McHenry Times

The McHenry County Board Chair has expressed opposition to the proposed consolidation of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, and Pace transit boards. The CTA currently carries $6.9 billion in debt, significantly higher than Metra's $312 million and Pace's $138 million debts. Concerns have been raised that collar counties like McHenry County could see their tax dollars diverted to cover CTA’s substantial financial obligations.

"There has been no data provided on the cost savings of combining the RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace," stated Michael Buehler, Chairman of the McHenry County Board. Each agency operates under different federal regulatory bodies—Metra through the Federal Railroad Administration and both CTA and Pace through the Federal Transit Administration—with distinct rules and regulations. Additionally, consolidating their separate labor contracts is expected to be difficult and costly.

Buehler argues that increasing oversight by the RTA rather than merging the transit boards would enhance project coordination, streamline funding processes, and ensure fair representation for collar counties. "Collar county representation will guarantee collar county tax dollars will not be diverted to cover CTA’s $6.9 billion dollar debt," he added.

Rick Mack from MCCG and the Village of Ringwood echoed these sentiments: "Any suburban legislator (Democrat or Republican) that votes to consolidate the transit boards and then votes to raise taxes to support transit will be voting against the interest of the residents that they have been elected to represent."

Both officials urge opposition to legislation aimed at consolidating these four transit boards into a single entity while advocating for measures that empower the RTA without compromising local representation.

Michael Buehler

Chairman, McHenry County Board President,

Rick Mack

MCCG and the Village of Ringwood