CHICAGO — Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority would receive almost $2.9 billion in funding under an infrastructure plan set to be unveiled by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Those funds would be part of a total of $41.5 billion in a six-year plan to be introduced by Pritzker and paid for in part through a series of tax increases and new taxes. It also counts on more than $10 billion in federal funding and $6.6 billion from local governments and private sources, the Tribune reports.
The RTA is the parent agency for Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and the Pace bus system. Metra’s board of directors has been vocal about the need for increased state funding. [See “Metra directors: ‘Dire’ funding crisis may prompt service cuts,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 11, 2019.]
The proposal also includes $225 million to help restore Amtrak service between Chicago and the Quad Cities of Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline, Ill., and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa. Some $23 billion of the bill would go for highway projects.
Republican legislators are already indicating opposition to the taxes proposed in the plan. They include a doubling of the state gas tax to 38 cents per gallon, increased vehicle registration fees, and new taxes on ride sharing and garage parking.
So much baloney and yet someone will belive this garbage.
Time for Metra to become a true regional service by having the counties Rockford and Belvedere are located within to join the RTA tax district. This would allow for service between Rockford-Belvedere-Chicago on a regional commuter frequency (5 trains each way) over one over-priced Amtrak run unable to serve day-trippers and commuters. As well, a Metra operation, which currently terminates at the Big Timber (Elgin) railhead, would include exurban Huntley, and provide service en route to office and shopping areas. However, state and fed investment will be required for rail infrastructure between Big Timber-Rockford.
For QC-CHI service to succeed, inbound run from QC must arrive by 0930 and be at least time competitive with auto/bus travel. Outbound to QC must not depart before 5pm to allow for day-trippers. Service frequency will require second train running on opposite schedule. Issues include: availability of CUS track slots at desired times; potential for providing run through service along other Midwest routes; potential for Iowa to ever contribute to operate train at least thru to Iowa City to serve larger market area. According to a personal comment by Jim McClellan to this writer, the CRI&P route between Chicago-QC-Iowa City-Des Moines-Omaha was the preferred route in the planning stage of Amtrak for the CZ, but could not be considered due to the extensive rail infrastructure repairs required.
I did live in Illinois, and have affection for the state. It’s ironic that Illinois has high highway taxes, yet its roads are in a poor state of repair.
If you want a bracer on the Cornbelt Rocket before dealing with Chicago, it maybe cheaper to bring your own bottle from Iowa.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/pritzker-proposes-tax-hikes-on-beer-wine-liquor-to-help/article_3323f99c-78e1-11e9-bc69-6f29cbe1bcb2.html
How many will still be left in Illinois to pay the higher taxes is another issue.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-illinois-population-loss-madigan-exodus-20181219-story.html
Illinois has a massive liability to the public sector unions on pensions. Pensions that easily outstrip the benefits in the private sector.
No one is saying that these working people are bad people, they just get benefits that are not inline with a normal functioning taxing body. When a PE teacher in one district makes more than twice the median income of his neighbors….when a history teacher make 3 times the median income of the entire county. In the poorest county in Illinois (Hardin) the teachers and the principal are the highest paid people in the area.
Illinois has borrowed against future property tax income (essentially a home equity loan but for government) to such a degree its causing people to move away. Home values are declining because the tax bill is starting to cut into the equity of the homeowner. Essentially stealing their equity to pay for over promised union benefits.
Many school districts have closed because the union salary/pension requirements have become so large, and the state reimbursements so slow to arrive, they are being forced to merge to keep the kids educated. One rural district finally threw in the towel after racking up a $1 million debt and they couldn’t raise taxes. Why? Because all taxes go to the state first and then are reimbursed. They knew if they raised the taxes, they wouldn’t see the revenue for over 18 months. Once upon a time, this was called tyranny.
Until a recent constitutional amendment, Illinois was “robbing” the transportation fund and siphoning it off to help pay the bills. Unless the Feds came up with the required 80%, IDOT was forced into maintenance mode. since the amendment passed, they can’t by law rob the account anymore.
You don’t hear *any* public sector unions worried about the states finances because they are still getting paid (overpaid). Hospitals on the brink because Illinois is 24 months behind in Medicare reimbursements.
Yet some employees of the state university system are getting collection letters from health providers because the states self insurance fund is so far behind in paying the bills.
The situation is really easy to fix.
– Retire Mike Madigan as House Speaker as soon as possible
– Stop the crazy level of benefits for new hires only
– Begin a early retirement plan for the over benefited
– Make public sector unions pay a health plan deductible
– Allow oil fracking and stop subsidizing Illinois’s high sulfur coal industry
– Move more state services to automation and electronic abilities
– Convert *every* sodium halide streetlight to LED’s.
How long will Illinois try to squeeze juice out if a rock?
I don’t live there, but isn’t Illinois one of the highest-taxed states in the Union? Isn’t Illinois deeper in debt than most of the other states in the Union? How much does Illinois pay annually for debt service (interest) on that sum? Wasn’t Illinois on the edge of financial collapse recently? Please inform me.
The federal and local taxes mentioned in the release are existing taxes. The new guv is counting all sources in order to pump up the total spend amount.
This is a state that can’t even fund its state pension and they want to spend money on Amtrak service to where? Yes, how many people will use that service once the free ride period is over?
As usual the people who don’t use the service will pay for it and in this case pay thru the nose. This idiot governor should be sent to Indiana to job shadow the governor there so he can learn a thing or two. So glad I don’t live in Illinois (or California, New York, New Jersey) or any other Dem controlled state that thinks that the taxpayers will simply step up and continue to vote for decreased take home pay due to the Democrats unquenchable thirst for more spending on their pet projects. Plenty of money for the illegal immigrants but not enough to fix the roads. They won’t need as much infrastructure with all the people moving out to Florida. Even AOC’s mother moved south to get out of high tax New York. Can’t wait until 2020.
Okay, the infrastructure is probably a great idea. Most or all of these projects will be very much needed and of great benefit.
Let’s look at the funding. Hit up state taxpayers. Hit up local taxpayers. Hit up the federals. That way everyone can think the projects only cost 1/3rd what they cost.
Maybe Gov. Prtizker could help fund these projects by reducing the benefits package to state employees. And he could help reduce the costs by lobbying Congress and the Legislature to dump Davis Bacon and minority/ women setasides.
Wherever that came from, perhaps oddly enuf the Indian sub-continent, there remain “sacred-cows.'”. Having to do with both military spending and, for example, the so-called ‘farm bill’…which has nothing to do with the “small family farms” which are closing in Wisconsin in record numbers….sacred cows are resistant, unlike sheep, to be led to slaughter.
One must remember, meat scruples aside, that the legislative process, money-wise, is akin to touring the now closed Oscar Meyer wiener plant in that liberal hot-bed of Madison, Wisconsin, hard-by the C&NW line up to Wyeville( should have been the non-poetic “X-ville” because that it truly was), the aromas of which either drifted NE over the puny little AFB at Truax Field or SW over the Capitol.
Always a good idea to keep matters in perspective, historical or culinary.
Wow, some great ideas here!
Lets review!
1/cut national defense
2/soak the taxpayers
3/cut benefits to employees.
In this day and age I shouldn’t even have to comment on cutting national defense.
The taxpayers in Illinois have had quite enough, thank you.
Remember Illinois residents pay federal taxes as well, so we in Illinois are going to get hit twice with the hit the taxpayers comment.
And lets pay for it by cutting state worker benefits, that’s a great idea as well. The people who take care of the infrastructure, lets anger them. Great ideas all.
I have been a proponent of Amtrak since its inception, and I’ve spent thousands of dollars on Amtrak travel, but its time to get out of Illinois taxpayers pockets and off the backs of state employees.
Much like the State of Indiana recently told Amtrak, you want it, you pay for it.
Finally, after so many years of waiting, Amtrak will return to Rock Island…. or will it? Maybe they’ll find another reason to delay it again. I wouldn’t be surprised.
Re: reduce the costs by lobbying Congress
Could also build a few less F-35’s and pay for the entire thing. Why is the military scam the last thing people want to cut? (Oh that’s right, them rooski’s are gonna git us…)