Pace boosts 'Dial-a-Ride' funding
By BRIAN SLUPSKI - bslupski@nwherald.com
WOODSTOCK – Pace officials are visiting McHenry County municipalities with news of increased funding for the suburban transit provider’s Dial-a-Ride program.
Municipalities, Pace and riders all share the costs of the Dial-a-Ride program. Last week, Pace officials attended a Woodstock City Council meeting to announce that Pace was increasing its contribution for 2009 by $47,723.
The increase means that Pace will spend $190,896 in Woodstock on the Dial-a-Ride program in 2009, up from $143,173 in 2008.
To use Dial-a-Ride, residents have to call 24 hours in advance. Other communities with Dial-a-Ride that can expect larger contributions from Pace include Harvard, Crystal Lake, Marengo and McHenry.
Although Pace’s subsidies are increasing, the money is being generated by a sales tax increase that was approved by the Legislature in 2008. Patrick Wilmot, who handles Pace news media relations, acknowledged that more money was being collected in sales tax revenue from McHenry County than was being returned in service.
Pace has three fixed bus routes in McHenry County, and the ridership for those routes is light, with each route having about 40 to 55 passengers a day, Wilmot said. Pace faces some restrictions with its routes – a certain portion of the cost of routes must be covered by fares collected from riders.
Wilmot said Dial-a-Ride was a way for Pace to offer more service in McHenry County.
Aside from the sales tax revenue that McHenry County provides for mass transit, individual municipalities also provide funding for Dial-a-Ride directly and riders still are charged a fee.
Woodstock Finance Director Roscoe Stelford said the city had planned to spend about $205,000 on Dial-a-Ride in the 2009-10 fiscal year. The increased contribution from Pace will help alleviate the cost to the city.
“We are happy with the service we are getting from Pace,” Stelford said. “We were doing a bus service in-house for years. Financially, going with Pace was the right decision.”
Woodstock switched to Pace’s Dial-a-Ride program in the 2007-08 fiscal year. The city spent about $187,500 that year subsidizing Pace’s service. In 2006-07, the city spent about $238,000 on its in-house program.
On the rise
Pace funding for Dial-a-Ride is increasing:
2008 Pace subsidy
Harvard $31,659
Woodstock $143,173
Crystal Lake $336,639
Marengo $49,077
McHenry $194,458
2009 projected Pace subsidy
Harvard $42,212
Woodstock $190,896
Crystal Lake $413,633
Marengo $65,310
McHenry $223,725
Source: Pace
