If you weren't already convinced that the Illinois Policy Institute think tank is an alarmist right-wing organization, just check out the homepage of their blog. The headlines are screaming at you in all caps. And they seem to carefully select the most unflattering screenshots possible of progressive leaders such as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a strategy right out of the Fox News playbook.
That's of particular concern to Chicagoland transit riders, workers, and advocates right now, because Illinois Policy is doing its best to ensure Springfield doesn't pass a robust transit reform/funding bill during this week. The fall veto session wraps up on Thursday, and if the Illinois General Assembly once again kicks the can down the road, that could result in major CTA, Metra, and Pace service cuts and layoffs.
Last week, Streetsblog debunked Illinois Policy's post, "Lawmakers push DoorDash, Uber Eats delivery tax statewide for Chicago transit," That article implied proposed revenue strategies like a new surcharge on restaurant and retail items delivered by car, which SBC calls the "Burrito Taxi Tax," would harm "those who may never use CTA, Metra or Pace."
Not mentioned: A recent study found that every dollar spent on Chicagoland transit results in $13 in economic activity, which benefits the rest of the Prairie State as well. And Illinois Policy also failed to disclose while transit bill HB 3438 (passed by the Senate, but not the House, last May) would raise $1.5 billion for northeast Illinois public transportation, it also includes $200 million for Downstate systems.
On Saturday, the tax-phobic motorheads were back on their... nonsense again. Illinois Policy President and CEO Matt Paprocki ran an op-ed arguing once more that properly funding transit would be bad for the 'burbs. His piece, "Suburban businesses should beware new taxes disguised as 'solutions,'" ran in the Daily Herald newspaper.
Hopefully, this guy is a better banjo player than opinion writer, because this piece is laughable on a few different levels. I'm not the only one who thought so – more on that in a bit.
In this screed, Paprocki also takes aim at Johnson's proposal for a Chicago head tax and a social media fee, which are outside Streetsblog's wheelhouse. But let's look at what the Illinois Policy pundit had to say about public transportation revenue.
"Suburban business owners long have depended on and contributed to Chicago’s economy," he wrote in his intro. "Many drive or ride the train into the city each day, [helping to keep] Illinois’ largest economic engine running. But as state and sity leaders look to plug their latest budget holes, Springfield and Chicago City Hall are floating new ways to tax the very people who [help] fuel that engine."
"The Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace, is staring at an almost $900 million shortfall by 2028 as federal COVID-19 aid disappears and ridership remains well below pre-pandemic levels," Paprocki accurately stated in his section on that issue.
"Lawmakers are raising fares and considering new statewide taxes — including fees on DoorDash and delivery orders, higher tolls and real estate transfer taxes," he added. Yep. For starters, modest fare raises, while not ideal, are a reasonable approach as the agencies peer over the looming transit fiscal cliff. And in the case of the CTA, a ticket to ride hasn't gone up since 2018. Raising the price of an 'L' trip from $2.50 to $2.75 is very reasonable when you consider that if the fare was adjusted to 2025 prices, it would cost $3.22.
As for the proposals for the Burrito Taxi Tax, a $0.50 toll increase, and a (not mentioned) 10 percent increase in ride-hail fees to fund transit, those also makes sense. The surcharges apply to types of often-unnecessary driving that creates lots of societal costs in terms of crashes, congestion, pollution, and wear-and-tear on roads. Meanwhile, public transportation helps solve these problems.
Regarding the proposed new suburban real estate transfer fee as a revenue source for transit, the City of Chicago already has one. As Paprocki acknowledged, suburbanites ride buses and trains too, so why shouldn't they chip in on saving public transportation as well? Not to mention that if Metra and Pace take a nosedive, Chicagoland property values will also plummet, so realtors should get behind strategies to beef up service in the 'burbs.
"Public transportation is vital for the region’s workforce," he concedes. "But fiscal discipline must come before new tax revenue." You mean, "No revenue without reform!" which has been the battle cry of transit-friendly Democrats in the statehouse for as long as we can remember?
My colleagues, suburban transit expert Star:Line Chicago and Springfield insider Capitol Fax Editor Rich Miller, did a nice job of thoroughly eviscerating this argument from Paprocki, so I'll share what they had to say.
By NITA, Star:Line Chicago is referring to the Northern Illinois Transit Authority proposed in HB 3438, which would be a more powerful replacement for the RTA. That extra muscle would make it easier for the umbrella agency to coordinate service, infrastructure, fare, and public safety policies for the CTA, Metra, and Pace, instead of the current siloed "every system for themself" situation.
Star:Line notes Paprocki would already know that all the stuff in yellow he called for is already included in HB 3438, if he had simply "read the actual bill." Whoa, sick burn!
And Capitol Fax's Rich Miller is no more charitable to Paprocki and his ill-informed opinions. "Um, he just basically described the mass transit bill. And there’s no way to finish the job without providing more revenue, which he of course rejects."
Miller concludes, "I dunno, maybe newspapers should vet their op-ed submissions a bit more?"
Ouch, when it comes to transit bill editorializing, stick a fork in Illinois Policy CEO Matt Paprocki. He's done!
Read the Illinois Policy piece here.
Read the Daily Herald op-ed here.
Read the Capitol Fax post here.
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