(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says a Republican state senator is late to the table when it comes to public transit funding, but Pritzker also says he is looking at all potential revenue sources.
State Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, told The Center Square last month that Senate Republicans were preparing new legislation to fund transit.
DeWitte noted that a Chicago Metropolitan Planning Agency report compared state funding of mass transit in large population centers.
“The state of Illinois had the smallest percentage of contribution to mass transit in the nation,” DeWitte said.
DeWitte said labor agreed to allow interest from Illinois’ road fund to be used for regional transit’s looming $770 million fiscal cliff and suggested that Pritzker should do the same with the approximately $3 billion rainy day fund. DeWitte said the state reported that the rainy day fund generated close to $600 million in interest since its inception.
At an unrelated event in Chicago Tuesday, a reporter asked the governor about DeWitte’s proposal to use interest from the state’s road and rainy day funds to address the transit fiscal cliff.
“Well, he’s a little late to the table, if you ask me, if that’s a recent proposal. All I can say it that we’re looking at all the potential revenue sources to make sure we fund a world-class transit system in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker responded.
State lawmakers are expected to address the fiscal cliff for public transit during the General Assembly’s fall veto session next month.
In addition to funding, DeWitte discussed a rail project which is costing taxpayers more than $1 billion per mile.
Property demolition began earlier this year for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line extension on the city’s South Side. The project’s cost, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, is $5.75 billion to extend the line 5.5 miles.
DeWitte said much of the funding is coming from federal taxpayers.
“They have somehow been able to convince our federal partners that the costs are justified. There’s been significant federal dollars appropriated to that one, specific project,” DeWitte said.
DeWitte said the new CTA leadership should take a look at where the numbers came from and where exactly the money will be going.
“It sounds to me like it’s somebody’s pipe dream as to the gravy train to an early retirement,” DeWitte said.
DeWitte said he thinks CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen is doing a great job. Leehrsen ascended to the job after previous President Dorval Carter retired earlier this year.
DeWitte said the CTA is the biggest piece of the state’s $770 million fiscal cliff.
