Toll Hikes

That Americana it's and -- -- joins us every week from the Mass Turnpike authority where she is a board member in -- late legendary blogger and now for the Boston Herald guys in the blog for three weeks on the legend precedes and followed -- Merry welcome back to WRKO -- So lot of who what what's gonna happen now with your -- your revenues streams in July your schedule to get big increase in tolls. And now there's been a sales tax increase voted on by the -- legislature do you have any sense of how that's gonna impact the tolls. Oh well it's still uncertain. According to. 235. Million was directed towards transportation. Or cassette player also 275 million directed towards transportation. Which is -- surprising because -- assessment -- a sales tax increase revenue was about 900 million dollars. For this 633. Million dollars for the Senate estimate. So at least they can't see all of revenue I think. For -- -- -- our transportation saint lot said that pale comparison the amount that Governor Patrick head plans for education. Which is sales tax hike proposal he proposed I think we're going to our transportation. In a hundred million that was -- to the turnpike. I know that's a lot of numbers -- the the either legislation satisfaction about. So I don't know of the typical it's cool and immoral to virtually all of our core look at something. And where I would -- just a focus on 12 numbers that might be a really -- relevant to the whole the proposed toll hikes would 100 million dollars. I'm married forestalled. These scheduled increases. Yes a hundred million dollars would keep the polls where they are right there. I'll make a prediction a twist that's where it'll end up -- about a hundred million going directly to the turnpike authority and in in one way or another some form of assistance to forestall attacks takes him to speak at the Leo is from winter that's -- I was very sensitive to -- exactly. I apologize. Speak -- -- from Winthrop very very sensitive today the the tolls of maybe perhaps seven dollars into the tunnels mean his constituents and of people up on the -- many of them have no way to get anywhere else but through those tunnels. He's not going to allow to be seven -- account and he won't. -- red -- -- something between Mary wouldn't be likely than in July you guys might vote to do the first step of that. -- originally planned to step process. That's -- thinking we're thinking that since the amount going to transportation. The legislature is about half of what the governor had anticipated. And made it sixteen million dollar actual hike -- -- place. But there are constantly write about as speaker delete out. People -- personally get a rock and get -- -- to deal people are very close seventy Boston. Get the forty cent deal going through the -- -- tunnels that fossil doesn't discount program began -- 90% discount what the people from Winthrop that are basically in the same boat. Get rare thing so -- -- -- constituency. Certainly. Game -- stand to benefit and in and hitting them all twelve players will benefit. So if we're correct when that you were correct their prediction that have a partial toll hike that would be. That would be what then four for going through the tunnels would -- -- five bucks. But 64 cash can't go into the tunnel and about a dollar 25 -- dollar fifty's for. Taxpayers on the extension. Just to 25 cent increase. On the expansion. Okay and it is there any way store -- are there are any inefficiencies of the turnpike that have yet to be cleaned up -- if they viciously gone through every line item and every employee to make sure there's -- a penny wasted. Well -- that's still remains the same as you know that the plan -- tend to have a total corporate layoffs to 250 employees and that what the brakes went but put on the right after could be used to your traffic debacle. So I think there's still a lot of room for improvement as far as reforms go but certainly if the hungry and now it's well right is duper -- -- Legislation from these sales tax heights and I think performed -- of the window at that point because of the authority's structures can actually. So those fifth we -- that. The fifty toll takers were going to be laid off but then because of the PR mess. That was made on Easter when made it didn't staff enough people. The governor overrode the good management of the turnpike and force the cancellation of those determinations. In -- saying will be stuck with those -- extra fifty workers we don't need forever. To cover the political about of the governor. On top of that the seasonal pull collectors are in the process of being hired yeah I think that. -- -- They'll have not seen it what you need this these holes large and LA and off the fifty. At that question comedies he's also hired. Well in the go back no we talked about this before it goes back to the report that comparable which submitted to secretary shall we see and it's a total force regarding all the facts and circumstances surrounding the debt Easter trafficker. In the planned for hiring and end all all the relevant information that we need to this situation and that's spared -- Cause the secretary stands for quite some time outs without getting that report we won't get to keep yelled for it to get the answer is that we we need to -- that. So there there's a cover up gone on as well. I don't know the cover up I think it's just languishing there I think it's so -- that you can't ask for it numerous times I -- -- it's an outstanding number apple ought to try to put some pressure to get it but that's that we need I think that's going to a lot of light will be charting. -- when we see that report last month.