From Portland Afoot

The TriMet budget task force is an ad-hoc committee organized in late 2011 to advise TriMet behind closed doors on how to prioritize the 2012 TriMet budget cuts.

TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane said in January 2012 that the task force was "proving to be incredibly invaluable for all of us" and said he was hoping to preserve the group to discuss long-term budget issues.

TriMet argues that the task force reports to McFarlane, not the TriMet board, and that its meetings are not public. As of Jan. 11, 2012, the group had met three times and was scheduled to meet Jan. 24, Feb. 7 and Feb. 17 before releasing a public report on its findings.

[edit] Initial recommendations

In January 2012, The Oregonian reported that the task force planned to recommend eliminating fare zones, instituting a single $2.50 fee for a one-way, all-zone ride, eliminating the Free Rail Zone and continuing to forbid return trips on a single fare.

[edit] Members

As of January 2012, the task force included:

• Cynthia Chilton, chair, Retired Benefits Consultant/SHIBA Volunteer
• Jan Campbell, Aging & Disability Services and Oregon Health and Science University and Chair of TriMet’s Committee on Accessible Transportation
• Sarah Dammen, Economist and Regulatory Analyst, NW Natural Gas
• Peter Lizotte, Principal, ACME Business Consulting, LLC
• Sandra McDonough, Executive Director, Portland Business Alliance
• Charles McGee, Executive Director, The Black Parent Initiative
• Luann Pelton, Corporate Accounting Manager, Integra Telecom
• Craig Prosser, TriMet Board Member/Retired Manager, City of Tigard
• Alejandro Queral, Program Officer, Northwest Health Foundation
• Barbara Ramirez Spencer, Consulting in Leadership and Organizational Development
• Paul Schlesinger, Partner/Owner, Schlesinger Companies
• Bob Williams, former TriMet board member from Clackamas County