Bureaucrats at the cash-strapped MTA are about to have their budgets sliced rail-thin.
Executive Director Elliot Sander notified board members this week that the MTA would delay new hires and slash budgets for travel, food, phones and BlackBerries to save about $5 million.
“The MTA is committed to making every effort to do its part to help address our financial situation,” Sander wrote to the board. “As part of this effort . . . we are imposing a series of internal measures to help our cash position.”
Board member Andrew Albert said he was waiting to hear from the agency heads before passing judgement on the move.
“We don’t know what it means to them,” Albert said. “Will they be able to do it without hurting their operations? That’s the problem.”
The cuts are in addition to a planned 6 percent budget reduction to each agency over the next four years.
In addition to hits on its operating budget, the MTA has seen costs skyrocket on construction projects.