 | 10/30/2009 Illinois Tollway Hosts Public Meetings on Tentative 2010 Budget
Proposed Budget Advances Customer Service Agenda, Funds Congestion-Relief Program
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – The Illinois Tollway will hold a public hearing at 4 p.m. on Monday, November 16, and a public open house from 3-6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17, to accept comments on the Tollway’s 2010 Tentative Budget, which focuses on initiatives that advance ongoing business efficiencies and customer service efforts and support the sixth year of the Tollway’s comprehensive Congestion-Relief Program – Open Roads for a Faster Future.
The public hearing will be held on November 16 at the Tollway Headquarters at 2700 Ogden Ave. in Downers Grove and the public open house will be held on November 17 at the Belvidere Oasis on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) in Belvidere. The meetings are part of a budget process that will culminate in the presentation of a final budget for approval by the Board of Directors at the December 17 Board meeting.
The tentative budget includes an estimated $696 million for current revenues. Those revenues will provide $265 million for the operating budget and $231 million for debt service. The remaining $200 million of current revenues combined with bond proceeds and other capital reserves will provide $341 million for the Tollway’s Capital Program. Fiscal Year 2010 marks the sixth year of the Congestion-Relief Program funded at $6.1 billion.
The $265 million operating budget reflects an approximately 3 percent increase over the Fiscal Year 2009 operating budget and reflects the Tollway’s commitment to budgeting to revenue. The greater cost over 2009 is attributable to required increases in health care and pension costs for all employees and contractual pay increases for collective bargaining unit members.
The Tollway has made extensive efforts to reduce maintenance and operating costs in 2010. The Tollway’s tentative budget calls for reduction of 80 vacant positions and partial-year funding for another 70 positions, as well as eliminating cost of living increases across the board for non-union staff. Other reductions in expenses were made by cutting back spending on fuels, parts, equipment, and employee development so that funding is available for initiatives that improve customer service and public safety, as well as provide continued support to accommodate roadway restoration and I-PASS.
“In 2009, the Illinois Tollway made significant progress toward fulfilling its promise to Illinois drivers to provide systemwide improvements on schedule and on budget, as we reach the 80 percent complete mark for the major road projects outlined in the Congestion-Relief Program,” said Paula Wolff, Chair of the Board of Directors. “In 2010, engineers, construction crews and support staff will continue to focus on completing road projects as the Tollway’s other departments work to improve customer services for I-PASS users, Tollway oases visitors and other drivers on our 286-mile system.”
Proposed 2010 funds are also directed in the following areas:
Customer Service
Improvements for 2010 include $23.1 million to continue efforts to enhance toll collection and violation processing and user-support network through the Customer Call Center and an additional $14 million has been programmed for the purchase of approximately 700,000 I-PASS transponders annually to replace aging units as well as service new customers. The proposed budget also allocates $6.8 million for enhancements to the Tollway’s Intelligent Transportation Systems, which improves incident management and customer communications while motorists are on the road.
Public Safety
A total of $2.5 million is included in the proposed 2010 budget to fund provide extra coverage by Illinois State Police District 15 in systemwide construction zones and targeted areas, and allow officers to work toll violation details to target toll scofflaws. The 2010 Budget includes projects to equip Troopers with modernized IT equipment such as, IWIN computers, digital in-car video cameras and automated license plate reading technology.
Business Efficiencies
The Tollway has budgeted $12.4 million to continue to improve and maintain the Tollway’s Information Technology systems and facilities, including a new disaster recovery data center; as well as Tollway Web site maintenance and enhancement to provide online account management services for nearly 3 million I-PASS account holders.
2010 Capital Program
The Fiscal Year 2010 Capital Program includes more than $227 million for the Congestion-Relief Program and an additional $114 million to fund other capital needs of the Tollway. The budgeted expenditures include “carry-over” funds that were budgeted and not spent in the previous year.
Congestion-Relief Program projects in 2010 will focus on completing resurfacing of the original portion of the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) and resurfacing the Edens Spur (I-94) as well as bridge repair projects on the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88).
About the Illinois Tollway
The Illinois Tollway maintains and operates 286 miles of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois, including the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355), the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), and the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80). Tollway customers save time and money with I-PASS electronic toll collection - Get I-PASS & Get Going!
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