Eye On Illinois: Is public transit status quo worth preserving? If so, at what cost?

The rhetorical lines are drawn.

At the first of several public hearings about plans to create the Metropolitan Mobility Authority by consolidating CTA, Metra and Pace which took place July 9 in Chicago, leaders addressed what they call the “fiscal cliff.” Per Andrew Adams of Capitol News Illinois, the agencies are looking at a total annual shortfall of $730 million in operating costs starting in 2026.

The transit folks have a simple solution: the state should give them more money. Lawmakers are reluctant, hence the exploration of whether creating the MMA might be a less expensive solution.

Other hearings will begin at 10 a.m. July 24 in Cook County’s south suburbs, Aug. 8 in DuPage, Will and Kendall counties and Aug. 28 in Kane and McHenry, but we’ve already got a clear picture of the debate.

Kirk Dillard, the former state senator, is board chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority, the funding umbrella over Metra, Pace and the CTA. He said if the state fails to replace expiring COVID-era federal funds, up to 40% of services could disappear, with a $2.4 billion ripple effect in the regional economy, including impact on 25,000 jobs.

However, Dillard also told lawmakers they could flip that trend by increasing their annual outlay, growing the GDP by $2.5 billion and adding 27,000 jobs.

As with any time someone stresses the government should spend money to make money, it’d be nice to have some irrefutable data proving the binary choice could help swing the employment fates of 52,000 Illinoisans.

State Sen. Ram Villivalam and state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, Chicago Democrats, proposed the consolidation in April and aren’t the only lawmakers concerned about safety challenges, performance issues and adequate workforce development. Villivalam specifically pledged “no votes for funding” without governance reform and better service.

“I do not believe that combining us into one organization will make us better,” Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger told the committee, adding concerns about the dilution of local representation and expressing the belief that “the needs of suburban areas will not be met as well as they’re met right now” after consolidation.

“The model that’s been set up for governance today didn’t come by accident. It was a really hardly negotiated compromise between the need for accountability and the need for local control,” CTA President Dorval Carter said.

The agencies will need a better counterargument. What we have isn’t working as well as possible, making it time to revisit the compromise. Are the suburban needs being well met under the status quo? Obviously, things could be worse, but isn’t it worth exploring all the possible ways to make it better?

More public funding may ultimately be the best option. But there’s no way it’s our only choice.

• 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.