Mocker: MTA Chief Live Stream

Walder: It has been a tough year for MTA, it hasn't been easy.
"Striving to make the MTA efficent and effective"

Communication strides include more countdown clocks

Senator speaks up about hating the payroll tax. Walder says it was passed with healthy debate. More to come on this.

Senator asks why weren't cuts made in previous years, "something that prevented progress?' Good question.
Walder answers: Hard to say about the past. The organization in the past hasn't faced the stress it faces now. He chooses to focus on what they are doing now (asking people how to save, brought ideas from other places to NY, renegotiated contracts and deals with providers)

Walder says doing more consolidations to save more $$ (data centers, for example). Walder: "There are savings that can only be achieved through collective barganing contracts"

Senator asks about use of outside counsel and expense to MTA for outside lawyers. Walder says he will get those figures.

MTA Chairman says $1.4 billion comes to MTA from payroll tax and can't survive without it. There has been chatter in legislature to get rid of it

Walder: We need legislative action to go to cashless system

Senator asks what have cuts been to administrative side and management? Walder says we reduced admin payroll by 20% (saving $100 million a year). "We are leading by example"
Walder: on Jan 1 opened a Business Service Center to handle all HR/biz/accounts payable functions as a "modern use of technology" (expect to save $25 million a year once the center is operational and consolidations are in place)