The state of the State

By SHELLEY DAVIS

JUNE 7, 1981: "Where will you sleep if there is a transit shutdown?" the ad asks. The answer: "You can't stay anywhere closer to work than your own office — Complete urban camping package, reg. $74.95, now $59.95" — Luxury Downtown Accommodations from Morrie Mages Sports.

Now that's planning ahead just in case the financial bomb explodes leaving the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) in ruins.

It has been estimated that if the entire system grinds to a halt, between $1 million and $3 million a day in sales and about $15.2 million in daily wages would be lost. State income and sales tax revenues from this money add up to roughly half-a-million dollars a day — quite a chunk to lose.

As the time neared for the RTA bomb to detonate, the legislative rescue squad was no closer to preventing an explosion than it was in March. Even though the gross receipts tax on oil companies, proposed by Gov. James R. Thompson almost three-and-a-half months ago, was still being touted by all factions as the best possible solution, legislation incorporating the tax hadn't gained headway in either house by June 9.

The problem, it seems, is that the four Illinois political factions have split into even smaller groups that are only "agreeing to disagree." It used to be simple — pull together some Republicans and Democrats from both the Chicago metropolitan and downstate areas and you had the votes. Today, though, the Republicans seem more fractured than ever, and the down-staters of both parties really don't care about their northeastern cousins' transit problem. But as one Chicago legislator indicated, downstate roads may need fixing in the next year or so, and if downstaters turn their backs on the RTA now, they may find little support for their roads in the future among Chicago-area legislators.

The difficulty in forming a coalition this session is apparent in the list of representatives House Minority Leader Michael Madigan (D., Chicago) had committed — as of June 5 — to vote for the gross receipts tax. The majority of the 59 legislators are Chicago Democrats. Of the others, five are Chicago Republicans, who probably won't be back in 1983 due to the cutback and reapportionment; five are downstaters, three of whom serve on Madigan's leadership team; and 10 are from cities in the RTA area. Basically, the Madigan "coalition" is the Chicago bloc plus others who have a vested interest in seeing that the RTA does not collapse.

Piece by piece, however, the RTA was shutting down. By the end of May, three of the 13 transit companies subsidized by the RTA in the six-county area had stopped service. The predicted shutdown date for at least six others, including the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) had been moved up to mid-June.

One of the biggest roadblocks so far has been the control of the transit board — Chicago or the suburbs? — and how far its power would extend. A summit meeting with Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne and legislative leaders held in Chicago at the end of May produced no solution; another meeting with Gov. Thompson in Chicago on June 7 produced no plan.

2/July 1981/Illinois Issues

But, in an effort to act in good faith, the CTA decided June 6 to eliminate 350 jobs, helping to decrease its budget by $14 million. This may work to appease Senate Republicans, in particular, who had formulated their own transportation package, independent of the governor's, calling for a restructured transit board with the power over the establishment of fares, reduction of services and other cost containment measures.

If a coalition can't be formed to find a permanent solution, temporary solutions have come from the courts allowing the Milwaukee Road and North Western rail lines to continue operating one week longer than their anticipated shutdowns. Another judge issued an order for the RTA to do everything possible in the way of fare increases, service cutbacks and finding additional government grants to keep the system running.

Other suits may have a negative effect, however. Kane, Lake and Will counties have filed suit seeking $10 million collected in their area which they say the RTA owes them. The suit charges that the CTA has been getting more than its fair share of 63.8 percent of the funds allowed by the RTA budget. In fact the CTA received 72 percent of the budget in April and 81 percent in May. The suit could hold up the CTA's share of the $21.6 million in sales tax revenues to be advanced by the state to the RTA in June. The governor also got into the act, saying that if the sales tax money is not divided equitably, he would withhold it.

One should keep in mind that with inflation, rising fuel costs and slashes in the federal budget for urban mass transit the situation in Chicago is far from unique. Transit systems in such cities as Birmingham, Ala., Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia are all faced with budget deficits that have forced higher fares or caused partial or complete shutdowns.

But the RTA in Illinois faced another deadline: legislative action. Anything passed after June 30 needs a three-fifths vote if it is to take effect before July 1, 1982. This deadline affects all legislation, so the longer the General Assembly dawdles on the RTA question, the less time for other business, including reapportionment.

3/July 1981/Illinois Issues