CARTA board approves FY2020 budget

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The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority board has approved the budget for the current fiscal year, which began July 1.

The budget (.pdf) has also been approved by all of the member governments of the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments, which oversees CARTA.

CARTA’s fiscal year 2020 budget is $9.7 million less than last year’s budget, mainly because of a decrease in expenditures. The authority’s equipment rental budget is decreased because of the removal of the portable toilet in the Hospitality on the Peninsula shuttle lot; the advertising budget is decreased; and the contract services budget is decreased because of the conclusion of several engineering projects; among other decreases.

The budget projects flat farebox revenue between the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years at $2.24 million.

“Every time we go through the budget cycle, it’s great that we have staff that’s on top of it,” said CARTA board chairman Mike Seekings. “I will tell you … our process has gotten a lot better. We’re in a really good place with our budget.”

Robin Mitchum, CARTA’s deputy director of finance and administration, said as of Aug. 31, the authority has an excess revenue of $416,543, and everything else is in line with the budget.