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* From the West Central Mass Transit District’s website…
The West Central Mass Transit District announced today that all of its transportation services in the six county area including Morgan, Scott, Cass, Schuyler, Brown and Pike will be suspended as of the end of the business on Saturday, October 15, 2016. Suspension of services comes after the notification by the Illinois Comptroller’s office that State Grant fund payments will not be made before December 2016. Public transportation services will not be reinstated until such time that funds owed to the system by the State of Illinois Department of Transportation are received. West Central Mass Transit District is awaiting payment of two IDOT approved requisitions currently at the Comptroller’s office totaling $696,620.00.
* SJ-R…
All 57 employees of the district have been issued layoff notices effective at the end of business Saturday, said executive director R. Jean Jumper.
Jumper said the agency is owed over $696,000 from downstate transportation grants for the first two quarters of the fiscal year that started July 1. The Jacksonville-based agency also gets some federal money, but that hasn’t arrived either because the Illinois Department of Transportation hasn’t processed contracts that would allow the district to collect the money, Jumper said. […]
Money for the grant comes from a portion of the state sales tax, part of the state’s general revenue fund that is stretched beyond its limits trying to cover all of the state’s bills. […]
The district serves Morgan, Scott, Cass, Schuyler, Brown and Pike counties. It is a demand-and-response district where riders call for appointments to receive transportation. Jumper said the district provides 190,000 to 200,000 trips a year.
I happen to know somebody who relies on that particular service. She’s an elderly woman who had a massive stroke and her wheelchair won’t fit into her daughter’s car, so she is reliant on the transit district for rides to her doctor appointments.
* As I told subscribers today, this is a growing issue all over the state. 53 Downstate transit systems are owed a combined $156 million. But instead of doing some triage and preventing the most vulnerable systems from shutting down, the comptroller is taking a hands-off approach…
Connect Transit [which serves the Bloomington-Normal area] is one of many transit systems, especially downstate, facing major budget issues because the state is behind on payments to them. Rural provider Show Bus, which serves seven Central Illinois counties, including McLean, DeWitt, Ford and Livingston, also is in danger of suspending service, at an undetermined date.
Rich Carter, a spokesman for Comptroller Leslie Munger, said transit payments are behind due to the state’s ongoing general fund bill backlog, currently $9.3 billion, and low revenue, especially in October and November.
“Payments right now are averaging about four months in arrears,” he said.
Downstate transportation money is generated by state sales tax that flows into the general fund. It’s then transferred to a fund specifically for transportation, but that transfer is overdue.
Transit systems are expected to be paid quarterly, but Connect Transit and Show Bus weren’t paid in July or October. Both draw about two-thirds of their total revenue from the state.
If they’re four months behind, those July payments should’ve arrived already. But they haven’t. In fact, it’s been far longer than four months.
* Kankakee’s transit system will close next month and the system claims they’re still owed money from January…
The River Valley Metro bus system will provide its last ride Nov. 18 if the Illinois comptroller’s office doesn’t release the badly-needed sales tax revenue dedicated to the downstate transportation fund.
An estimated 2,643 rides are provided through the 12-daily routes and two-commuter routes the system maintains each day of the week.
Of the district’s $7 million general budget, more than 65 percent of it comes from the state.
The state has been holding back sales tax money since January, said Rob Hoffmann, River Valley Metro director. In all, the state owes the downstate public transportation system — which includes all the systems outside of the Regional Transportation Authority boundary — about $135 million.
River Valley alone is owed about $3.7 million, said Ken Munjoy, Metro’s general manager. About $2.3 million of that total is from the 2016 fiscal year.
Lots of people depend on that transit system to get them to the nearest Metra stop several miles north of Kankakee.
* More…
The bus system says it will be out of cash by Thanksgiving. The district filed a lawsuit Thursday in the Kankakee County Circuit Court against the state seeking operating money. […]
“The money is simply not available. The only way to stop this free fall is to pass a balanced budget that provides funding to make these payments,” [Rich Carter, spokesman for Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger] said.
C’mon. You’re telling me there aren’t a few bucks in the couch cushions to keep some of the more vulnerable systems alive for a couple of months?
*** UPDATE 1 *** Apparently, the system currently requires the comptroller to do an “all or nothing” payment to those Downstate transit systems. IDOT can’t break up the vouchers into smaller amounts to keep some of these systems afloat.
This should’ve been addressed in the stopgap legislation. It wasn’t and so here we are. Instead of being on the verge of starving, the hostages just die - or lapse into a coma until December when sales tax money spikes up again.
We need some more revenue, people.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From the comptroller’s office…
Rich,
The months of October and November are very weak revenue months. Our high priority expenditures such as debt service, schools, payroll, foster care, child care, pensions etc. utilize all of the revenue in these weak months and leave us no room to pay anything else. The last time we transferred money into the Downstate Public Transportation Fund was on June 21st and that transfer enabled us to pay all vouchers from that fund. The oldest voucher currently in the Downstate Public Transportation Fund is August 8th which is a little more than two months behind.
Kevin
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:04 am
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Bad timing for Munger on this issue, a gift for Mendoza.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:07 am
Do we need to wait for OW to show up and tell us to vote accordingly, or should these solid Republican Counties just see the writing on the walls as the building collapses around them?
Comment by Anon Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:09 am
Well, this is clear evidence of choices being made by Rauner who makes the choices for Munger.
When preconditions are dropped governing happens.
This has nothing to do with Madigan.
All Rauner
How do Southern Illinois Raunerites like the taste of Perfidy?
Comment by Honeybear Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:14 am
I’m sure someone will… “reasses”… and get back to those counties “real soon”?
Choices. These are choices.
If you’re “reassessing” that means choices are being made.
Governmentally, please do better. Honest. This is a governmental fiasco, and while triage is being done, the impression of “winners and losers” with words like “reasses” don’t help in the “choice” argument.
It’s not the politics that’s failing in this instance, and Munger is facing the reality, deservedly or not, for trying to juggle, and making a point of “reassessing”
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:16 am
From the SJ-R article-
“Sullivan said he’s heard from a dialysis clinic in his district whose patients often rely on the district for transportation and is concerned about what will happen if service is suspended.
“It is a very real concern,” he said.”
******
It is more than just a real concern. It is a matter of life and death. You cannot put dialysis on “hold”. Munger better realize that, because there will be political consequences if she buys Rauner’s competiveness before compassion directives. And, if someone dies because they cannot get to their dialysis appointments (sometimes three times a week, for 6 hours at a time), will Munger still sit back and say, “Sorry, we didn’t have the money” ???
Comment by Anon221 Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:19 am
Bye Munger!!
Ow its been almost 2 weeks now. Looks like Munger is still losing.
Comment by Mal Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:19 am
Frankly, why would anyone be shocked? Whatever kind of face Leslie Munger wants to put on for the voters, she is BVR’s creature entirely, and he has already shown his willingness to hold ANYONE hostage to his agenda.
The only thing that surprises me is that this has not already been put into an ad. This is not the kind of publicity that Munger wants for her election
Comment by Mr. Smith Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:19 am
“This is a governmental fiasco,…”
And it’s not of Munger’s doing, to be 100% clear.
Munger is trying to deal with the hand that’s dealt, but snarkily also said through the office they “reassess” in the past.
Right now, trying to figure out bills, yikes.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:20 am
===It is a matter of life and death===
Yep.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:20 am
- Mal -
Do you have polling?
- Mal -, I fed you, you have nothing…
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:22 am
Meanwhile Bruce Rauner is at a Cubs game…
Comment by Mal Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:23 am
A good question for the upcoming election - “Would a Yes vote on the transportation lock box amendment preclude this sort of thing from happening in the future?”
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:24 am
===The only thing that surprises me is that this has not already been put into an ad. This is not the kind of publicity that Munger wants for her election===
Mendoza’s crew is “broke”… and “inept”.., as big messaging, relying on Democrats and Labor.
If Mendoza’s Crew had the cash, they’d be spending on the negative, and have a solid negative message.
Welp…
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:25 am
Too bad there wasn’t a lockbox to protect transportation funding. That $500 million that the General Assembly swept is putting a hurt on this transit program.
Comment by phocion Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:31 am
Just throwing bills on the pile, again? Does that require “people skills” or something?
What’s the point of an elected comptroller that doesn’t do triage? The professional staff do all the rest of the work.
A couple of naughty words in the link….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4OvQIGDg4I
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:31 am
Why are these lives being put at risk?
“In Illinois there’s been a long-time history of what I would call social service, social justice, a bigger role for government in the safety net than in many other states. I think we can drive a wedge issue in the Democratic Party on that topic” — Bruce Rauner, September 18, 2012.
Leslie Munger has described herself as Rauner’s “budgetary wingman.”
This isn’t a big mystery, people.
– MrJM
Comment by @MisterJayEm Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:32 am
Six Degrees of Separation — Good question. It just so happens that the Downstate Public Transportation Fund is one of the few transportation expenses that is purely GRF, so on this particular example the answer is no, but there are many, many others where the answer would be yes.
Comment by Just Me Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:40 am
Munger didn’t create the ever-shrinking box she’s in, and she might have little flexibility left.
Comment by walker Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:46 am
But what about redistricting and the Madigan movie? Those are the REAL issues.
Comment by Albany Park Patriot Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:49 am
Just Me- not all GRF… from the SJ-R article above:
The Jacksonville-based agency also gets some federal money, but that hasn’t arrived either because the Illinois Department of Transportation hasn’t processed contracts that would allow the district to collect the money, Jumper said. […]
Comment by Anon221 Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:50 am
For what its worth, Show Bus also serves Kankakee County, spends significant time in Pembroke Township, as well as daily jobs routes between Momence and Kankakee. So we could end up with both the Urban and Rural transit systems crashing at the same time. Not good.
Comment by MGB Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:53 am
Rauner/Munger: The people we represent don’t ride in buses. They ride in limos.
Comment by DuPage Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:54 am
Correct, MGB, it will be all urban and rural downstate systems.
Comment by illinoised Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:55 am
Rich — I don’t think this is a “stop-gap” error, that is just the way the law has always been written and is how IDOT has managed this grant going back over a decade. It would make sense in the current climate to change it though so each district is treated separately.
Comment by Just Me Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 11:56 am
People went to a lot of effort in the past few years to get rural transit systems started. Now it’s all coming to a crashing, and definitely life threatening, defeat at the hands of Rauner and his Turnaround Agenda.
OW says vote accordingly. I early voted and did so. I want to say thanks to Trump, Tea Party. Religious right and Rauner for showing me I am not a Republican after all.
Comment by Thoughts Matter Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 12:03 pm
Thoughts Matter- “I want to say thanks to Trump, Tea Party. Religious right and Rauner for showing me I am not a Republican after all.”
****
That would make a great bumper sticker!
Comment by Anon221 Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 12:08 pm
To the update ===We need some more revenue, people.===
I agree Rich. Leslie could at least partially extricate herself from her choices, by agreeing with you instead of being a mouthpiece for Bruce’s TA, before negotiating a balanced budget with both additional cuts and revenues, as Madigan has been stating all along.
Comment by PublicServant Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 12:10 pm
Why are IDOT and Munger feeling bound by the constraints of “the system” and years old statutes?
Just follow the leader, kids.
Constitution says Rauner should have submitted a balanced budget but he obviously has acted above one of the highest laws of the state.
Go for it! Wild West time! Be sure to wear your Carthart during the media promo of your good deed.
(This is a great example of what happens when powerful public people, seeking more power for their private agendas, can’t do basic math. )
Comment by cdog Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 12:14 pm
If the budget problem continues long enough, triage will no longer be an option for some services that are important/essential/”life or death”.
The court ordered spending is continuing at old income tax rate revenue levels while the state is trying to scrape by at the new income tax rate revenue level.
The Comptroller can’t issue checks without money to cover them. At some point there will just simply not be any money to cover something vital.
Comment by titan Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 12:42 pm
This is most certainly a life or death concern in many cases. It’s also a very real economic consideration in many areas. When public transit can get employees to workplaces, what happens?
Do we move the fired employees to the disappearing social safety net? Does the employer just produce less, sell less, move less? what does that do to their income and thus tax paid to the State.
The economic and social services downward spiral was rotating earlier, but it’s picking up speed now.
Comment by illini97 Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 12:54 pm
===Mendoza’s crew is “broke”… and “inept”.., as big messaging, relying on Democrats and Labor.===
OW, what amazes me about the party apparatus in this state is that there really seems to be a lack of understanding for what constitutes a good earned media strategy for rural/down state communities. With there being dozens and dozens of smaller news papers and radio stations, Mendoza could have spent the last month or so making her case in interviews in those local communities discussing the impact the Comptroller’s office has had on their communities, those services, and promising to change.
Dozens of local press its, and sometimes all it takes is calling a newspaper office, letting know you’ll be in town or passing through town, and offering to stop by.
Comment by Anon Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 12:58 pm
I am surprised that the various local agencies took this long to raise the alarm. Obviously the state budget disaster is no way to run a railroad but the local agencies’ boards should have been screaming earlier. In our current fiasco environment being a squeaky wheel has to be more effective than just playing along.
Comment by A Watcher Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 1:03 pm
Please read this if you think that “life or death” should be in quotes in regards to this topic.
https://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/dialysis/treatment/what-happens-if-someone-stops-dialysis?/e/1521
Comment by Anon221 Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 1:22 pm
- Anon
You’re on to something…
===…there really seems to be a lack of understanding for what constitutes a good earned media strategy for rural/down state communities.===
It has been a practice, at times, for “Chicago Democrats” to focus more in Cook and the Collars, and rely on the Democratic county chairs to help with statewide number formulas.
The problem comes in… one stream of positive TV, then limited downstate free media… That’s more of a strain on the county chairs downstate to make the numbers work on their own…
This is a big state.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 1:23 pm
===It has been a practice, at times, for “Chicago Democrats” to focus more in Cook and the Collars, and rely on the Democratic county chairs to help with statewide number formulas.===
OW, around these parts I’m the nobody that nobody sent. It breaks my heart to see folks rely on political strategies developed decades ago, never updated, and completely dependent on patronage jobs for fuel.
And the same folks are around every election cycle, with the same set of skills and nothing to indicate that they’ve learned anything from their successes or their failures and doing as much as they can do to prevent folks with different experiences from being involved.
Comment by Anon Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 1:53 pm
>This should’ve been addressed in the stopgap legislation. It wasn’t and so here we are. Instead of being on the verge of starving, the hostages just die - or lapse into a coma until December when sales tax money spikes up again.
Though I may have sounded harsh at the time, this kind of thing is why I opposed the stopgap and especially the funding of K-12 without a full budget. The hole just keeps getting deeper and the current and future suffering piles up every day without a stable, balanced budget.
Comment by Earnest Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 1:55 pm
===It breaks my heart to see folks rely on political strategies developed decades ago, never updated, and completely dependent on patronage jobs for fuel.===
The best part of institutional knowledge when it comes to campaigns is learning what works, what doesn’t, and most of all applying that knowledge to evolve and do better the next time, and the next time, and the next time.
The best statewide run campaigns find the sweet spots specific to that cycle, exploit them with proven methods, and try to evolve where they need to do better with a new way of approaching it.
Rauner showed a new model last time, with past successes and new innovations specific to be Quinn.
Is that type of strategy happening right now with Mendoza?
Hmm.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 2:00 pm
I guess it’s not just Springfield Legislators who don’t get paid when there is no budget. Why doesn’t that turn into a TV commercial at elections time?
I always thought this whole thing would end when we had a spectacular tragedy that had good video - dozens dying in a pile-up on the highway because there was no road salt.
People are going to die from this one, and there won’t be any video, just people suffering quietly. No one will notice and the Guv will continue pushing the TA when no one is all that interested in what je is selling.
Comment by The Way I See It Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 2:35 pm
===The best statewide run campaigns find the sweet spots specific to that cycle, exploit them with proven methods, and try to evolve where they need to do better with a new way of approaching it.===
OW, with all due respect, that’s just a Barnum statement.
Comment by Anon Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 2:43 pm
I’ll react as you wish since I have no idea what a Barnum is…
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 2:48 pm
I just got off the phone with the Director of my local downstate Transit system that serves several counties.
Bottom line - they are hurting big time and are working off of line of credit that will run out in December.
Several comments from her -
First, their contract calls for them to be paid whether the state has a budget or not and they have received no monies since January.
Second, several years ago their Association agreed to take a 10% reduction in their “pay” in return for guaranteed and timely payment. This did not get through the legislature.
Third, notices are being passed to those who utilize their services that there will be substantial reductions in service very shortly unless the state funding comes through.
Fourth, although they may have an option of raising the “nominal” fees they charge ( and nominal being for someone who has has some excess disposable income ) they have to get approval from IDOT to raise their fees.
Fifth, this agency relies on about 80% if its funding from the State.
Sixth, District employees will have to be laid off without sufficient funds to pay them.
Again, it will be the neediest of our population that will be impacted if the cuts in services must be implemented.
How many will be unable to keep Doctors appointments, go to the grocery stores or church?
Yet another “hostage” - who will be next?
Comment by illini Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 3:37 pm
Yes, it appears that revenue is needed. But who will pay? Or, more specifically, since I think we know who will pay, who will take the responsibility for deciding, and telling them they’ll be paying. That seems to be the sticking point. And the closer we get to the gubernatorial election, the more of a sticking point it will be.
Unless Superman visits us, of course.
Comment by Casssandra Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 3:44 pm
The latest Comptroller update contradicts the Agency statement. Would like to see what is really happening.
Comment by Last Bull Moose Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 3:46 pm
To my slightly earlier post - And following Update 2 -
Kevin, apparently you are being given bad information to pass along. According to the Director of my local downstate Transit district they have received no monies from the State since January.
If they had received monies they would not be drawing on their line of credit which is about to be depleted.
So who are we to believe?
Comment by illini Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 5:07 pm
Old Blue is going to be a bit controversial here. Many of these small transit districts need to radically reduce their services. Mass transit. I am ok with. Glorified taxi service with one or two people in the vehicle? UNSUSTAINABLE. I know some people need these services, but I expect my elected officials to make some tough choices.
Comment by blue dog dem Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 5:12 pm
In an urbanizing world, I agree that there needs to be a discussion as to what level of public transport services we can pay for in rural areas. Indeed, does every single rural road need to be fixed, or even kept up. My relatives in Indiana live on a country lane that has been discontinued by the county-no upkeep. Their choice..to live there… and they understand it. But that’s Indiana. I don’t believe it has a budget crisis.
Like Blue Dog, I feel that this kind of comment will not be well received by some.
Comment by Cassandra Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 5:46 pm
Cassandra & blue dog dem,
Because your intellectually consistent, I’m sure that you can provide a list of services that you use that should also be discontinued to address our budget crisis — or is everything you do “sustainable”?
– MrJM
Comment by @MisterJayEm Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 6:59 pm
Like Cassandra, I know of rural roads that the County does not maintain.
I also see elderly people moving to be near services.
Comment by Last Bull Moose Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 7:33 pm
== The oldest voucher currently in the Downstate Public Transportation Fund is August 8th which is a little more than two months behind. ==
And how many vouchers are be being held and not put into the “system”?
Comment by RNUG Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 9:15 pm
NOT bring put into the system
Comment by RNUG Monday, Oct 17, 16 @ 9:16 pm