Regional Transit Authority Presents 2022 Budget to Cook County Board

Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting
November 4, 2021

Board Action:
The RTA (which includes the CTA, PACE and Metra) presented their 2022 budgets to the Cook County Board  for their information as required by law. The Board received and filed the reports.

• $3.4B budget for the entirety of the RTA, up 4.6% over pre-Covid estimates. Ridership has been down nearly 50% since March 2020. Due to lost revenue from riders, the budget has been made possible by three Federal Covid relief grants. (Agenda Item 21-5973)
• Cook County has implemented a Fair Transit Pilot, and is going to look at the results in the next 6-12 months.
• Comm. Degnen pressed the RTA leadership for a more concrete plan for the electrification of the bus fleet.  
• City Transit Authority (CTA) spoke of their five year plan for capital improvements. This includes a blue line rebuild, improvements in Austin, rail improvements, and a red line extension for the south side. They are working towards electrifying the entire fleet by 2040. Again, Comm. Degnen asked for a plan and budget for implementation. Since January, ridership has nearly doubled, but the CTA still has a $160M deficit in its operational budget. (21-5974)
• The Metra director presented their $900M operational cost budget. There will be no fair increase for 2022, but ridership is at 80% of pre-pandemic levels. Their 2022 budget includes cautious assumptions about ridership in 2022. (21-5976)

Commissioners approved an ordinance amendment designating firearm and ammunition tax revenues for gun violence prevention programs. Cook County, pursuant to its home rule powers, implemented a tax on firearms and ammunition to curb the cost of gun violence. (Agenda Item 21-6225)

• The City of Chicago has released information stating that the number of gunshot victims has increased 10% compared to 2020, and increased 70% compared to the same time period in 2019. 
• Comm. Sean Morrison spoke against approving the ordinance, explaining that the Supreme Court of Illinois has already overthrown the existing gun tax based on the wording of the bill, and confusion over how the money would be spent. He stated that it violates the uniformity clause, the uniform collection of federal taxes. 
• The motion carried, notwithstanding the division. Comm. S. Morrison and Comm. Sylvestri voted against approval. 

The Board Referred:

• Commissioners referred to the Legislation Committee a resolution “Urging the Illinois State Legislature to pass House Bill 4176 to provide to Cook County Police Chiefs local law enforcement override of a felony rejection or a designation of a felony as a continuing investigation by the Cook County State’s Attorney."(Agenda Item 21-6219)

Observer: Amber L Elmer                                                     Meeting Length: 4 hours 40 minutes