Rep. Kam Buckner, a Chicago Democrat who is one the leaders of the House working group on transit, offered a similar take. “There are still conversations to be had,” he said. “We are close.”

Mass transit is a crucial link in the Chicago economy, delivering workers to and from jobs, travelers to and from the city’s two airports, as well as bringing patrons to restaurants, theaters, sporting events and other activities.

The General Assembly ended its regular session May 31 without passing a bill to plug a looming budget shortfall that will hit the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace next year when pandemic-era federal funds run out.

The budget gap is a moving target. Transit agencies estimated the shortfall at $771 million a year, although that figure could be reduced by about $200 million because of increased sales-tax revenue. Transit agencies say $1.5 billion a year would allow them to increase frequency of service. Legislators also are looking to overhaul the management of the agencies at the same time, a task that complicates the always tricky politics between the city, suburbs and downstate residents and politicians.

The Senate passed a bill to address both issues at the last minute, but the House did not take up the bill because it wasn’t ready to tackle funding. 

Buckner says the House hasn’t settled on a revenue mix. The Senate bill proposed a tax on deliveries of food and other items, a surcharge on ride-sharing trips in the city and suburbs. Also discussed was a surcharge on highway tolls and a tax on real estate sales in the suburbs.  

Buckner, who has floated the idea of a surcharge on large events, such as concerts and sports, says advocacy groups will be making proposals to the House working group about revenue options in the coming weeks.

“We need to look at what those options are and how to be strategic,“ he says. “Everything is still on the table on the revenue side. But some things are going to fall off the table.”

Governance also is an issue, with suburban politicians worrying about losing control. Legislation passed by the Senate called for creating a 20-member Northern Illinois Transit Authority board, with the governor, the mayor of Chicago and the Cook County board president each having five appointments, with the remaining five being appointed by the board presidents of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties.

Republican State Rep. Brad Stephens, whose district straddles parts of the city and several suburbs, recently joined the House transit working group.

“We’re all on the same page, focused on finding a resolution sooner rather than later,” he says. “It’s all about the mechanisms, the math and where the money comes from. What the resolution looks like is up in the air right now.”