Keith Parker, selected as MARTA's new CEOATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) -
MARTA's Board of Directors hosted a special audit committee meeting Friday morning just hours after selecting a new CEO.
MARTA's executive board voted Thursday evening to select Keith Parker to replace Dr. Beverly Scott who's going to Boston. Parker, who runs VIA, the San Antonio, TX, public transportation system, will face a scathing audit when he arrives in Atlanta.
A recent audit showed MARTA may exhaust its reserves by 2016, and that it has been overspending on employee benefits by nearly $50 million.
The KPMG audit shows several areas where MARTA is overspending.
It said the system spends $9 million more on employee healthcare than the national average, $22 million more than the national average on retirement, $5.5 million more than the national average on workers' compensation and $11 million a year on absent workers.
KPMG said MARTA also spent more on custodial work than average, and that if it outsourced custodial jobs to private contractors, it could save between $29 million and $50 million in five years.
Parker must still negotiate his contract before beginning the new job.
Stay with CBSAtlanta.com for updates on the meeting.
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