Eye On Illinois: If we’re consolidating transit agencies, why not think really big?

Aim higher.

That’s my thought after considering reports of a plan to consolidate Chicago and suburban public transportation agencies.

In 2022, with the exhaustion of federal COVID-19 relief money in sight, state lawmakers ordered a sustainability plan from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Last September, Metra, Pace and the CTA reportedly faced a combined annual budget shortfall of at least $730 million by 2026, but some projections include a shorter timeline.

The looming crisis sits atop longstanding concerns about operational efficiencies, especially concerning the CTA, perhaps providing the political will for previously unthinkable transformation.

And yet the current discussion of creating a new Metropolitan Mobility Authority, even when viewed in the most favorable light, is limited in scope beyond what a truly visionary reform might entail.

Doing away with the 47 board members, who earn their appointments from 21 officials elected to various government positions, is an upgrade. But current plans still give us 18 directors: the governor names three, the Chicago mayor and Cook County Board president can name five apiece, then DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHeny and Will counties each get to name one. Those 18 people then choose a 19th person to lead.

While the vast majority of the state’s population lives in those six counties, taxpayers in the other 96 still have a voice in Springfield and, perhaps counter to common perception, their own public transportation needs.

Not every Illinoisan can afford or drive a car. Many people rely on family members to get them to and from work or medical appointments or to run basic errands. Clearly, population density, transportation infrastructure and other factors vary widely by ZIP code, but all the existing state agencies – and there are many – navigate in the same cloudy water.

To be clear, we’re not lifting up something like the Department of Children and Family Services as a model for solving transportation problems. But if consolidation is on the table, it’s at least worth exploring whether a statewide model is superior to another version of the regional approach.

Gov. JB Pritzker is pushing for a new state agency to administer every early childhood service, about which I’ve said he bears the burden of proving actual cost and operational efficiencies to offset the loss of local control. The same concerns apply to any push for consolidation, including transportation, but the conversation only advances to that stage if influential people raise the flag.

What if we had one streamlined training and hiring process? Could enhanced buying power reduce equipment expenses? Might there be efficiencies in assigning vehicles throughout the state as needs dictate? We’re not talking monorails and other daydreams, but the MMA proposal doesn’t yet seem to consider all possible opportunities.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. Follow him on X @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.