The board of Austin’s public transit authority, CapMetro, has hiked the salary of CEO Randy Clarke to more than $317,000 and amended a contract to buy two additional electric buses for a price tag of more than $1 million each.
In a budget amendment today, the CapMetro Board approved spending up to $2,114,276 for the purchase of two additional electric buses along with their associated chargers.
The cost is roughly in line with what CapMetro already paid for the purchase of 10 electric buses last year, bringing the total to 12. The buses are supplied by Proterra, a California company.
CapMetro’s board also recently unanimously approved a salary increase for CEO Randy Clarke, according to minutes of a December meeting.
CapMetro hired Clarke in 2018 with a salary of $285,000 a year, with options for performance bonuses and annual pay hikes. He also got a temporary housing allowance of $3,500 a month for up to six months.
The pay change in December raises Clarke’s base pay to $317,875 plus a performance achievement bonus of $18,000. The increases are awarded retroactively to October 6, 2019.
His base pay now exceeds that of his predecessor Linda Watson, whose final base pay was $305,533, not including bonuses and deferred compensation.
The board in a resolution said that it was “exceptionally satisfied” with Clarke’s performance. The CEO has overseen a period of sustained ridership growth and currently he is helping to oversee planning for a potential $9-10 billion expansion of Austin’s light rail system.
CapMetro is governed by a board representing the City, Travis and Williamson counties, neighboring small cities, and CAMPO, the Central Texas regional transportation board. Today the board swore in its newest member, Leander Mayor Troy Hill, who will represent smaller cities.
Most of CapMetro’s revenue comes from a 1% sales tax, in addition to passenger fares and some funding from the City of Austin.
