’s proposal to fund critical items such as school improvements, street and alley repairs and affordable housing. I also want to encourage anyone who is interested to watch or testify at the budget oversight hearings that the Council will hold over the next month. A full schedule can be found on the D.C. Council website.

Jack Evans is the Ward 2 Councilmember, representing Georgetown since 1991.

Jack Evans •

February is an exciting time for college basketball. Conference play is well underway. Rivalry games are taking place. And while Georgetown vs. St. John’s in Madison Square Garden and Maryland vs. Wisconsin are sure to be exciting games, February will also mark the end of another season without a great local basketball rivalry.

I first proposed a Ward 2 Championship (Georgetown vs. George Washington at the Verizon Center) in 2006, then wrote about the benefits of a regional basketball rivalry – like the Philadelphia Big 5 of Penn, Temple, St. Joseph’s, LaSalle and Villanova – in a Washington Post column a year later.

Nine years later? Still no D.C. Big 5.

To be sure, the recent addition of George Mason to the Atlantic 10 Conference and annual games with George Washington have begun to bring our local schools together, but Georgetown, Maryland, American and Howard are still out of the picture. Think about it: We have the makings of an even greater Big 6.

I believe we’re missing the opportunity to unite our region through our shared love of college basketball. In Philadelphia, the entire city comes together on one Saturday in December to support their teams and play for bragging rights for the entire year. Sports have a powerful way of uniting people and communities.

John Feinstein wrote a Washington Post column in December about bringing our local teams together for a D.C. series. He highlighted some of the history that ended the Georgetown-Maryland annual challenge in 1979, and explained how the Philadelphia teams overcame scheduling problems in the 1980s to keep the Big 5 going. Despite the challenges, his message was clear: Just Play.

We saw regional interest from individuals connected to all our local universities in a D.C. 2024 Olympic Bid. While that bid was unsuccessful, those leaders should use the bonds of community and sports that brought them together to encourage the universities to commit to a regional basketball tournament – perhaps through a modified BB&T Classic.

As conference realignment and television contracts make college basketball an increasingly national competition, now is the time for our local institutions to come together and create a D.C. Big 6 tournament for seasons to come.

Jack Evans is the Ward 2 Councilmember, representing Georgetown since 1991.

Jack Evans •

The Council is now in full review of Mayor Bowser’s budget request for fiscal year 2016. The mayor transmitted her budget proposal to the Council last week, and while I am still reviewing the budget as I write this, I want to share some initial thoughts and important points.

First, I appreciate that this budget contains only a 3.2-percent spending increase over this year’s budget. In the past, the District’s spending has increased 4, 5, even 12 percent from one year to the next. This is important because it means that, while the District’s economy is expected to grow more than 4 percent this year and next year, an even larger share of the District’s growth will be enjoyed by individuals and small businesses, instead of being paid in taxes.

I applaud Mayor Bowser for instructing all of her cabinet members and department heads to undertake a thorough review of their budgets to find areas and programs where funds are being underutilized or unwisely spent. This kind of fiscal discipline will reap far greater benefits than simply increasing government spending.

Beyond the overall size of the budget, the mayor’s proposal includes much that I agree is important. For example, the mayor endorsed my position to fully commit the District’s contribution to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s budget, to prevent any fare increases or service reductions. Also on the transportation front, the budget increases funding to repairs streets, alleys and sidewalks, a critical area of need in Georgetown and across the city. I also support the mayor’s full funding of the Housing Production Trust Fund, to build affordable housing at the rate of $100 million per year.

What is my greatest concern in my initial review of the budget? Proposals to increase our sales and parking taxes. The District sales tax rate has been 5.75 percent for over 20 years. It only increased to 6 percent from 2010 to 2013 because the District was in a serious financial crunch due to the economic recession. The sales tax is the most regressive tax, and increasing it will hurt residents on the lower end of the income spectrum. We should save that potential revenue for when we really need it, as in 2010.

As for the parking tax increase, this proposed move follows an increase from 12 to 18 percent three years ago, along with an increase in the minimum wage, which applies to many of the city’s parking attendants. This latest increase is a triple whammy. When it’s more expensive and difficult to find a parking spot, people are less likely to go out, spend money in the District and generate tax revenue. Plus, most of these costs get passed on to residents, making it more expensive for people to park near their offices, restaurants and stores. More than a third of those parking in garages are District residents. So, in effect, we are taxing our own people again and again.

I will continue to review the budget proposal in the coming weeks, and the Council will hold hearings on each government agency, at which agency leaders will go over their plans for the upcoming year. Please share your views with me and with my colleagues about the budget and plans for the District.

Jack Evans is the Ward 2 Councilmember, representing Georgetown since 1991.

Jack Evans • March 11, 2015

Last week, I joined the Mayor, the Chairman of the Council, and the Chief Financial Officer to meet with the three major Wall Street rating agencies (Fitch, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s). These meetings are important because the rating agencies evaluate the fiscal health of cities, counties and states throughout the country. These ratings, in turn, impact the interest rate imposed on our borrowing to make capital improvements, such as work at our schools, libraries, and even roads. Because of the increase in our bond ratings, District residents have saved millions in interest costs over the years.

This year, the District delegation was pleased to share the results from our comprehensive financial annual report (CAFR) audit of FY 2014, which revealed a surplus of roughly $203 million and reserve balance of $1.87 billion. This recent audit was the 18th consecutive in which the District received a “clean” or unqualified opinion of our finances.

I made a presentation to each of the agencies regarding our eligibility for a ratings upgrade. I reminded the agencies that we have put a cap on our borrowing, replenished the fund balance in our “savings accounts,” and produced structurally sound budgets for a number of years. 

In short, our finances today are as strong as they have ever been and a far cry from the desperate straits we faced in the mid-1990s. Additionally, the CFO projected just last week that revenues for the current fiscal year will be $37 million higher than initially anticipated as our economy continues to grow and more people continue to move into the District.

Our first priority as elected officials is to be prudent stewards of taxpayers’ dollars. The presentation we made to the rating agencies expressed that sentiment and the CAFR indicates that we have continued to do that. While our financial house is strong, we still need to make smart investments in areas such as education, affordable housing, transportation and infrastructure. In the coming months, the Council will receive and review a budget from the Mayor. I will continue to push for these types of investments as we work to make the District even stronger in the years and decades to come

Jack Evans is the Ward 2 Councilmember, representing Georgetown since 1991.

Jack Evans • February 23, 2015

Public transportation in the District of Columbia has made significant strides since I served as chairman of the Board of Directors for the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in the 1990s. Our downtown lacked a strong business community and was riddled with crime. Many buildings were vacant. Still, District leaders were resolved to advance an ambitious agenda to modernize public transportation.

Today, our Metro system is again at a crossroads. Although we have difficult financial decisions to make, I stand firmly against any proposal that would increase fares or reduce service for our residents.

In order for public transportation to work, it must be both convenient and affordable. Unfortunately, our transit system has moved away from being either. In 2014, rail fares increased by three percent, parking in Metro lots and garages increased and bus fare increased from $1.60 to $1.75. These increases were all driven by a six-percent increase in transit costs and $1.14 billion in capital improvements. WMATA has established a trend of fare increases every other year to keep up with rising costs.

I wish to emphasize that no fare increases were scheduled to occur this year, but they are now being discussed among WMATA leadership. Accepting back-to-back fare increases while facing an unprecedented loss in ridership is something that simply does not make sense. Making the Metro system less affordable will only push more riders to other options. Even without a fare increase, WMATA forecasts an additional loss of two million riders in the coming year as riders shift to arguably more reliable and efficient competitors such as Uber and Lyft.

Fare hikes and service reductions would not move us closer to our goals for our public transit system. Rather, they would cripple public perception and discourage longtime riders. I am most concerned, however, about the damaging impact fare hikes and service reductions would have on our city’s most vulnerable residents. When a single mother is tasked with waking before sunrise to catch multiple buses to a job on the other side of the city, our job is to ensure her commute is as cost-efficient and convenient as possible. It is not to make it more challenging.

So why are fare hikes and reductions being proposed? They are ways to reduce the subsidy required from jurisdictions in the region. Metro’s budget is funded through operating revenue and through contributions from the federal government; the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia; Montgomery, Prince George’s, Fairfax and Arlington counties; and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church.

In fiscal year 2016, the plans are for the net operating subsidy to be reduced from $919 million in November to $883 million in December and then again to $877 million in January.

I have already made my position known to WMATA’s interim general manager, Jack Requa, and new chairman, Mort Downey. The District of Columbia is well positioned to contribute at least $331 million to avoid these dangerous cuts and hikes. I have urged my colleagues from surrounding jurisdictions to think seriously about increasing their contribution to avoid potentially calamitous harm to the trust in and ridership of our transit system.

As your board member, I will continue to push for creative solutions that will lower or maintain fares, enhance service and boost ridership. Given recent Metro setbacks, I am more determined than ever to create the safe and efficient public transportation system District residents deserve.

Jack Evans is the Ward 2 Councilmember, representing Georgetown since 1991.