After conducting several talks with Mayor Richard M. Daley, the Chicago Transit Authority ( CTA ) board has postponed a meeting in which it was going to vote on huge service cuts to fill a $75-million budget hole, reported Crain's Chicago Business.
Some contend that the move is a possible sign that Daley is uncomfortable with CTA plans to eliminate 20 percent of its service and that he wants the agency to review other options first.
So far, the CTA has been unable to get the Illinois General Assembly to approve additional transit subsidies. Unless a reversal occurs soon, the CTA plans to end overnight train service, eliminate dozens of bus routes, and reduce the frequency of service on other lines, CTA president Frank Kruesi and chairwoman Carole Brown have said. Final approval of the cuts had been scheduled to take place at a board meeting Dec. 8. However, the board members were informed the meeting is now Dec. 16.
According to Crain's, sources said Daley, who has been dealing with his own pending city budget, asked Brown for a full briefing on the cuts before any vote on them, and reviewed other possible options. The mayor's office confirmed that the mayor met with Brown but offered no immediate elaboration.
Recently, Daley had appeared to suggest that the CTA consider, among other things, raising its basic fare by a quarter, to $2, or other unspecified options as an alternative to the proposed service cuts.
— Andrew Davis