MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood did not attend a planned meeting with the Atlanta City Council on Wednesday, saying the transit agency intends to talk with Mayor Andre Dickens instead.
Greenwood was asked to attend the council’s Finance Executive Committee on Wednesday to answer questions about “More MARTA,” the Atlanta transit expansion program approved by voters in 2016. Council members have been critical of how MARTA has used the 1-cent sales tax and say an audit released last month backs up their concerns.
The audit found MARTA overcharged for enhanced bus services and other operational costs, potentially by as much as $70 million. MARTA says the city auditors’ calculations are faulty, and the agency has hired another auditing firm to do a second review of the program.
In a letter to Council President Doug Shipman on Tuesday, Greenwood said he wasn’t coming because MARTA’s governing agreement with the city identifies the mayor as their negotiating counterpart. He said MARTA takes “serious issue” with the audit’s findings but is willing to work out a path forward — with Dickens.
“The City Council’s only role in the More MARTA program is to receive a report from MARTA on a quarterly basis,” Greenwood said.
Greenwood’s absence drew the ire of council members, who said it was disrespectful and “a form of hostility.”
“To say that he doesn’t see any need to meet with this council ... to me is a major red flag,” Council member Liliana Bakhtiari said. “If MARTA is watching I hope the CEO takes note of how his letter was received.”
Shipman said he remains frustrated “that MARTA chooses silence over transparency. Their lack of communication matches their lack of project and service delivery, both of which are failing MARTA riders and broader residents of Atlanta.”
Greenwood last met with the council on Aug. 28, where he was subjected to a barrage of questions about the audit from the transportation committee. He said the agency needed more time to respond.
“For me to go any deeper would frankly be irresponsible,” he said.
Greenwood told council members he would answer more questions at the finance committee meeting, but changed his mind.
A MARTA spokesman said there was a “miscommunication” about Greenwood’s attendance. Payson Schwin said Greenwood talked with Finance Committee Chairman Howard Shook in early September and said then he didn’t plan to come.
Shook could not be reached for comment. At the meeting, he said MARTA was invited to attend and declined.
Shook said MARTA and the mayor’s office must resolve the audit issues quickly and said the council’s role is to push for that “as strongly as we possibly can.” He said he’d like to see more progress.
“Frankly I see no evidence of it,” he said.
Auditor David Roberts presented to the council Wednesday despite Greenwood’s absence. He stood by their report and calculations.
He said MARTA did not provide the auditors with documents detailing their own methodology. MARTA has contended that they provided copious documentation that was ignored.
In his letter to Shipman, Greenwood said MARTA intends to make public all of the documents it shared with the auditors on Sept. 30 at itsmarta.com.
