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A key player in the Springfield scramble to save mass transit said Friday there will be a fall bailout that uses a mix of tax hikes and a modest fare increase to avert dire service cuts at CTA, Metra and Pace. State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, even floated a new idea to add to the revenue mix: a “large event surcharge” that would add anywhere from $1 to $3 to the price of tickets to major concerts and sporting events.
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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This runaway, mismanaged spending in Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois is getting so aggravating to continually read about. Yet, here I am, still living in Illinois. It’s those darn family ties.
Incredibly, a few years ago, I moved back to Illinois (because of family ties). I tried to convince my adult kids to move to where I was (a well-managed state with many positives), but to no avail. Without family ties, Illinois, even back then, was about my 50th choice among states to which to move.
I doubt many here are aware of this, but Valery Jarret, Obama’s whatever, was on the CTA Board. She gets a pension that exceeds my Social Security Disability. For attending a few board meetings? Bankrupt the CTA and start over.
Spending $5.3 billion to extend the Red Line from 95th St to 130th St was beyond idiotic. Illinois and Chicago are problems that can’t be solved.
Another version of METRA/PACE is headed our way. More debt under a different moniker to push this wasteful enterprise called public transportation down the road a bit longer!
Don’t reduce costs!! No No, don’t even think about cuts and reductions of service due to low ridership – No, no. Just steal more money from tax payers. Gosh – Wish I could say I am surprised, but this miserable excuse for a State Government has no balls and are simply corrupt through and through. None of these people have ever signed the front of pay check and have no idea what a real job is. How does the entire state of Illinois tax payers paying extra in taxes, while exempting Chicago to pay for a transportation system, that is… Read more »
Great ideas when Chicago youths take over big areas of downtown, or several blocks for a party the city will tax them right?
The Drug dealers need a nice place to do business. The homeless like the Air Conditioning during the summer months and the heat during the colder months. Use to have workers going downtown but that is dropping by the day. Soon it will be a ghost Downtown. Mass transit is now A$$ transit. You can take an Uber and get right where you are going for not much more money and be safe. If you value your time, it is actually lower cost than the piss trains.
Usual democratic answer . Tax , tax ,tax some more . Never CUT WASTE . The red line extension has a parallel transit line already . No need for the cxtension .
They’re not talking about another tax! It’s a “large event surcharge”! They are so clever.
There you go, Springrad! Keep chasing people away from events in a city people are already hesitant to visit.
Interesting proposal for a “large event surcharge” which would raise the price of various tickets for things that I don’t attend, but include a transit day pass for all ticket holders. Somebody should try to estimate the actual financial impact of such a thing.
“Read the Article” like does not work. Probably should be https://chicago.suntimes.com/fran-spielman-show/2025/08/15/mass-transit-bailout-kam-buckner-illinois-general-assembly-cta-metra-pace
Fixed now. Thanks.
Il wants to raise taxes on all of IL citizens and exempt Chicago from these taxes. The rest of the state doesn’t benefit from CTA. Tax Chicago for CTA and exempt the rest of the state. CTA needs to cut out waste before one more dime goes to CTA.
If you have no life (me) , than you can listen to slickster Buckner talking a mile a minute on Fran Spielman show talking taxes, taxes, taxes, taxes to infinity with ZERO CUTS, zero cuts to all the programs & hires created w ARPA-COVID funds.. These ghouls are craven for every last $dime$ you got. (ship ahead to aprox min 17:50) (https://chicago.suntimes.com/fran-spielman-show/2025/08/15/mass-transit-bailout-kam-buckner-illinois-general-assembly-cta-metra-pace 😉
All sorts of interesting stuff in this interview that didn’t make it into the Sun Times article. Kam is a skilled politician and avoids committing himself to anything in particular. But he did say “The key to our issues is not finding ways to tax people, it’s having more people to tax. It’s growing your base. It’s making this a place people want to start businesses and raise families…”