McHenry Township senior bus vote draws attention

Some McHenry Township residents are outraged over a decision to cut the township’s senior bus program.

The Township’s board of trustees at a special meeting this week eliminated the program. More than two dozen people spoke during public comment and implored them to keep the service. The program provides transportation for seniors and people with disabilities in the township.

Trustees Bob Anderson, Mike Rakestraw and Steve Verr voted to eliminate the program with Trustee Stan Wojewski and Township Supervisor Craig Adams voting against its elimination.

The program’s last day is expected to be Nov. 30, 2019, but residents and local leaders are trying to come up with a solution.

“Email the trustees, [County Board Chairman] Jack Franks and our local legislators,” Adams said. “Let them know this decision has consequences.”

The program provided 12,572 rides from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019. The total cost to run the program is $248,972. Revenues of $59,243 offset part of the cost and include grants and rider fares, according to township documents.

The total cost per property tax bill for the program is $7.67, according to township documents.

The top three most popular destinations were doctors’ offices, including 1,212 rides to a dialysis center; shopping or the pharmacy, and nonprofits such as the food pantry, Alano club, the senior center, Pioneer Center and TLS Veterans, according to township documents.

Trustees contended that riders could use the county’s McRide program, Pace or Senior Service Associates for transportation. But there are big differences between the program offerings.

“This is a huge deal,” said Christy Strissel, transportation coordinator with SSA, which has an office in the McHenry Township Senior Center. “I am very upset. I am very concerned because unfortunately there are a lot of people who are in wheel chairs and I can’t assist them.”

The SSA transportation program uses a team of about 70 volunteers – all of whom have varying availability – to provide rides to people over the age of 60 in the township. Volunteers use their own personal vehicles and are often seniors themselves, said Strissel.

The service provides around 80 rides a month and can only take people to places such as the doctor, the bank and the grocery store. The service won’t take people to social activities or places like hair salons because of budget constraints, Strissel said.

“This is alarming for seniors who may end up more isolated,” she said. “Mental health directly affects physical health.”

The county McRide program provided 111,000 rides in 2018, said Susan Borucki, senior planner with the county’s division of transportation.

The buses are wheelchair accessible, she said.

“In the upcoming months, the county will continue to work closely with Pace and the McHenry County Public Transportation Advisory Committee to help all of our riders – including those in McHenry Township – get the trips that they need,” she said in a statement.

The township’s bus is a “door to door” program which means riders who need assistance leaving the house or carrying grocery bags or other items could still use the service. Neither Pace nor McRide offer that additional help.

McHenry County’s Veterans Assistance Commission provides rides to Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center only. The service is offered to honorably discharged McHenry County veterans. Riders are picked up from locations in McHenry, Crystal Lake and Woodstock, not their homes.

The decision to eliminate the service has already sparked at least one complaint to the Illinois Attorney General’s Disability Rights Bureau, records show.

Cary resident Kerri Barber filed the complaint and said the elimination of the program unfairly targets people with disabilities. Barber is also part of Our Revolution McHenry County, an independent progressive group.

The trustees were shown evidence that people with disabilities and other physical limitations rely on the service to get to work, “critical doctors appointments” and to “vital social interactions,” but still cut the program, Barber wrote.

“This is not only discriminatory, [it’s] now a life-threatening issue for many,” she said in the complaint.

Trustees could reverse the decision, but local leaders are already looking at other possibilities.

McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett and Johnsburg Village President Ed Hettermann have both expressed concern about the service’s end.

“I don’t think the thought process was good, or fair to the people its affecting,” Hettermann said. “I don’t think they thought it through at all.”

Jett said he wanted to explore offering a similar service in-house for McHenry residents. Other municipalities could potentially benefit through intergovernmental agreements, he said.

“We are looking at getting businesses tied on to help cover the [start up costs],” he said. “We are getting more of a community behind them, especially considering the circumstances. McHenry can be a leader here to provide a better quality of life.”