Revenue forecast not reality-based

Published 12:01 am Tuesday, June 7, 2011

In regard to the Sunday commentary, “Falling revenue means leaner transit” by Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor: Who comes up with their revenue projections, Pollyana?

I don’t know anything about that level of budgeting, but it seems to me that even Forrest Gump could see the projected sales tax revenue figures used to base the transit budget are not realistic. True, sales tax revenues are down and that would create a deficit, but it is a huge problem only because the projected figures were so inflated. Why not guess that $3 billion would be available?

Maybe we need Tim Eyman to come up with a plan where all government agencies could never project more than a 1 percent increase in revenues. Then, when in the good times revenues go up faster than that, the surplus created and the 1 percent cap would become next year’s budget and presto, the budget is balanced almost every year. The worst case would be a 1 percent deficit to be addressed. I don’t know, but I’m just saying…

Bob Nelson
Everett