Capital Metro published its promised community progress report today outlining the status of several recommendations made by the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission in July.

Capital Metro has been working hard to make needed changes, and the report indicates the agency’s substantial progress.  Eleven of the 18 recommendations are either fully implemented or substantially implemented.

“The swift progress made on these recommendations demonstrates Capital Metro’s commitment to transparency, accountability and credibility,” said President/CEO Linda S. Watson. “This is a clear signal that we are raising the bar and changing the way we do business every day. Our efforts will not stop here because we must earn the public’s trust to successfully fulfill our critical role within the community.”

The Sunset recommendations focus on four key areas: finance, labor, rail and governance/public engagement. Capital Metro addressed several recommendations at the board of directors meeting on Sept. 24 when the board approved:

– Balanced budget for FY2011, including capital spending (the complete, adopted budget document will be available online soon)
– Cash reserve policy
– Railroad bridge replacement plan
– Community involvement policy
– Advisory committee policy
– MetroAccess policy changes
– Elimination of free fares for seniors and passengers with disabilities (pending public outreach and final approval of the proposed fare structure)

Capital Metro also exceeded Sunset recommendations by earning the “Gold” designation from the Texas Comptroller Leadership Circle for posting detailed financial information online.