Metropolitan Planning Council denounces no-growth proposal
(Chicago) … With the Illinois
General Assembly poised to cap off a record-breaking overtime session by passing
a no-growth budget, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) expresses outrage
that nearly a quarter of a million dollars in taxpayer
money may be squandered on a plan that
neither addresses metropolitan Chicago’s transit operating needs nor provides
adequate funding for Illinois public schools.
“Unless legislators
reject this do-nothing budget, people across the region will feel the pinch of
reduced transit service,
and
Illinois children will continue to struggle
to learn in overcrowded classrooms with outdated textbooks,” said MPC
President MarySue
Barrett. “A no-growth budget
means our lawmakers lack the political courage to do what they know is
right.”
If the Illinois General
Assembly fails to approve a funding source to cover transit operating needs – a
modest regional sales tax increase has been proposed as the most sustainable
solution – the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) reports it will need to suspend
39 bus routes, increase fares by $.25 to $1.25, lay off 700 workers, defer $57
million of capital spending to operations, and reduce overall service by 8
percent. This scenario is a scaled-back version of the CTA’s original doomsday
scenario, but the agency estimates it will still cause some 100,000 weekday
riders to abandon the system.
“Driving downtown during
rush hour is like trying to sprint in a swimming pool. Imagine what it will be
like with an additional 100,000 drivers on the roads,” said Barrett. “Our region
is growing. We’re vying for the Olympics with world-class cities like
Madrid
,
Tokyo
and
Rio de Janeiro
. And we’re
competing economically with our counterparts nationwide. At a time when we
should be growing our transit system, it’s unacceptable that we’re considering
shrinking it.”
The
majority of
Illinois
voters have reacted favorably to a
proposed income tax increase that would provide adequate funding for programs
proven to improve school performance. Yet a no-growth budget scenario would
earmark just enough to allow the state’s public schools to limp to next year,
without implementing improvements or significantly addressing shortfalls like
overcrowded classrooms and crumbling school buildings.
“The research has been done to show
what
Illinois schools need to prepare our
children for the future. A progressive solution is on the table,” said
Barrett.
“We urge the governor and
state lawmakers to reject a budget that leaves
Illinois
schools
behind.”