Gov. David A. Paterson will step up his efforts this month to orchestrate a rescue of the financially struggling Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a top aide said on Wednesday.
“This is now going to be the governor’s main focus with the Legislature in the next couple of weeks,” said Marc V. Shaw, a senior adviser to the governor.
The governor has endorsed a rescue plan for the authority that was proposed by a state commission that he created, headed by Richard Ravitch, a former authority chairman.
The plan calls for a new payroll tax to be paid by all employers in the 12-county region served by the authority. It also calls for imposing tolls on the Harlem River and East River bridges connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
The authority has said that if the plan is not approved, it will have to raise fare and toll revenue by 23 percent, starting in June, and make deep cuts in service. Both measures are meant to help close a budget deficit this year of $1.2 billion and even larger ones projected in coming years. Read more..
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