Time could be running out to avoid route cuts and fare hikes for Pace Suburban Bus Service after a funding bill failed to garner enough votes Sept. 4 in the Illinois General Assembly.

The House of Representatives voted 61-48 in favor of the bill, but it was 10 votes short of the required 71.

The bill would secure funding for the Regional Transit Authority, including Pace, by raising real estate taxes and increasing sales tax a quarter percent in Cook County and a half of a percent in the collar counties.

State Rep. Kathy Ryg, D-59th District, of Vernon Hills and a longtime member of the House Transportation Committee, was disappointed that the bill failed to gain traction.

“There was a lot of work that went into this,” she said. “Everyone was really cognizant that this was a crisis.”

House Democrats compose much of the supporting bloc of votes along with a few Republican representatives from the suburbs joining them.

David Dring, spokesman for House Republican leader Tom Cross, said some Republicans were concerned about how the bill would affect the RTA leadership, specifically that too much power would be given to Cook County at the expense of suburban counties.

Others took issue with the idea of raising sales tax.

“They don’t think now is the time to be taking more money out of citizen of Illinois’ pockets,” Dring said.

Still, others opposed the bill because of their issues with the capital budget, which they believe does not provide enough money for statewide transportation costs, Dring said.

The bill could come back for discussion as early as next week, Ryg said, but that might not be soon enough to avoid some potential repercussions of RTA’s budget shortfall.
Because altering routes and fares requires considerable preparation, there is a threshold at which the changes will become unavoidable regardless of any money that becomes available.

Pace’s budget is short $50 million this year, and without state funding some fare hikes will begin to go up as early as Sunday, Sept. 16. Twenty-two routes have been targeted for cancellation Sunday, Oct. 7.

Pace spokeswoman Judi Kulm said the changes will be implemented gradually during the coming weeks to avoid hitting riders with too many changes at once. But still, even the slightest changes could have drastic effects for Pace riders.

“The risk is that if they implement those cuts and fare increases, you lose riders from day one and they don’t come back,” Ryg said.

Even if the bill passes out of the House of Representatives, it will face a contentious future. Its reception in the Illinois Senate is uncertain, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich has promised to veto any bill that increases sales tax.

“I hope that people really believe that this is a crisis looming and the general public puts pressure on elected officials to do the right thing,” Ryg said.