Even when government in Illinois is the solution, its operations can pose a problem in terms of corruption and/or incompetence.
Considering the many thousands of units of government there are in Illinois — the most of all the 50 states — that can add up to a whole bushel full of issues.
Further consider a dilemma currently facing state legislators. They’re being asked to pour $1.5 billion the state doesn’t have into the Regional Transportation Authority, a public transportation governmental body little known to those beyond Cook County and its environs.
The RTA, which oversees CTA, Metra and Pace, is a financial and organizational mess. Its management has been so bad that legislators want to see reforms before they commit more money to bailing it out.
Conversely, RTA defenders say if it doesn’t get a cash infusion, it will have to cut services to the thousands of people who depend on it each day.
It’s a dilemma that so far has produced a huge halfway measure — an 804-page proposal that makes beaucoup changes but doesn’t address money issues.
As is par for the legislative course in Springfield, the mammoth proposal was dropped in the hopper on Wednesday, a product of private discussions made public just four days before the current legislative session comes to an end. How’s that for a deliberative and open review process?
But here’s the kicker.
At the same time the public is being asked to bail out the RTA, a state inspector’s general report was released that revealed lax management and widespread waste ($1.1 million) of taxpayer dollars.
It seems that over a period of five years (2020-25), a handful of money handlers who worked in the CTA’s vault were permitted to do their jobs at home even though it was impossible for them to do any work at home because they were prohibited from taking fare revenue home.
The initial policy, for lack of a better word, was driven by the coronavirus pandemic that encouraged employers to allow employees to work from home if feasible.
But the CTA’s return-to-work deadline arrived in May 2022, while employees continued to observe the work-at-home policy until earlier this year.
In allowing this work accommodation, managers ignored the CTA’s “Telework” policy, and “employees continued to be paid whether they were at work or at home.”
In a blinding glimpse of the obvious, the inspector general concluded “this is a considerable and unnecessary waste of CTA funds.”
Even more disturbing, the inspector general found, was that “multiple managers knew this was taking place.”
Records showed that one CTA employee was paid $300,440.80 for 5,952 hours of “remote work.” That employee still works for the CTA.
Another, now retired, was paid $183,572.16 for 4,991 hours of remote work.
Money paid to other CTA employees ranged from $36,921 to $146,353 for “remote work” in which no work was done.
For much of this period, employees were required to come to the office three days a week. Later, however, because more money was coming in than could be counted by the reduced workforce, “their three-day work week was increased to four.”
The report suggested employees were irked about having to show up four days a week — but paid for five — instead of three days — but paid for five — and the four-day work policy was quickly canceled.
The bottom line reflects a complete collapse of management and labor responsibility.
“Evidence showed … Telework Policy was not followed by the managers of the Vault Operations unit. Money Handlers were not able to conduct any of their job duties from home, no one signed a Telework Agreement and the Vault Operations employees continued to be paid whether they were at work or remained home,” the report states.
