First look at mass transit rethink
Tuesday, Sep 5, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Greg Hinz…
With a looming financial cliff threatening to force cuts by as much as 40% in Chicago-area public transit service, voters are getting their first look at a plan that’s spent months in development on how to remake the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace for the post-COVID era.
The plan is, to use its own word, “bold” — calling for new investments and fare cuts funded by expanding the state sales tax to cover more services and raising tolls on the Illinois Tollway, a shift of service away from its current downtown focus and the addition of more service, particularly on buses.
At the heart of the plan is what amounts to a proposed massive regional deal in which City Hall would have to give up control of the Chicago Transit Authority, but in exchange get lots more money and relief from a current funding formula that the CTA argues has particularly worked against the interests of its riders.
The question is whether it’s politically feasible. To list just one impediment: Gov. J.B. Pritzker has given no sign that he’s prepared to back off his opposition to widening the sales tax to cover more services, though the plan suggests that the overall sales tax rate could be lowered somewhat in exchange for a wider base. […]
CMAP prepared the plan at the specific direction of the General Assembly. Two lawmakers, state Sen. Ram Villivalam and state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, both Chicago Democrats, are expected to sponsor any legislation that comes out of PART, likely next year.
Many thanks to Greg for reading the entire study. He has more, and the study is here.
Bottom line: This is gonna be a huge lift. Huge.
- James - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:16 pm:
“expanding the state sales tax to cover more services”
So my haircut is Cairo is gonna be paying for Mass Transit in Chicago?
- DuPage Saint - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:21 pm:
So if they redo everything will they get rid of the RTA tax on collar counties or extend it to other counties?
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:28 pm:
From the executive summary:
“As required by the statute, the recommendations
envision a system that is:
• Safe and secure, clean, efficient”
That would be a welcome change.
- Teve Demotte - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:30 pm:
Another in a long line of aloof proposals by CMAP. Shifting service away from the city would mean shifting money away from the city as well, only a fool would believe otherwise. RTA, aided and abetted by CMAP want more control, when one could argue that RTA should be eliminated.
- Sad - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:33 pm:
So they want to increase sales taxes statewide to bail out Chicago? Seems like a surefire winner.
- sulla - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:35 pm:
Gonna be a big “no” from me, dawg. I’m not paying service taxes downstate so Chicago can have nicer busses.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:39 pm:
===So they want to increase sales taxes statewide to bail out Chicago? Seems like a surefire winner.===
Ok.
First, Rich is already all over it. This kind of lift, it would be a lift you’d hear about or talk about years and years later. The deals and swapping to get this doable… Herculean.
Now, this whole… ===to bail out Chicago===
Does a revisit of who pays what, where, need to take place… again?
The main reason, the most difficult reason, as I see it, begins with ridiculous thoughts to who pays what for whom. Chicago, the Northeast Region, they could use monies they are sending to places that seemingly forget who pays for what others think are “dollar for dollar” in an overall.
It’s as tiresome a trope, “who pays”, as any in phony Illinois angst.
- James the Intolerant - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:44 pm:
I work at a transit agenct that is struvvling to get to 52% of pre-pandemic and we have not made one attempt to cut back spending. The mantra is go to Springfield. We are not a model
of efficiency so it seems some effort could be made to cut costs.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:47 pm:
==expanding the state sales tax to cover more services==
What makes transit agencies think they’ll be at the top of priority list of that tax or any new stream of revenue?
- JJJJJJJJJJ - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:47 pm:
@TeveDemotte
Shifting away from downtown doesn’t necessarily mean away from the city.
As OW points out the area covered by RTA pays more to the state than the regions griping about sales tax in the comments.
Lastly, any conversation about public transit money should include a comparison to how much we routinely spend on car-centric transit. Meanwhile an investment in public transit helps us fight against climate change. Hopefully all the same folks who lined up for CEJA get behind this push as well.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:52 pm:
===think===
Show me the bill where the monies are linked.
Then it wouldn’t be much of a think.
- Sad - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 1:55 pm:
==Does a revisit of who pays what, where, need to take place… again?
The main reason, the most difficult reason, as I see it, begins with ridiculous thoughts to who pays what for whom. Chicago, the Northeast Region, they could use monies they are sending to places that seemingly forget who pays for what others think are “dollar for dollar” in an overall.==
As I recall, the last time this issue was looked at, Chicago basically gets back in services/funding what it pays out in taxes. Downstate gets more in services/funding that it pays out in taxes. It’s the Chicago suburbs who get hosed in the services/taxes split.
The fact of the matter is, they’re proposing a statewide tax increase to bail out a regional transportation system. That’s gonna be unpopular, sorry.
- Suburban Mom - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 2:04 pm:
===So my haircut is Cairo is gonna be paying for Mass Transit in Chicago? ===
I mean, in the alternative, we could say that counties can only get out what they pay in in taxes; that by itself would fund a ton of necessary transit upgrades in Cook and the collars. The spillover money can go to schools and libraries.
- Just Me 2 - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 2:08 pm:
One of the problems of our system is poor governance. We have four different transit agencies that are uncoordinated, and the RTA is a toothless tiger.
We should merge RTA with CMAP and then expect results and hold the service agencies accountable, instead of allowing them to tell the “oversight” agency what to do (or more importantly what not to do).
The oversight body needs to be truly independent of the service agencies with a board that is comprised of directors/trustees appointed by authorities separate from the service providers.
- Jerry - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 2:22 pm:
My taxes in Chicago pay for prisons downstate. Let’s eliminate those and save some tax dollars.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 2:23 pm:
First, hat tip to - JJJJJJJJJJ -.
Now…
===bail out a regional transportation system===
Let’s not pretend you didn’t go all “in-law uncle”
You wrote…
===to bail out Chicago===
You wanted the whole… “She-Caw-Go”., so please.
===basically===
That “basically” is doing way too much work to be taken seriously.
Do I need to link Capitol Fax posts to refute all this? I can if you like.
===That’s gonna be unpopular===
Not one person said it wouldn’t be. Argue actual things that are being refuted.
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 2:43 pm:
It is interesting that the pandemic a long unrecognized reality — transit services have not evolved with our culture. We are no longer are workforce that journies to the center city 5 days a week. however the vitality of the region is important to ALL of Illinois and beyond. So yes Mr/Ms Haircut in Cairo you may help pay for a bus ride in the city while our dollars bankroll all those cushy corrections payrollers, the non performers at the DD facilities and those who toil in higher ed — without breaking a sweat. This will be a fun project. But it has been 50 years in the making.
- Huh? - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 2:57 pm:
When the RTA can print a bus schedule that is realistic and reliable, I might be willing to pony up some extra cash.
50 years ago, the West Town Bus line had a route that ran along Lake Street from Austin Blvd towards the western suburbs. They could hit their schedule to with a couple of minutes. They were so reliable that I could run out my front door at 8am and be on the bus at 8:05 on my way to school. If they were early and the bus driver saw me running, more often than not, they stopped for me.
When RTA came along, that killed them. They were never the same.
- ILLINI123 - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 3:09 pm:
Cairo is in Alexander County, which gets $2.88 in state funds for every $1 it sends to Springfield in taxes. So, no. Net takers like you are the reason they have to raise more taxes to cover basic services.
- Teve Demotte - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 3:20 pm:
We should get rid of CMAP, RTA, and MPC. These are all “regional” planning entities and there use and value is highly debatable.
- Huh? - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 4:09 pm:
Under 23 CFR 450.300, CMAP is the MPO for the Chicago metropolitan urbanized area. Getting rid of CMAP, or any other MPO is virtually impossible.
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-23/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-450/subpart-C
Merging CMAP with the RTA, CTA, METRA or any other transit agency is attempting to make fruit salad with grapes and ball bearings. The 2 just don’t go together. The CMAP serves a very different function than the transit agencies.
CMAP wrote the study because they were told to do it. From the executive summary “This Plan … fulfills the requirements of Illinois Public Act 102-1028 tasking … (CMAP) with developing legislative recommendations on the region’s transit system.”
CMAP wrote the study and now it is up to the legislature to decide what to do with it.
- stateandlake - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 4:23 pm:
==We should get rid of CMAP, RTA and MPC==
MPC is a private non-profit organization. CMAP and RTA are public agencies with statutory responsibilities. Two entirely different discussions.
- Ares - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 5:20 pm:
I don’t think a Tollway toll increase will fly, since there are covenants (”indentures”) with bondholders which cannot be broken. Would love to see other insights / opinions on this.
- Left of the lake - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 7:40 pm:
As a northerner, I have 3 concerns
- CTA pension debt, according to the Auditor General they were only 53% funded in ‘21. While conversely RTA’s pension was 82% funded at the same time.
- very iffy that a new massive agency would actually lead to greater local influence for the suburbs like the plan call for.
- 3rd and related to 2, would be the concern if funding follows current ridership then I fear the suburban busses will be further under funded when in fact there has been a lot of growth and new markets in need of services out here.
- Just Me 2 - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 8:17 pm:
Chicago needs to pick a funding need and focus on that. Here is my count so far:
- migrants
- homeless & affordable housing
- mental health clinics
- transit
- snow shoveling sidewalks
- teacher pay increases
- more protected bike lanes
- programs for kids to keep them from making “silly” decisions
What else am I missing?
- Frida's boss - Tuesday, Sep 5, 23 @ 11:41 pm:
DuPage gets under $.50 per dollar it sends to Chicago.
Public transit is ridiculous in DuPage. There are Metra lines and some Pace buses. They certainly don’t attach Metra lines from the North to the South with those buses. There is no public transportation to Ohare from DuPage County without going into the City first then back out to Ohare or Midway, including multiple transfers.
So where is the benefit to DuPage? More taxes, that they’ll still get under $.50 back on for every dollar they send? A commuter tax from the city of Chicago if people want to go into the city to park or take Metra? Crappy PACE bus service that doesn’t actually go to residential complexes or industrial parks? Increased tolls for every major highway that goes through DuPage? Why not just toll North Ave, Roosevelt Rd, Ogden, Rte 53, Rte 59?