‘I Hate You, Metro’
courtesy of ‘marciadc’

David Alpert over at GGW has the scoop – after much “discussion,” WMATA will be delaying the SmartBenefits changes until 2011. All that stuff about purses and changes? Yeah, not happening now for another 13 months.

GM John Catoe, Jr., “master communicator extraordinaire,” announced the decision last night at the Prince George’s budget forum. He mentioned that WMATA had made the decision on Tuesday…wait – what day is today?

Um, yeah. THANKS FOR TELLING US, METRO. As of right now, I’m still not seeing any official press release regarding the decision. With employers and employees needing to make some hard decisions this month regarding their Metro benefits, don’t you think it would make sense to let them know ASAP?

Update from GGW: “According to another attendee at that meeting, Catoe also said that Metro got permission from the IRS to keep unused SmartBenefits in the employee’s ‘purse’ instead of refunding it to employers.”

Good thing Metro has us bloggers to keep an eye out. We should be given seats on a Metro oversight board. Hey, Jim Graham – make it happen!

Ben H. Rome

Having lived in the DC area for ten years, Ben still loves to wander the city with his wife, shooting lots of photos and exploring all the latest exhibits and galleries. A certified hockey fanatic, he spends some time debating the Washington Capitals club with friends – but everyone knows of his three decade love affair with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A professional writer, gamer, photographer, and Lego enthusiast, Ben remains captivated by DC and doesn’t plan on leaving any time soon.