Special McHenry Township elector meeting on senior bus referendum, re-vote to be held Monday

McHenry Township voters are gearing up for a special meeting Monday.

Residents requested the meeting via petition and will be able to vote on two matters related to the recent elimination of the township senior and disabled bus program. Trustees voted to do away with the program in June and the service is set to end Nov. 30.

The program provides door-to-door transport for more than 200 people in the township, Township Supervisor Craig Adams said. The vote sparked outrage among residents in the township and beyond.

Registered voters in the township will have a chance to vote on two things at Monday’s meeting. The first is whether an advisory referendum should be put on the March 17 primary ballot. The referendum would be nonbinding and ask whether the township should operate, fund and manage the senior and disabled bus program.

The second vote will be on whether the Township Board shall reconsider the matter at its next regularly scheduled meeting, which would be Thursday, Adams said.

“That is the beauty of township government,” he said. “The electors have a lot of power.”

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday at the township building, 3703 N. Richmond Road.

John Macrito, secretary of the McHenry Township Republican Central Committee, filed the petition with 55 verified signatures. Only 25 signatures would have been required to call the meeting, he said.

“The power is in the power of the people,” he said. “The feedback we are getting is that the people aren’t happy.”

He said that the committee doesn’t support the board’s decision and there were less extreme ways to go about saving money, such as cutting the program down instead of eliminating it all together.

“Hopefully, we can get one of the three to change their minds,” he said. “I don’t see that happening as much as I would love it to. ... But we will fight it all the way to the courts. We believe in the cause.”

Macrito said the effort to keep the service would continue because “it’s the right thing to do.”

“The voice of the people should matter,” he said. “It’s pretty apparent [the trustees] have a total disregard for what the people they are supposed to represent want.”

Trustees Bob Anderson, Mike Rakestraw and Steve Verr cast votes to eliminate the service, whereas Adams and Trustee Stan Wojewski voted to keep the program.

Anderson said Friday that he didn’t plan to attend Monday’s meeting because he didn’t believe the general public would attend.

“The audience will be the precinct committeemen and the people who have been demonstrating and want something changed,” Anderson said. “There is no reason for me to be there.”

Trustees cited high cost and the duplication of services as some reasons to eliminate the service. Adams said the cost for the program is about $7.68 a property tax bill each year.

Only a few other townships in McHenry County offer transportation services outside of the countywide McRide transportation service.

Richmond and Burton townships operate a shared bus service for seniors. The service uses one accessible bus with a wheelchair lift and two cars, said Diana Benitez, the senior bus transportation coordinator and office administrator with Richmond Township.

Charges range from $3 to $6 for a round-trip ride depending on how far the rider needs to go, she said. Between 40 and 50 people use the service on a regular basis, she said.

The Algonquin Township Highway Department operates a curb-to-curb senior and disabled bus service. Rides must be scheduled in advance and cost $2 for a one-way trip and $4 for a round trip, according to the township website.

Nunda Township used to operate its own bus service but eliminated it once McRide became available, said Eric Konieczski, director of operations for the township.

He said that Nunda still operates a very limited service to residents who can’t use McRide, but only two riders use that option, which doesn’t have wheelchair accessibility.

“We have driven a few here and there but we really are trying to encourage McRide as much as possible,” he said.

McRide is a dial-a-ride service that provides curb-to-curb transportation to McHenry County residents. Cities and townships pay into the system in order to get service in their area.

The majority of other townships such as Marengo, Grafton, Hartland, Dorr, Greenwood, Riley and Chemung don’t offer anything beyond McRide. Smaller townships such as Seneca and Alden don’t offer McRide or any other transportation service.