November 2, 2007

Is the Governor Just Playing More Games on Transit?

Rich Miller over at the Capitol Fax Blog is reporting that the RTA has filled out all the necessary paperwork to receive the full $91 million dollars pledged by the Governor for a temporary bailout of the transit system.  Despite having done everything necessary on its end, the RTA/CTA has only been given $37 million dollars of the promised money.  At the same time, with the Sunday deadline looming for the beginning of a "transit doomsday" that would result in the suspension of certain routes and the institution of fare hikes, the Governor has come forward with another offer for a temporary bailout. 

Here are the big questions.  Is the Governor holding back the $54 million already pledged but not delivered so that he can fool average people that he is coming up with "new" money and once again "coming to the rescue" of transit riders?  Could the Governor be hoping that voters will be convinced that he is the only one doing anything to help avert a partial transit shutdown while the General Assembly bickers over solutions?  Remember that the Governor has already said that he would oppose a regional sales tax increase to fund transit, apparently taking the issue off the table.  I can't help but think that holding back some of the money already pledged is a scheme to make it appear that he has twice come to the rescue of the RTA and is the "good guy" despite the fact that he hasn't offered any constructive proposals and in fact has already torpedoed one viable solution. 

Now that downstate Senate Democrats have declared they won't support a transit bailout for northern Illinois unless a capitol spending bill passes first, and considering that a capitol spending bill may very well hinge on the controversial issue of gambling expansion, I'm not optimistic anything will get done in the next few days.  Those are a lot of very big dominos that need to fall in order.

Update:  Alright, the $27 million dollars provided by the Governor is actually federal money earmarked for capitol expenditures.  The problem is that this money typically cannot be used for operating expenses associated with the RTA/CTA.  The feds had to approve the use of this money, which they did.  According to Speaker Madigan, the money is referred to as "Series B" bond money.  This money will offset the use of federal capital money for operating purposes.  Apparently this has been done before in Illinois.

I'm still trying to determine what happened with the $54 million that the RTA/CTA was pledged but has apparently not yet received?  Why is the "Series B" bond money needed if a majority of the original $91 million bailout hasn't been disbursed.   There must be some official piece of the puzzle I'm missing.

Bottom line -- the Sunday " transit doomsday" has been staved off once again.  There still needs to be a comprehensive, permanent solution.  Senate Republicans seem to be on record that any solution must include fair hikes:

And there are indications that no matter what solution is reached, or when it is reached, fare increases could be a part of the package.
   
Senate Republican leader Frank Watson (R-Greenville) wrote RTA Chairman Jim Reilly this week that "a modest and reasonable fare increase for riders who benefit must be part of the solution."
   
In his reply, Reilly wrote Watson, "Certainly if the Governor and four leaders agree on that approach we would most definitely implement it."
   
How much, or when, the fare hike would occur is unclear.

Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Judy Barr Topinka couldn't resist taking a shot at the man who defeated her:

“To give him and the leaders yet another extension is just to give them more time to waste. I can’t believe that he has allowed the issue to come to this when there was plenty of time to straighten it out early on. To make people dependent upon public transportation ride this roller coaster of they have a bus, they don’t have a bus, is really insensitive and sad as it leaves nothing but anxiety and fear out there. He didn’t have a transportation component in his campaign, he has no plan now.”

She'd be right.  I said it was a shot, I didn't say it was unfair!