Sources Say the Senate Presents an M.T.A. Plan Today; The Senate Denies It

ALBANY—After two weeks of public hemming and hawing on the issue of the M.T.A. bailout, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith will present a plan to members this afternoon to plug the M.T.A.'s deficit, sources say.

Sources involved in formulating plan with Senate leadership said that central staffers worked on the plan all weekend, and are trying to keep it as much under wraps as possible so as not to be co-opted by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Silver's position is on the table.

"All I'm going to say is that it's good and I think will work for everyone," one of the sources said.

Now that Smith actually plans to take action, which he has been called on to do, here's a selective timeline of how the issue developed during the last four months.

December 4: Former M.T.A. head Richard Ravitch unveils a proposal that would bridge the authority's $1.2 billion budget deficit and expand service to outlying areas by imposing a regional payroll tax and tolling bridges over the East and Harlem River.

December 8: State Senator Daniel Squadron, whose district spans the East River, issues a report raising questions about the bridge tolls.

December 16: The M.T.A. Board meets and approves a "doomsday" budget with large fare increases and service cuts. They say they will vote to implement the fare increases on March 25 if there is not some outside action, i.e. the Ravitch plan.

January 7: David Paterson mentions the need to implement the Ravitch plan during his State of the State address. Michael Bloomberg says he agrees, but still smarting from congestion pricing, says he doesn't want to be out in front on the issue.

January 14: State Senator Jose Serrano tells me he thinks there should be a difference between tolls on the East River bridges and the Harlem River bridges.

January 22: Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and members of his conference indicate support for the payroll tax proposed in the Ravitch plan, and without mentioning tolls, promises he will man up and act by March 25.

January 27: Paterson leaves a leaders meeting and says action will be taken on the M.T.A.'s deficit within "a reasonable period of time."

Febuary 25: Sheldon Silver proposes a modified plan with tolls of only $2. State Senator Martin Malave Dilan tells me he supports the Ravitch plan, with a few caveats. Fellow Brooklynite Carl Kruger, like most outer-borough elected officials, emphatically opposes the tolls and calls them "an attack on the outer boroughs." It becomes clear that Silver's measure may not make it through the State Senate.

February 26: Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos declares Republican opposition to any proposal with a payroll tax and says he believes any assistance for the M.T.A. should be coupled with assistance for transportation projects upstate.

March 3: Smith says he's not willing to include additional funding for transit upstate as a balancing element to any M.T.A. bailout because "the stimulus package is taking care of upstate."

March 4: Even as 23 Democrats within his own chamber sign a letter opposing bridge tolls, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says he "believes" that the plan will pass before the March 25 deadline. Republican leaders say the M.T.A. was not discussed in a closed-door leaders meeting.

March 5: It now becomes clear that there is a complete lack of consensus as the State Senate fails to act on a package by the end of the week's session, which was the stated goal.

March 9: State Senator Kevin Parker joins the anti-toll crowd. The other revenue-generating ideas get weirder and weirder. Paterson and Smith say they believe some package will pass on time.

March 10: Smith calls the March 25 deadline "questionable" as Silver says he's not going to play chicken. The idea factory churns, with Kruger weighing in.

March 11: At a leaders meeting, Paterson says action needs to be taken. Smith says after that he'll hear his members out on their ideas to raise revenue.

March 12: State Senator Hiram Monserrate comes out against tolls; Silver says the senate needs to "focus."

March 13: The M.T.A. holds a special board meeting to stand by its deadline.

March 16: Smith briefs Democratic senators on a new plan to help the authority.

UPDATE: Austin Shafran, Malcolm Smith’s spokesman, denies the first part of this post. Pretty much.

“We’re still working on a plan to address the budget shortfall,” Shafran said at his weekly briefing on the chamber’s doings. “To my knowledge we’ve had no proposal or even an outline of a proposal drafted as of yet as well as being presented to the members, and I haven’t heard about any plans to do so today. So I don’t have a timeline.”

Shafran was asked by the Daily News’ Glenn Blain whether he could be definitive that nothing would be brought to the members today on the M.T.A.

“I can tell you that absolutely nothing has been brought to the members today and I can tell you that we have no plans to present them with any kind of a draft proposal or outline as of now,” Shafran said.

UPDATE: Um.