Metro lets riders speak out at its public meetings for two minutes each, once every three months. And board members face no term limits on how long they can serve on the transit agency’s board of directors.
These policies set Metro apart from other transit agencies, according to a new draft report that compares how the transit agency is run with 13 other major systems.
But the public may get more chances to speak out and other policies could change as the agency’s governance is examined.
After a series of deadly missteps, myriad outside groups have called for a shake-up. As part of the efforts to fix the agency, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board was tasked to look at how Metro board policies compare with other transit agencies in the United States and Canada.
One of the key areas where Metro stood out was how the agency lets the public comment on its actions. Metro’s policy limits public comments to 20 minutes at the start of each full board meeting, with those who speak limited in how long they can speak and how often. None of the other agencies surveyed except for the Chicago Transit Authority limited how often members of the public can speak, the report found.
Locally, some residents have grumbled about Metro’s rules.
Metro board member Mary Hynes said the board would like to eliminate the speaking restriction. She said they also plan to allow public testimony on selected topics during committee meetings — when the major discussion of important decisions is usually done before the full board meetings.
“I think the public can see we’re moving much more in the direction of how a lot of other board and other transit agencies do it,” she said.
But term limits are harder to change, Hynes said, and likely would require an amendment to the compact that binds Metro’s jurisdictions. That would mean identical legislation passed in D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Congress.
Metro’s board plans to meet Thursday with a task force created by the governors of Maryland and Virginia and D.C.’s mayor to discuss progress on turning around the agency.
