HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES-1991-10-23-19911
CITY COUNCIL
O
'b CO. IA.,
October 23, 1991
A SPECIAL MEETING of the City Council was held on Wednesday, October 23, 1991, at
7:34 P.M. in the Council Chamber pursuant to the Council's call of October 14, 1991.
ROLL CALL - PRESENT:
A quorum being present.
Alderman Fiske
Alderman Newman
Alderman Davis
Alderman Brady
Alderman Esch
Alderman Washington
ABSENT: Aldermen Paden and Nelson
Alderman Kent
Alderman Moran
Alderman Wollin
Alderman -Engelman
Alderman Feldman
Alderman Warshaw
TARDY: Aldermen Drummer, Feldman, Lanyon and Heydemann
City Clerk Kirsten F. Davis announced that, in the absence of Mayor Barr,
nominations for the election of a Mayor Pro Tem were in order and that, in
accordance with Council Rule 15.7, Alderman Davis is first on the seniority list of
Aldermen present who have not served as Mayor Pro Tem. Alderman Brady, Chair of
the Rules Committee, nominated Alderman Davis to serve as Mayor Pro Tem.' Seconded
by Alderman Warshaw. Motion carried. No nays.
PRESIDING: Mayor Pro Tem Davis
Mayor Pro Tem Davis welcomed everyone and said that this evening would be a
dialogue between CTA representatives and elected officials and there would be no
public comment. She said there will be opportunities for public comment at a City
sponsored hearing on Saturday, October 26 at 9:00 A.M. and the Public Hearing that
the CTA has scheduled for Wednesday, October 30 at Loyola University. She
introduced Clark Burrus, Chair of the CTA Board and Al Savage, Executive Director.
She announced that, in addition to citizens who had come out, representatives of
organizations and other elected officials were also present. Mayor Pro Tem Davis
introduced John Taylor, President of NBD Bank and President of the Chamber of
Commerce; Ray Grady, President of Evanston Hospital; George Van Dusen, representing
Congressman Sidney Yates's office; and Muriel Chalem, representating State Senator
Arthur Berman.
Mayor Pro Tem Davis said that the Council appreciated the presence of Mr. Burrus
and Mr. Savage to talk with Evanston elected officials on an issue of great
importance to the City and its citizens. She expressed the City's disappointment
that the CTA had chosen not schedule a public hearing in Evanston which would
allow those directly affected by the cuts in services to address CTA
representatives. The City is concerned about the proposed reductions but is aware
that all the reductions will be implemented. She said that she hoped the evening's
discussion would have a positive effect upon CTA board deliberations and final
determination of reductions. The City plans to hold its own public hearing so
residents and citizens can be heard. The City expects a good showing at the public
hearing on the 30th at Loyola University.
-2- October 23, 1991
Yiayor fro Tem Davies reminded the CTA representatives that they were hearing
comments tonight, not only from elected representatives of those affected by the
proposed cuts, but also from a deliberative body not unlike their own with
responsibility to deliver vital public service within a limited budget. The
Aldermen are not unfamiliar with hard decisions involving services and
expenditures. Even within stringent limitations on the City's expenditures, the
Aldermen take service reductions seriously and look for all conceivable ways,
including management reorganization, to provide and maintain high levels of service
within the City's means. She said it is not an easy task, but that Council expects
no less from the CTA board. Mayor Pro Tem Davis then,outlined the evening's agenda
and time frame.
Chairman Burrus said he and Mr. Savage decided not to give a detailed overview of
the cuts and fare enhancements proposed, but wished to listen to what the Aldermen
have to say. However, one thing he wanted to leave with them, was that the problem
is real, it will not go away, and no permanent solution would be found in the next
few weeks for funding public transportation. He said that the CTA could no longer
maintain the same service level with a projected $57 million shortfall in funding.
He said that even though they have one of the smallest administrative staffs of any
mass transit organization in the country, they will still be cutting administration
by more than 107.. However additional money will still be required to come from the
fare box and service reductions. The current proposals by staff and management are
for $20 million in reduced service. He emphasized that the proposals are for
service cuts in their entire service area and they are trying to implement those
cuts which will not impact unduly on any one area.
At this time Alderman Drummer was here.
Chairman Burrus endorsed the buttons being worn by those present (Evanston needs
the CTA/CTA needs Evanston). He said that these are bleak times for all government
agencies and that government needs to make a renewed commitment to urban transit.
The problem is not one of demand, but one of the supply of resources to meet those
demands. It is not a question of what Evanston or the CTA needs, but what the CTA
can afford to operate with the resources it has.
Mayor Pro Tem Davis said that the City views the CTA as a partner and wants to
improve communication with the CTA. The City has always prided itself on excellent
transportation and transportation is the key to the City's economic development°
She reminded the CTA representatives that the City had undertaken maintenance of
some stations and that $22,000 from the city budget had gone for joint facade and
landscaping improvements at the South Boulevard station. The City has also'proved
its commitment to transportation by using $11 million of federal, state and local
money for a new transportation center at Davis Street. The City has committed to
pay over $500,000 to CTA staff for the design review, construction monitoring and
track inspection costs related to that station. It proves the City's committment
to excellent transit service and the City wants full service to continue.
Mayor Pro Tem Davis said that in the past, she had served as deputy chief counsel
for the Illinois Department of Transportation, where one of her major
responsibilities involved the division of public transportation. During her tenure
there, she watched the huge investment and years spent in planning for the
maintenance and expansion of public transportation service and facilities. The
current proposals made by the CTA fly in the face of these monumental past efforts
and will set this area back for years, and will affect our ability to move people
through our cities.
Alderman Rainey said that the recommended elimination of Routes 204 and 97 bus
service on Saturdays (since there is no longer Sunday bus service) and the
elimination of Sunday EL service virtually cuts off south Evanston from access to
public transportation for 5,240 people on week -ends. The one to two mile walk from
the Howard Street EL is not an option for many people. She pointed out that there
are 5,450 entering riders on week days, which would mean that 10,900 riders would
be affected on a weekly basis were the South Boulevard station to close. The result
would be to herd 1,900 riders to the already heavily -impacted Hain Street EL
station. Since there is also a Chicago and Northwestern stop there, many riders
would, no doubt, opt to take the Northwestern train. She pointed out that the
individuals using the 204'and 97 bus and the South Boulevard EL station represent
16,140 fares. These are individuals who support public transiortation. She
suggested that instead of making it more difficult or impossible to use public
transportation, the CTA board should use its power to increase ridership. She
offered the City's help and reminded them that the City had already earmarked
$20,000 for improvements at the South Boulevard
L
i
-3- October 23, 1991
station alone. Given the week -end cuts on the #97 and #204, and the proposed
closing of South Boulevard EL station, the south end of town takes the greatest
hit. It cannot be cut off from the rest of the City, from Chicago and from other
nearby areas. Alderman Rainey said that a developer is currently in final
negotiations for a 23-acre retail development on the west end of Howard Street and
the proposed cuts do not send a good message to that developer.
Alderman Rainey read a letter from James Gizzi, President of St. Francis Hospital,
expressing the hospital's concern about the major impact these cuts will have on
its ability to function. As an acute care facility, it relies on around the clock
staffing. The proposed week -end cuts will affect critical hospital staffing
because it is more difficult to recruit week -end workers. Substantial numbers of
people on the nursing staff, housekeeping staff, laboratory, dietary and other
miscellaneous staff will be left stranded at the Howard Street station. These cuts
will severely impact the hospital's ability to serve the community. In conclusion,
Alderman Rainey introduced James Stack, Vice President of Community Development at
St. Francis hospital.
Alderman Warshaw said that she understood the CTA struggle to balance its budget,
having had a similar experience in Evanston with angry residents demanding that the
City cut the budget without cutting services. She said Evanston has a new City
Manager to help the City do that and suggested that the CTA find similar expertise
within their ranks.
Alderman Warshaw said that the Dominick's store adjacent to the South Boulevard EL
station is the only major grocery store in south Evanston and serves south Evanston
and north Rogers Park. She said many elderly persons and students shop there, as
well as lower income people who do not have a car. She said that we cannot turn
our backs on them, because many of them cannot afford the extra cost of taxicabs.
She said that there are many people who have no other alternative but to take
public transportation and Saturday may be the only day when they are able to shop.
Alderman Brady suggested to the CTA representatives that they should not consider
Evanston like other suburbs. She said Evanston is not like Arlington Heights and
Winnetka. Evanston is more like a microcosm of Chicago with the same problems as
Chicago. The Dempster Street stop is in an urban community. The City has spent
hundreds of thousands of dollarsin rehabbing facades and helping to upgrade the
commercial area around the Dempster Street EL station which she characterized as a
fragile neighborhood. She said that it has a committed group of merchants. Last
time the Dempster station was proposed to be closed, the area businessmen offered
to adopt an EL and help keep up the station. However, they never received any
response from the CTA to their offer. Alderman Brady said that closing the station
is not the answer to money problems.. She suggested that automated fare collectors
be installed and the CTA use shorter trains with one driver. She said it would be
preferable to have higher fares than to close stations. She said that, as an urban
community, Evanston depends upon public transportation and urged the CTA to work
with the City and not take public transportation away.
Alderman Newman urged the CTA not to close the Noyes Street stop. He said he was
disturbed about the process whereby these cuts had been presented. 'He said that
since the Aldermen are friends of the CTA and he wondered how the CTA treats its
enemies. He questioned why the City had not received a phone call before the
recommendations were made. He said that Evanston had no chance to work with the
CTA before proposed cuts were announced and suggested that the City was entitled to
have the information in advance in order to work with them.
Alderman Newman pointed out that senior housing had recently been built near the
Noyes Street EL station and that many residents of that senior housing were
dependent on the EL for transportation. He also questioned why the CTA had
recently spent a great deal of money to repair the South Boulevard station and now
are proposing to close it. He said that the City had done what it could to
revitalize business in the area near the EL stations and the proposed closing of
the stations was pulling the rug out from underneath them.
Alderman Newman suggested that perhaps the City could find ways in which to help
the CTA, such as negotiating with Commonwealth Edison to see if something could be
worked out that they would absorb some of the electrical cost of running the EL
trains. He suggested that a public body such as the CTA needed to assume the
responsibility of providing better service which would generate more riders. He
reminded them that they are in direct competition with Metra, which has a better
on -time record than the CTA does. He suggested that the CTA needs to improve
service to be competitive. He suggested that we should find a way to work together
so the cuts would not be necessary. He promised that the City would continue to
send legislators to Springfield who support subsidies to the CTA.
�lV
Alderman Esch pointed out that many people come to work in Evanstonon on public
,transportation and, if they cannot rely on the EL and buses to get here on time,
they will have to find another way to earn their livelihood. She said those people
on the west side who are some distance from the EL rely on the #204 and the Grant.
Street bus to get to the EL. She questioned whether the CTA had considered using
smaller vehicles on week -ends. She said that manufacturers here are happy to be
here because of public transportation and ready access to an excellent labor
market. These cuts make no sense. Diminution of service may deal a death blow to
some of Evanston's economic development efforts and may cast doubt in the minds of
people as to whether they ought to locate here. She pointed out that lots of
people are experencing discomfort just contemplating the proposed cuts.
-4-
October 23, 1991
Alderman Fiske pointed out that he had selected his house due to its proximity to
public transportation at the Noyes Street stop and the business district there. He
said that in his eighteen years in the City he had learned the essential nature of
the EL because he had taken night law school classes. He pointed out that
residences closer to EL stops are more marketable.
As a member of the Special Committee on Parking, he is acutely aware of the parking
shortage in Evanston which will be exacerbated by the cuts in bus and EL service.
More people will drive, increasing the number of cars on the road, and increasing
the need of people to have more cars. People who customarily who drive to certain
EL stations that are being closed can drive to others, but will create parking
problems in the neighborhoods near those other stations. Before the CTA talks
seriously about cutting, they will have to convince his constitutents that all has
been done to cut expenses. He suggested that automatic tellers would be one way to
address the problem and suggested that providing better service at lower cost would
generate more ridership and more money.
Alderman Engelman discussed the dramatic impact that the proposed cuts will have on
Evanston Hospital and St. Francis hospital, two health care institutions located in
Evanston which have a national reputation and provide service to the greater
metropolitan area. He pointed out that both institutions operate around -the -clock,
seven days a week and provide services for the betterment of all. The employees of
the hopitals on the low end of the scale are dependent on public transportation to
get to work at the hospital. The hospital purchases $27,000 worth of tokens each
month. If service is cut, employees cannot get there. It will also dramatially
impact service to low income patients, because Evanston hospital commits $11
million annually in services to the poor and St. Francis hospital commits 2.5% of
its gross revenue to serve the poor. Those people are dependent on public
transportation to get to both hospitals. He pointed out that, while the CTA may
have counted 200 people entering the station on Sunday, it doesn't say how many
came from Chicago to get off in Evanston. The CTA as a public transit system is
imbued with a public trust to provide service, not only for the community, but for
those who are unable to help themselves in particular. To tell these people that
they won't have.the CTA anymore and to tell them that they can't get to work
anymore, or get to their medical service anymore, is not to fulfill the
responsibility of someone imbued with the public trust. He urged the CTA to look
again at its numbers and to see not just who gets on but who gets off at a
particular station. He urged the CTA to work with the Aldermen and other members
of the community to find solutions to very real problems.
Alderman Kent said that the three words that come to mind when he thinks about the
proposed cuts are: "important" "livelihood" and "lifestyles". He said that people
use the Sunday EL service to get to jobs. Evanston is a multi -cultural city and the
needs are many. One need that touches everyone is the need for public
transportation because not everyone is able to drive or can afford a car. People
in Evanston and Rogers Park rely on the EL and the bus service to go grocery
shopping on the week -end, to visit the unique neighborhood shops at Dempster. The
Dempster Street stop also gives access to the Jewel food store. Alderman Kent said
he views Sunday service as a stream of independence. He pointed out that Noyes
Street is somewhat like Dempster Street in that the neighborhood shops and
businesses serve many needs. In addition to that, at the Noyes Street stop there is
the Cultural Arts Center, which offers some of the most enlightened programs of any
facility around, serving people from the entire Evanston community. The Noyes stop
also serves senior citizens homes and Northwestern students. He also pointed out
that many people take public transportation to churches on Sunday. Many churches
near the EL line have church members from Chicago. Eliminating Sunday EL service
would also eliminate the ability of Evanstonians to take the EL to Cubs and White
Sox games, the Blues Fest, the Fourth of July celebration and other downtown events
where parking is at a premium. Alderman Kent said he was sure the CTA got more
complaints than compliments, but Evanston appreciates their service and needs their
service. He urged the CTA to work with the City to find a way to keep that service.
-5-
October 23, 1991
Alderman Moran said that Evanston and Chicago enjoy an important and strong
relationship with each other. Evanston has an important dependence on Chicago and
Chicago has a need for Evanston. When people think of Evanston, they think of our
diversity, our excellent health care institutions, our world class colleges and
University, our nationally known public education system and our access to public
transportation. Our closeness to Chicago is both physical and spiritual proximity
and there is a need to go back and forth.
The elimination of four major Saturday bus routes will severely impact the economic
climate in the City and the elimination of Saturday service on the 201 and 203 will
directly affect his ward, limiting the ability of people to get to the Central
Street business district by bus. His ward has a substantial senior citizen
population in the Presbyterian Home and they rely on bus service to get to the
Central Street business district. Students attending Oakton Community Weekend
College in either Des Plaines or Skokie also rely on buses and will not be able to
get there on Saturday if there are weekend cutbacks. He urged the CTA to
re-examine their recommendations and to reinstate Saturday bus service in Evanston.
Alderman Drummer said that Chairman Burrus and Mr. Savage were doing a brave thing
to come to meet with Evanston aldermen. By showing up, it shows that they do have
concerns about the people who need the CTA. He explained that he is a
representative of the 2nd Ward which contains Evanston Township High School, a
number of elementary schools and many churches. He also reported that his business
is near a bus stop and this week a number of his constitutents had stopped in to
express their concern about the proposed cutbacks. He said that he had also talked
to a group of 3rd and 4th graders at King Lab School this past week, and the
children shared their concerns with him about the service cutbacks. They wanted to
know why the CTA was doing this to kids, especially on Saturday. He pointed out
that elementary and high school students use the buses a lot on Saturday to go to
various activities. Even though the high school is closed on Saturday, there are
many extra curricular activities on Saturday. Students also work part time at
week -end jobs and use the bus to get to and from their jobs. Some of his
constituents reported that they use the buses to go to the Farmer's Market,
Library, church social events and other social activities on Saturdays. Three
segments of the community are totally dependent on bus service: children,
pre -driving teenagers and the elderly permitting them to have a certain sense of
independence to be able to travel without depending on other people. He said he
assured his constituents that those gentlemen down at the CTA were not totally
insensitive to those who ride the CTA and although he understands their problems,
he has confidence that they will decide not to eliminate the Saturday bus service
and EL stations.
Alderman Washington spoke about the impact that elimination of Saturday service and
three Evanston EL stops will have on health care workers who travel from the west
and south sides of Chicago to care for elderly in Evanston. Most of these are
certified nurses aides, paid for by the state, who receive barely a minimum wage.
These nurses aides help seniors, bathe them and perform other services that they
cannot perform for themselves. These people do not make enough money to purchase
cars and need the flexibility that current levels of CTA train and bus service
provide.
Alderman Wollin said she wanted to reinforce Alderman Drummer's comments. As the
parent of a pre -driving adolescent, she said that the buses are the key to his
mobility and independence, which he desparately wants. Reducing the'Saturday bus
service will have a terrific effect upon young teens in Evanston.
Alderman Wollin pointed out that Evanston is part of Oakton Community College
district, where she has served as a faculty member for 13 years. She said that 828
Evanston residents are registered as students at Oakton. It was her understanding
that most students work part-time, and in some cases, work 40 hours a week. Some
years ago a week -end college was established in an effort to reach out to those
within the community who were trying to further their education or job advancement
by adding new skills to their portfolio. She read a letter -from Dr. Thomas
Tenhove, President of the College, which pointed out that many students who attend
the week -end college rely on public transportation to get either the Skokie or Des
Plaines Campus. The week -end college offers 80 credit courses on Friday evenings,
Saturday and Sunday, attended by 1,500 students. Those Evanston residents who need
to take public transportation to the two campuses need to take either the 201 or
202 bus to connect with the 97 to go to Skokie or to go to the Davis Street station
to connect to the Pace 250 bus to the Des Plaines campus. For many of these
3�
students, community college represents the first step on a road to a higher
education level - an opportunity to advance in job skills by going to class on the
week=end and not having to give up their full-time job. Not being able to get to
their classes by public transportation will do short-term harm to the students and
long-term harm to the community. In conclusion, Dr. Tenhove said he understood the
problems facing the CTA, but suggested that the CTA board review the extent the
proposed cuts would affect the ability of many Evanston residents to pursue
education, something that represents economic independence and stability. Alderman
Wollin said that education is the key to these students future and we should work
to come up with solutions that will help assure it.
-6-
At this time, Alderman Lanyon came into the meeting.
October 23, 1991
Alderman Feldman said that all here are sensitive to the fact that this is no easy
job and that these are difficult times. However, CTA officials accepted the
appointment with the full knowledge of their responsibilities and did not take the
job to preside over the demise of the transportation system in Chicago. The job is
to provide service and, it's to that service that his colleagues have eloquently
spoken. Government must provide or allow to be provided transportation service
that effectively, efficiently and humanely meets the needs of its community, both
as individuals and as a corporate body. The Aldermen and the CTA board have an
implicit contract with the people of the community to do just that. Transportation
is not a privilege, but a right. There is no leadership in service cuts - it is
the easiest solution, but a bankrupt one. The most difficult task is to find
within our community and our state those resources to enhance our service and thus
the lives of those you serve. You should be able to do this by joining forces with
all those in the community willing to help you. He suggested that the CTA board's
job should have started long before the budget cuts were announced by putting the
cards on the table with the community and asking city officials how they can help
solve this problem. Even now the Aldermen don't get that message. The service the
CTA provides is not trivial, it is the stuff of life. It is necessary for the
health, welfare and livelihood of many of our citizens. How can we compete
internationally if we cannot devise a way to get people to their jobs. The Board
is responsible for this area, no one can do their job for them and they must find a
way to keep our buses running, our stations open and our service intact. These
proposed cuts have human costs of such significance that they border on violence.
It is a violent act to deny someone access to healthcare, to a library, to
counseling for seniors or to school activities for children.
Alderman Feldman recalled an latin inscription that he had seen on a visit to his
son's university in Pennsylvania this past week -end. Translated it means "we will
find a way or we will make one. He said that after listening to his colleagues
and their articulation of the just and critical needs of the people of this
community, if you cannot find a way, if you cannot make one, then we are really
left with the sadder question that we must ask of you and you must ask of
yourselves - quo vadis? Where are you going? Where are we going?
At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Davis, City Manager Anderson commented that he
thought the ridership on the Evanston train line was understated because of the way
fares are collected. He said if you'look at the whole community, what was being
proposed will affect 20% of the bus service, 30% of the train service and 40% of
the stations. Those are major reductions under any description, that hit everyone
in the community from the 11,000 Northwestern students, many of whom have no
alternative form of transportation, to those of low income in and out of Evanston
who use public transportation within the city. The loss of service removes the.
ability to get to and from work in order to support families. The cuts proposed
could certainly be characterized as draconian. He would advocate good management,
so when the board goes out into a community such as ours, they can say that all has
been done that can be done. He urged that the CTA board consult with elected
officials and give them a chance to affect those decisions before they become final.
Chairman Burrus pointed out that every community they serve has asked for this kind
of meeting and it isn't nearly as brave of them to come to this one as it is to go
back once other communities find out they have been here. However he felt that the
relationship with Evanston was worth the risk. He said he took issue with Alderman
Newman about failing to consult with Evanston before the cuts were announced. He
said the board did not know weeks and months before what the cuts would be, because
the schedule is dominated by the RTA board. He said that they did not know the
funding levels before September 15 and have to have a final budget to th, RTA by
October 15. He said Mayor Barr's letter was one of the few of hundreds that he
responded to. Even though it is unfair to come to Evanston and not go to other
communities they serve, he was aware that this has been a relationship that has
been fruitful and wanted to nourish it.
-7-
October 23, 1991
In response to a question from Alderman Brady,
was pursuing automated fare collection, but it
would have a cost of somewhere between $36 and
funded by the state and federal government. H
reduce costs in the short term.
e
Chairman Burrus said that the CTA
would not help in the short run and
$70 million, much of which will be
said that there is no ability to
Alderman Engelman thanked Chairman Burrus for his comments and explanation and
offered the Council's help in seeking solutions.
He pointed out that the proposed cuts will also necessitate some cuts in jobs and
asked whether any discussions had taken place with union representatives as to
whether they will make certain concessions to allow service to continue at a lower
cost in order to keep a certain number of jobs. Chairman Burrus replied that he
couldn't negotiate in public, however, he recognized that it was fundamentally
unfair for the board to impose hardships on its riders without sharing the pain.
Therefore, the board has agreed that there will be no raises for senior officers
and those who set public policy will also forgive part of the share of their
director's fees. There may be some pay increases at the lower end of the pay scale
at 50% of inflation. The issue of wages has been raised with the union.
Alderman Newman wondered if all the information available during October was.
available in July and why it hadn't been released. He questioned why it costs
$102,000 to operate the Noyes Street station in that a ticket taker was only there
during the morning and fares were then collected on the train the rest of the day.
Chairman Burrus said he did not have the numbers until mid -September. He said that
a ticket agent is at Noyes station from 6:00 A.M. to 9:30 A.M. and from 2:30 P.M.
to 7:00 P.M.. The cost to keep that station open was agent pay, janitorial services
and light maintenance. He said that the City did not contribute to maintaining the
station and that most of the money went to pay the ticket taker. He said that
automatic teller machines would not eliminate a ticket taker, and that an
individual would still be required to issue transfers and differentiate between
adult and child fares.
Alderman Feldman raised the question of how a ticket taker could make $102,000 a
year. He said he was uncomfortable talking about service cuts and would like to
get beyond that to what we can do and how the service can be made better.
Chairman Burrus replied that the help could come in many forms and one of the most
important things was to support a higher level of subsidy. He said that for the
first time the CTA budget is driven from the supply side, not the demand side. He
said that the system is not adequately funded. What is worrisome is that there are
sufficient resources within the region to support public transportation, but that
the formula is unfair. He said he had tried to get help when he identified the
problem five or six years ago. That's when he needed folks like those in Evanston
to march on Springfield. He urged people to write their legislators to change
state statutes to abolish the distribution of money to one transportation board at
the expense of another. All transportation systems should have a fair share of the
resources available, which is not happening now.
In response to a question from Alderman Fiske, as to whether anything was being
done to enhance revenues by enhancing service and increase ridership, Chairman
Burrus replied that the transportation service isn't marketed as well as it should
be and is not user-friendly. He said that the CTA's current attitude is that their
job is to move vehicles and they should be in the business of transporting people.
He said they need to be more user-friendly and to provide service. However, he
said that the CTA start times were among the best. He conceded that one problem in
this area is the Howard Street station which is undergoing massive renovation, and
noted that we have to go through growing pains to make the system better.
In response to another question from Alderman Fiske, Chairman Burrus said that mass
transit is supposed to support itself off the fare box. However, even if every bus
and train is filled to capacity, without a subsidy it would still not be able to
operate without drastic cuts. He explained that state statute requires that every
dollar of mass transit costs be funded by at least 50 cents from fares. To prevent
this type of meeting (protesting proposed cutbacks), mass transit must be supported
by a subsidy that is a dedicated revenue with the elasticity to move up with
costs. The subsidy for the CTA in Chicago is funded through sales taxes and those
revenues have been flat for the last several years, while costs having been
rising. If you want a viable transportation system you need to have revenue that
floats up with the costs.
/ 0 -8- October 23, 1991
Alderman Rainey said she was concerned about subsidies and reminded Chairman Burrus
that the City of Evanston had fought against another transportation system which
had purchased property for twice the appraised value. The money for this purchase
came directly to PACE in the form of a subsidy. The City had identified other
sites for a bus barn in other communities who wanted it. At that time the City
asked for his support. She pointed out that it would be ironic that, on a weekend
when there is almost no bus service in the City of Evanston, there will be about
100 buses being repaired in the Evanston bus facility and yet not one bus would be
picking up people in Evanston. The City is being asked to bear the burden of
having that property removed from our tax rolls. That kind of example is being set
for us by transportation operations, plus recent stories of thievery by employees
and extraordinary expenditures by CTA officials come to mind when we hear that
there is no other choice but to cut service. She hoped that the CTA could rethink
their proposals to cut services and make other choices. She said that the City had
some experience in doing that, and, if we can do that, you can do that. She
offered the City`s help with lobbying in Springfield and Washington to gain
additional subsidies.
Chairman Burrus recalled that he had supported the City against PACE and pointed
out that the cost of purchasing the property in Evanston had been funded by a
capital grant from the federal government. He agreed that it would regrettable to
have buses being repaired in Evanston and no CTA service being provided. He
promised that he would do all that he could to see that it did not happen, if at
all possible. He was unable to respond to her other comments because he was not
sure to what she was referring, but he did suggest that most large public
institutions that dealt in small amounts of cash had some problems with employee
thievery. That is why the CTA is moving toward a cashless system.
Alderman Rainey clarified that her comments were more rhetorical in nature and did
not require an answer at this time, but she meant to suggest situations where there
is other money to be saved, or not spent, as opposed to cutting services. She also
said that she did not recall Mr. Burrus's support on PACE.
Chairman Burrus said that the whole $57 million gap was not being filled by cutting
services, that only $14 million in service cuts were being recommended.
Mayor Pro Tem Davis thanked Chairman Burrus and Executive Director Savage for
coming, because their attendance here indicates that they recognized the special
nature of Evanston. She hoped that this was not just an exercise in oratory, that
they were really listening to what was being said and were willing to work with the
City to fulfill its need for service.
Mayor Pro Tem Davis reminded citizens of the hearings on October 26 and 30 and
urged them to come and speak out. She also reminded them to sign petitions and to
take buttons. She thanked the Aldermen for a cogent discussion and reminded them
to return any petitions they had and to bring any buttons they had not distributed
to the hearings.
There being no further business to come before the Council, Mayor Pro Tem Davis
asked for a motion to adjourn. The Council so moved and adjourned at 9:40 P.M.
KIRSTEN F. DAVIS
CITY CLERK