City Council to MTA: Show Us You've Got What it Takes

It's the question of the summer: How do you solve a problem like the subways?

MTA chairman Joe Lhota last month announced an $836 million repair plan, which he and Governor Andrew Cuomo want the city to chip in half. De Blasio has rejected the idea, instead pitching a so-called millionaires tax.

At a marathon City Council hearing Tuesday, those tensions came to a head, with Council members demanding more information about how the MTA actually operates and plans to use the money.

New York Daily News reporter Dan Rivoli says that in some sense, the city's financial contribution isn't itself the issue.

"It's not like it's such a big bill that the City Council is balking at it," Rivoli told WNYC. "One Council member even said this is kind of like a rounding error."

So, why not just fork over the $418 million and call it a day? Because both sides are digging in their heels. Rivoli spoke with WNYC's Richard Hake about what the City Council wants out of an MTA repair plan.