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The San Diego County Taxpayers Association has honored the North County Transit District (NCTD) with the “Grand Golden Watchdog Award” for the agency’s “sound fiscal decision-making” by addressing a five-year projected budget deficit.

In 2009, the agency faced a five-year shortfall of $80 million. To close the gap, the agency implemented a “comprehensive program to make its operations more efficient” by shifting bus operations and paratransit services to the private sector, said NCTD Chairman Chris Orlando in a prepared statement.

“By transitioning bus operations to First Transit and paratransit service to American Logistics Co., we are on track to save San Diego taxpayers in excess of $50 million over the next seven years,” he said. “Today, the district’s budget is balanced. We’ve added service, reduced fares and increased ridership.”

The budget program allowed NCTD to add rail services, including expanding Sprinter light-rail service hours and increasing Coaster service to seven days a week during summer months, agency officials said. Coaster ridership increased more than 18 percent in April compared with April 2010, while Sprinter light-rail ridership rose 17.7 percent.