House Speaker Michael Madigan said Tuesday he does not know when state legislators will reach a conclusion about the region’s mass transit funding formula, but the Chicago Transit Authority’s president remained hopeful that the state will find money for the agency so it does not have to make severe service cuts in July.
As the CTA grapples with a $55 million budget deficit, the House Mass Transit Committee has spent several months studying how the region’s public transportation is funded. But with no set schedule, one legislator wanted to know during a hearing Tuesday in Springfield what the committee’s plan is.
“As of this minute, we do not know,” Madigan responded.
Madigan’s presence at the hearing and his questions–including several about the CTA’s pension fund, which agency officials said could become bankrupt in 2014–made CTA President Frank Kruesi hopeful that something will be done to avoid massive service cuts.
“I’m always more optimistic when the speaker is publicly engaged on the issue,” Kruesi said after the three-hour hearing. “Not only was he there, he asked questions.”
But Madigan spokesman Steve Brown cautioned that transit funding is one of several fiscal issues facing the state. He said legislators are “a ways away” from reaching any conclusions.
Indeed, Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) who chairs the committee, said the study could take another 18 months. But she believes restructuring transportation services for the disabled could provide a short-term solution and help the CTA avoid service cuts.
Pace recently volunteered to be the lead paratransit agency and is working with a consultant to determine whether it can tap into Medicaid dollars to help pay for those rides.
Although the discussions have caused concern among advocates for people with disabilities, Hamos is hopeful legislation will be introduced in the coming weeks to give paratransit services a separate source of funding and help solve CTA’s budget woes.
The CTA’s net paratransit costs for 2005 are expected to be about $50 million, Kruesi told the committee Tuesday.
Meanwhile, CTA officials painted a dire picture of its pension fund, which it said could be bankrupt in 2014.
Responding to questions from Madigan, the committee also learned about differences in the pension funds for Pace, Metra, CTA and Regional Transportation Authority employees, an issue that Hamos said should be explored further.
The discussion about the CTA’s pension fund frustrated some legislators, who were given one set of numbers only to hear different information a few minutes later after legislators asked more questions.
Rep. Kathy Ryg (D-Vernon Hills) said such discussions make it difficult for committee members to do their job.
“We’ve had multiple, multiple hearings, and the service boards haven’t necessarily laid out the whole picture,” she said. “In previous hearings we were told, `Well you didn’t ask for that specific piece of information.’ And that’s where it’s been difficult to really understand the whole process.”
Madigan’s chief legal counsel, Robert Uhe, also asked several questions about the RTA’s role and whether it should be given more authority.
RTA Executive Director Paula Thibeault refused to give an opinion, later saying she had been told to “stick to the facts.”
The RTA board consists of the CTA chairwoman, Chicago and suburban officials, she noted.
But her refusal irked Rep. Harry Osterman (D-Chicago).
“For us to work together, I do think we are all going to have to put our cards on the table,” he said.
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