Sound Transit's marketing and communication budget is more than five times Metro's

by Maggi Fimia

Question: What is the Metro budget for Marketing and Communications compared to the Sound Transit budget?

Sources for Metro: Metro staff e-mail message, 9/19/02 itemizing 2002 Communication Budget

METRO TOTAL $1,872,773*

Breakdown:
Promotion and materials = $833.318
Community Relations = $639.203 (some of this work is for roads, fleet admin and airport)
Media Relations = $250,785

*I do not have the specific figures for lobbying costs-or whether or not some of them are included in above, but am sure they are no where close to the $8 million difference between Metro costs and ST for marketing/PR even if ST's cost include lobbying.

Sources for Sound Transit: 2002 Adopted Budget

SOUND TRANSIT TOTAL COMMUNICATION/ MARKETING $9,832,329 (revised 12/06/02)

BREAKDOWN:
The Communication Division's budget is $6,545,123 ( pg. 287; that includes $675,000 for lobbying state and federal officials (d)

Page 66
Commuter Rail $1,301,039 ("largely transit operations contingency; includes
advertising*)
$564,615 marketing
Total $1,866,054

*It is not usual practice to combine operations contingencies with advertising- this number should be broken down into two separate items. I would be happy to subtract out actual contingency dollars not used for Communication.

Page 117
Light Rail $36,000 adv./marketing
$67,200 from Budget notes (f), (h), (j), (r)
Total $103,200

Page 162-164
Regional Express Staff and Operating
* Advertising/Mkt. $3,000 adv./marketing
195,000 marketing
545,000*
569,952*
Total $1,312,952

*Falls under Miscellaneous and "Mobility Initiative Program" list of expenditures in the "Notes" is mostly marketing, surveys, etc. some expenditures for other things, but not specified as to cost breakdown.

Page 274 (l)
Administration, materials $5,000 -marketing materials