Wednesday, October 12, 2011

PACE RELEASES PROPOSED 2012 BUDGET - Bus Service & Paratransit : Oct 12, 2011

PACE Suburban Bus PROPOSED 2012 BUDGET



Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




October 12, 20114:00:00 PM

Media Release Office: (847) 228-4295

Contact: Patrick Wilmot (847) 228-4295



No fare increases or service cuts included in budget as public hearings begin October 17



The Pace Board of Directors officially released the agency's 2012 budget for public review and comment, with the first of 13 public hearings beginning next week. Despite the struggling economy, the agency plans no fare increases or service reductions in its balanced budget for the second straight year.



"We've been aggressively containing our costs and restructuring service to maximize efficiency," said Pace Chairman of the Board Richard Kwasneski. "The actions we've taken in recent years have put us in good position to release a positive budget message- one that not only calls for no negative impacts on riders, but increases service in some areas."



The Suburban Services operating budget, which includes fixed route bus service, vanpool and Dial-a-Ride service, totals $195 million and includes some new service to be implemented in late 2011 and early 2012. These include two new Call-n-Ride routes in the Wheaton/Winfield and St. Charles/Geneva areas, additional trips on I-55 express service, and a federally-funded route connecting the southwest suburbs with employment centers near OHare Airport and in the northwest suburbs.



The Regional ADA Paratransit budget is set at $126.6 million to provide complementary transportation to people with disabilities in Chicago and the suburbs. The RTA has set contingencies on funding requiring Pace to implement certain efforts to increase efficiency on the service in Chicago. These include setting trip reservation hours to regular business hours and continuing progress toward implementation of a centralized dispatch system.



Thirteen public hearings have been scheduled regionally throughout the city and suburbs, and take place October 17-27. For the first time, Pace will host an online webinar to provide access to those unable to attend a hearing. Details and registration are available at www.pacebus.com. "Our budget message is very positive this year, but we still encourage people to participate in the public hearing process," said Kwasneski. "We're always interested in hearing ideas on how we can improve." The budget document is available at public hearings and has been distributed to municipalities and libraries to be made available to the public. It can also be downloaded from Pace's website. Those unable to attend the hearings can submit written comments to Pace Government Affairs, 550 West Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005 or through the Public Hearings section of www.pacebus.com.

# # #



Pace, the Suburban Bus Division of the RTA



Public Hearing on Pace's Proposed 2012 Operating and Capital Programs,

2012-2014 Financial Plan for Operations, 2012-2016 Capital Plan.




Notice is hereby given that Pace, the Suburban Bus Division of the Regional Transportation Authority, is holding public hearings on its proposed program and budget for the year 2012 (January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012), the operating financial plan for 2012-2014, and the capital plan for 2012-2016.

Pace proposes a balanced and stable budget for 2012 as no fare increases or service reductions are anticipated for Suburban Service or Regional ADA Paratransit.

RTA funding for Regional ADA Paratransit service is contingent upon Pace’s pursuit of centralized dispatch and reduction of paratransit reservation hours to normal business hours. Pace proposes reservation hours from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Any person wishing to comment on the proposed budget may present views orally at the public hearings or by submitting written material on or before the last date of the hearings, which is Thursday, October 27, 2011, or by accessing our website at www.pacebus.com in the “Public Hearing Comment Form” area. Copies of the proposed program and budget are available for public inspection at:

• Pace

• 550 West Algonquin Road

• Arlington Heights, Illinois

• 60005-4412

Individuals with disabilities who plan to attend these hearings and who require certain accommodations other than transportation in order to allow them to observe and/or participate in these meetings, are requested to contact Pace at (847) 364-7223 option 3 (voice) or (847) 364-5093 (TTY) ten days prior to the scheduled meeting.

Budget information will be available at most public libraries, as well as townships, city and village offices in the six county Pace region. You can also view the document via the Internet at www.pacebus.com by clicking on “About Pace” and selecting the link “Annual Budget,” followed by “2012 Annual Budget Document.” Pace will conduct a Webinar on the 2012 Budget on Friday, October 14, 2011 from 10:00 am to 10:30 am. Participants can register at www.pacebus.com.



Public Hearing Locations, Dates and Times follow:



Dates and Locations





City of Chicago:



Monday, October 24, 2011

City of Chicago (North) Budget Public Hearing

11:00 am –1:00 pm

Sulzer Regional Library

4455 N. Lincoln

Chicago, IL 60625



Tuesday, October 25, 2011

City of Chicago (West) Budget Public Hearing

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Garfield Park Conservatory

Community Room

300 North Central Park Ave.

Chicago, Illinois 60624



Wednesday, October 26, 2011

City of Chicago (Southwest) Budget Public Hearing

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Arturo Velasquez

Westside Tech. Inst.

2800 S. Western Ave.

Chicago, IL 60608



Thursday, October 27, 2011

City of Chicago (South) Budget Public Hearing

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Olive Harvey College

Cafeteria

10001 S. Woodlawn

Chicago, IL 60628



Suburban:



Monday, October 17, 2011

Lake County Public Hearing

4:00pm - 6:00pm

Waukegan Public Library

Bradbury Room (lower level)

128 N. County Street

Waukegan, IL 60085



Monday, October 17, 2011

North Cook County Public Hearing

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Pace Headquarters

Board Room

550 W. Algonquin Road

Arlington Heights, IL 60005



Tuesday, October 18, 2011

McHenry County Public Hearing

4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

Crystal Lake Municipal

Complex, Council Chambers

100 W. Woodstock St.

Crystal Lake, IL 60014



Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Will County Public Hearing

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Joliet Public Library

Meeting Rm. B (second level)

150 N. Ottawa St.

Joliet, IL 60432



Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Kane County Public Hearing

4:30 pm -- 6:30 pm

Kane County Government Center

Auditorium, Ground Floor

719 S. Batavia Ave

Geneva, IL 60134



Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Southwest Cook County Public Hearing

4:30 pm -- 6:30 pm

Oak Lawn Village Hall

Auditorium

9446 S. Raymond

Oak Lawn, IL 60453



Thursday, October 20, 2011

West Cook County Public Hearing

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Howard Mohr Community Center

7640 Jackson Blvd.

Forest Park, IL 60130



Wednesday, October 26, 2011

DuPage County Public Hearing

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

DuPage County Government Center

Auditorium

421 N. County Farm Rd.

Wheaton, IL 60187



Thursday, October 27, 2011

South Cook County Public Hearing

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Homewood Village Hall

Board Room

2020 Chestnut

Homewood, IL 60430



If you have any questions, please contact Pace Customer Services at (847) 364-7223 "Option 3" (voice) or 847-364-5093 (TTY)



0 comments: