By: Diane Benjamin
See this previous post: https://blnnews.com/2016/10/28/connect-transit-tears/
I made the list in that story quickly this morning – chances are good I missed some! The list was to make a point, not get exact numbers. I saw many other items I could have added, like THOUSANDS spent on HVAC. Isn’t the facility pretty new?
Anyway, here are the totals for Consulting and Travel/Meetings. Why is LifeCIL getting a monthly consulting fee? All the $6,874.42 payments went to them. FOIA will be filed.
Yes, $14,501.01 was recorded for both June and July. Yes, there were checks written to an employee for tuition assistance in both May and June – for the exact same amount.
Note to the elected officials at last night’s meeting pretending to care, some attendees heard you say that fees can’t be raised because the poor can barely afford the $1 now. Connect has a program for the poor: http://www.connect-transit.com/fares/fares.asp The 1% Sales Tax increase you passed did far more damage than a fee increase would!
These numbers are ONLY for 8 months – January to August! Sustainable?
Peterson and Hales are non-voting, but still very influential, members the Commission. Everyone in charge of Connect Transit is affluent and believes they are entitled.
Why are these numbers not exact? Why did you not site your source and give a link to the source in the article? Connect transits budget is public information and you could get these actual numbers easily. This news source; if you can call it that is less credible than facebook. Do us all a favor people and do your own research.
When you can’t read it’s really hard to get the truth through to some people! See the first story – the link is right there! I will await an apology, but not expect one!
I will apologize. I did not see your previous article. For that, i am sorry!. I will however suggest all businesses have travel expenses and consulting fees and that perhaps instead of assuming that these charges are not warranted, more research is necessary.
BTW. Low blow on the can’t read comment. For your information, i am dyslexic and it took me a long time to learn how to read as a child. Does anyone you know have a learning disability? It’s not cool to make fun of people. I will await an apology, but not expect one!
Maybe you should have considered the ramifications before making brash statements.
I am supposed to know you have dyslexia just because you make stupid comments? Seriously?
WOW…I hope everyone shares your opinions. You can’t call me names and belittle me and just expect me to shut up and be quite. I do however respect the fact that you continue to post my reply. My only point was that if you are going to make accusations, you need evidence to back it up, otherwise it’s just conspiracy theory.
Here is some data for you on how Illinois funds it’s transportation including public bus systems like Connect. I realize that this report is from FY13 but it does have some relevant data in it.
http://www.illinoistransportationplan.org/pdfs/transportation_funding_090512_web.pdf
There is no money in the downstate transportation fund. The list of agencies on page 12 of the document above rely heavily on these funds. Maybe they shouldn’t rely so heavily on them, but all transportation relies heavily on government funds. There may be issues with the way that connect transit handles the funds they receive but you would need to do actual work and research to prove that. Posting some non itemized travel and consultation expenses is not going to do it for me.
The real issue is that the state is not supporting public transportation and its starting to seriously effect people. Everyone who rides any of the bus systems listed in the document will suffer if the funding is stopped. Any business who’s employees rely on these systems to get to work will suffer. Any elderly or disabled people who rely on these systems to get to medical appointment will suffer. I do not ride the bus but i see the importance of having them for those who can not drive, or choose not to.
It’s not just the bus systems that are in trouble either. Roads in Illinois are poorly maintained if at all. Airports, Train depots and tracks, Bridges and highway infrastructure are all in disrepair in Illinois.
This is a serious problem, but we are blaming the wrong people.
https://www.irtba.org/FundingNeedsAssessment
http://www.idot.illinois.gov/Assets/uploads/files/Transportation-System/Maps-&-Charts/DownstatePublicTransportationFund__2011.pdf
http://idot.illinois.gov/Assets/uploads/files/Transportation-System/Reports/OP&P/HIP/2016-2021/FY%202016-2021%20Transit-Rail-Airport%20Improvement%20Program%20Book.pdf
NOBODY HAS A RIGHT TO TRANSPORTATION AT SOMEBODY ELSE’S EXPENSE.
I make an extreme effort to document everything I write, I don’t make things up. Your accusations made me upset when I could have just laughed at you.
I don’t care about your link, a $12 million lose is not sustainable. Taxi’s could be hired for less.
Let’s do a quick check of the article: “…chances are good I missed some! The list was to make a point, not get exact numbers”.
The numbers listed are accurate but the list is not complete because the point was to demonstrate how even a cursory review could turn up hundreds of thousands of dollars of questionable (at best) expenses.
Exactly!
@ truth hurts – that’s a pretty quick response (post 2:16pm then 3:02pm) for someone with the disability that you proclaim, which cannot be confirmed. Low blow my astrolobe! Welcome to the jungle with no apology noted nor intended.
I never said i couldn’t read, i said it was difficult for me to learn to read as a child. I am very well educated. What’s with all the attacks against someone just because they have a differing opinion?
Differing opinion had nothing to do with it. I proved what I wrote and you missed.
As no one here due to your anonymity could possibly know that you were dyslexic as a child with your first post it is bs that you seek sympathy in your second post. I see no relevant point in bringing it to the conversation in the first place. Also in regards to your first post comment “This news source; if you can call it that is less credible than facebook.” it is easy to see that you were the first to make fun and start the insults. Seriously if you can’t take your own medicine then bugger off.
WHAT A RIP OFF ! ! !
The free program you mentioned that connect transit offers for the poor, would that be the Beam/circuit breaker program?
This is an Illinois state mandated and funded program.
https://www.illinois.gov/aging/BenefitsAccess/Pages/default.aspx
Without Illinois state funding via the downstate transportation fund the system could not provide those free rides, and it wouldn’t have to either. Again do your research.
It appears Ms. Benjamin did her research showing Connect offers programs to the poor, those complaining they cannot afford even the base fare. You are trying to create an argument about who funds that tax-payer subsidized program.
It appears like a solution to lower expenses: get rid of the system and give means-tested qualifiers money towards Uber.
If people insist on keeping the tax-payer subsidized money pit program, make rides free and eliminate all expenses above plus the $600,000 in fare software costs. It appears they could eliminate over $1 million in expenses a year cutting down those items. Do we even take in that much in fares?
They could also get much smaller busses that would be mostly empty than run the empty monstrosities they have running now. Additionally, they can cut down on bloated administrator salaries and benefits.
Common sense isn’t allowed in today’s society. That’s why you need to keep teaching ti! Thanks.
What no one seems to understand. ALL government programs..agencies…whatever…are funded by taxpayers. Period. The thieves in Washington and Springfield cleverly divide it all up in to different departments so they can can pass the buck and steal from them from time to time without anyone noticing. When I complain about the roads, “oh that’s IDOT, nothing to do with us”. When you complain about outrageous consulting, travel and expense fees, “oh that’s Connect Transit, nothing to do with us”. Over decades they have sewn the seeds of these schemes. No one understands, it ALL comes from the same pockets…yours and mine. It’s ALL our money. We should know to the penny where it goes and why.
🙂 🙂 🙂
Highway robbery! Pun intended. NO! $10 and $12 MILLION is NOT Sustainable.