Transit Future

A bill substantially similar to the much lauded SB 572 passed the Senate yesterday. This bill provides a permanent funding solution for transit in NE Illinois, reforms the governing structure of the region’s transit agencies, and sorts out the CTA pension mess. The additional funds it provides come from a quarter-percent sales tax increase in the region.

So, what’s not to like?

Governor Blagojevich, who had previously stated his opposition to the bill because it raises taxes, has appeared to moderate his stance over the last week. This spurred hopes that perhaps he would be willing to sign the bill after all. However, shortly after the bill’s passage, he announced that he intends to slap an amendatory veto on the bill so that seniors will be allowed to ride for free.

Giving seniors a free ride isn’t a bad idea, necessarily, but many lawmakers are irked that the governor would choose to bring up this concern at the last minute, forcing the legislature to return to Springfield for a special session next week.

All in all, the situation still looks hopeful. We can hope that this latest hurdle the governor has placed before transit advocates will also be the last. If not, the Jan 20th doomsday is a short 9 days away…

Yesterday the mass transit committee of the Illinois General Assembly met at Harold Washington college in downtown Chicago to discuss the looming transit crisis and new funding ideas.

The hearing began with testimony from the heads of RTA and the three service boards. CTA president Ron Huberman spoke about the severity of the situation, painting a bleak picture for Chicago’s millions of transit riders. In addition to the scheduled fare hikes and service cuts of November 4th, Huberman said that January would bring further reductions in service that would make the November cuts look light by comparison.

A chorus of further testimony from organized labor, civic and business leaders as well as citizens and advocacy groups, supported SB 572, a bill that would both reform the RTA and provide a source of long-term funding by raising sales tax a quarter of a percent and authorizing the City of Chicago to raise its Real-Estate Transfer Tax. Despite receiving broad support from groups as diverse as the Mayor’s office, transit workers’ unions, and local corporations, the bill is currently stalemated in the legislature due to opposition from suburban lawmakers and some of the governor’s key legislative allies.

A sense of frustration pervaded the hearing. Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), the chairwoman of the committee and principal sponsor of the bill, asked for suggestions for possible alternative funding sources, since “looking for other options is not an idle exercise at
this point”

One such suggestion was a proposed monthly tax of $5 on each parking space. The suggestion spurred much debate, with business leaders criticizing the tax as a poorly thought out increase in property taxes. The committee members had concerns about the feasibility of collecting such a tax, and whether it might have unintended consequences, since no such blanket parking tax exists anywhere else in the country.