Thursday’s cost range, of $7.1 billion to $7.9 billion, exceeds the $6.7 billion to $7.1 billion range that shocked the region last September, disclosed then by new Deputy CEO Terri Mestas. Those projections exceed the $4.2 billion target considered affordable in the agency’s 2021 finance plan, to be redone in 2026.
There weren’t any solutions or debates, during the low-key committee briefing, to raise more money. Those might come later.