{"id":2360659,"date":"2024-10-28T16:49:53","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T20:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cta-spends-big-despite-looming-fiscal-cliff-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-28T16:56:41","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T20:56:41","slug":"cta-spends-big-despite-looming-fiscal-cliff-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cta-spends-big-despite-looming-fiscal-cliff-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"CTA spends big despite looming fiscal cliff &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcta-spends-big-despite-looming-fiscal-cliff-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2360659&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the financial struggles\u2063 of the \u200dChicago Transit Authority (CTA), which is currently facing a\u2062 $577 million budget shortfall. According\u200d to a report \u200cby the Illinois Policy\u2064 Institute, the issues stem from overspending \u200drather than a lack of funding. The\u2063 CTA&#8217;s ridership has not yet recovered to pre-COVID levels, with only 60%\u200d of the 2019 figures being achieved in 2023, and projections suggest it won&#8217;t reach those numbers again until 2030.<\/p>\n<p>Ravi Bishra,\u2064 a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/with-the-taliban-an-end-to-the-opium-trade\/\" title=\"With the Taliban, an End to the Opium Trade?\">policy researcher<\/a> at the Illinois Policy Institute, criticizes the CTA&#8217;s budget management, highlighting that personnel costs constitute a\u200b significant portion (68%) of \u2062the budget, while a large number \u2062of employees are \u2062not transit operators but work in administrative roles. \u200bBishra \u2062also points to examples of wasteful expenditures, such as spending $20,000 for a \u200cdisc jockey. The CTA had temporarily benefited from federal COVID relief \u200dfunds, but now that these funds are depleted, it faces a continuing budget crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, the agency&#8217;s budget is expected to exceed $2.2\u2062 billion\u200b by 2026, significantly higher \u2062than\u2064 previous years.\u200d Bishra suggests\u200c that consolidating regional\u200c transit agencies may lead to cost \u2064savings and increase efficiency, as public support for such a\u2062 measure exists. However, he warns that any meaningful reform will require time \u200band resources before it\u200b takes effect.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">CTA spends big despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-shows-house-republicans-leader-kevin-mccarthys-popularity-among-gop-reaches-a-high-point\/\" title=\"Poll shows House Republicans Leader Kevin McCarthy\u2019s popularity among GOP reaches a high point\">looming fiscal cliff<\/a><\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1847320\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; A new report says that overspending, not underfunding, is to blame for the Chicago Transit Authority&rsquo;s budget woes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>CTA is facing a $577 million budget shortfall.<\/p>\n<p>Illinois Policy Institute policy researcher Ravi Bishra said CTA ridership is barely 60% of pre-COVID levels, and growth has been extremely slow.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They are not projecting the CTA [ridership] levels to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/goldman-sachs-downgrades-economic-growth-forecast\/\" title=\"Goldman Sachs Downgrades Economic Growth Forecast\">reach pre-pandemic levels<\/a> until 2030,&rdquo; Bishra said.<\/p>\n<p>The CTA reported 273.5 million riders in 2023. There were 455.8 million riders in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Bishra disputed CTA President Dorval Carter&rsquo;s claims that public transit is underfunded. Bishra said regional transit agencies in the Chicago area waste a lot of taxpayer money.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Silly, ridiculous, reckless spending has been an issue for Chicago-area transportation for some time now. The political climate definitely has a lot to do with it. A lot of politicians want to add these ridiculous costs just to make themselves look good instead of pursuing good fiscal stability,&rdquo; Bishra said.<\/p>\n<p>Personnel costs made up 68% of the CTA&rsquo;s $2 billion budget in 2024, he said. Nearly half of CTA employees, 5,154 of 10,588, are not transit operators but rather work in administration, management and support roles.<\/p>\n<p>Citing one example of what he called unnecessary spending, Bishra said the CTA spent $20,000 on a disc jockey for 300 hours of work.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The CTA system had a $2 billion boost from temporary federal [COVID relief] funds, but little was done to mitigate a lot of the issues that the CTA was facing. Now that the funds have been running out, it&rsquo;s facing this enormous shortfall and it&rsquo;s set to continue for years,&rdquo; Bishra said.<\/p>\n<p>The Illinois Policy Institute reported that the CTA budget is projected to reach over $2.2 billion by 2026, a $650 million increase since 2019, when it was $1.52 billion.<\/p>\n<p>Consolidation may help regional transit agencies save money in the long run. Several polls have shown that a substantial majority of Illinois residents favor combining Metra, Pace, the CTA and the Regional Transit Authority.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, state legislators proposed the Metropolitan Mobility Act, which would create a single transit system out of the agencies. Bishra said consolidating agencies would be a good first step.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The biggest problem is that consolidation takes time, effort and resources, so it would not be an immediate fix. Going forward, it could be a fix,&rdquo; Bishra said.<\/p>\n<p>Bishra said the Civic Federation projected a total savings of $200 million to 250 million per year for regional transit with consolidation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The entire RTA is facing over a $700 million shortfall. Even though this would be a step in the right direction in the long term, it is definitely not even close to filling that budget deficit,&rdquo; Bishra said.<\/p>\n<p>Chicago-area transit agencies are facing an estimated fiscal cliff of $730 million in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Transit systems in other major U.S. cities also face growing budget issues. New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli projects that their Metropolitan Transportation Authority&rsquo;s projected budget gap of $221 million this year will rise to more than $652 million by 2028 unless ridership improves or the agency gets a new infusion of funds.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles has several <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">major transit projects planned ahead<\/a> of the 2028 Olympics, which the city is hosting. Costs for a 2.25-mile &ldquo;automated people mover&rdquo; could balloon to $3.3 billion due to construction delays and lawsuits.<\/p>\n<p>Kevin Bessler, Kenneth Schrupp and Chris Wade contributed to this story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1847320\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1847320\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CTA&#8217;s budget issues stem from overspending, not underfunding<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2360661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/iStock-1058269468-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[40168,43887,37655,3834,32076],"class_list":["post-2360659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-budget-crisis","tag-cta","tag-fiscal-cliff","tag-spending","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/iStock-1058269468-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2360659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2360659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2360659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2360661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2360659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2360659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2360659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}