O'Dekirk Backs Rahm’s Call For State Transportation Bill

JOLIET, IL - Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk said he joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in calling for support of more funding as part of a state transportation bill, but at this point O'Dekirk stressed he is not calling for a 20 to 30 cent per gallon increase in the state's gas tax as the Chicago mayor wants to happen.

The press release issued by the Chicago mayor's office originally implied that O'Dekirk was one of several Illinois mayors who are on board with Emanuel's call for a 20 cent to 30 cent per gallon tax increase, but O'Dekirk emphasized to Joliet Patch on Tuesday night that he has never said that. The gas tax increase would fund major road improvements and mass transit in the state.

At a news conference in City Hall Tuesday, Emanuel said that two dozen states have raised their gas tax since 2012, and Illinois' gas tax has remained frozen at 34 cents a gallon since 1990. He said Illinois "can't wait any longer."

“For Illinois to maintain its status as the transportation hub of the nation, we need to make major infrastructure investments to support our transportation systems,” Mayor Emanuel said in a media release. “In addition to critical funding to replace aging roads and bridges, sustained, flexible revenues need to flow directly to public transit. As the backbone of our larger transportation network and a stimulator of economic development, transit needs a dedicated, reliable revenue source so that we can continue to modernize and grow the system.”

When reached for comment, O'Dekirk told Patch it was important for Joliet to be at the forefront of any discussions involving public transportation money, especially since the Joliet region is in dire need of more state funding for road projects, most notably along the treacherous I-80 corridor that runs between Minooka and New Lenox.

In years past, O'Dekirk said, Joliet was absent from those discussions and the roads suffered, particularly the Joliet stretch of I-80 which remains two lanes of traffic in both directions.

"I think where there's agreement ... Illinois needs money for infrastructure and that's why there are so many different mayors (in agreement)," O'Dekirk told Patch. "I was happy to go up there" to Chicago.

O'Dekirk said he wants Emanuel and other Illinois politicians to know that if there's going to be more funds available for transportation improvements, "I think Joliet needs to be at the table whenever there's talk about transportation money."

During the Tuesday news conference, Emanuel was joined by members of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, which represents 275 communities and more than 9 million residents in northeastern Illinois.

“All funding options need to be on the table,” said Park Forest Mayor John Ostenburg and chairman of the mayors caucus in a statement. “Revenue sources that have traditionally funded roads and transit in the past can support our needs today. However, with the continued emergence of new transportation technologies, they won’t last long. We need to have the courage and foresight to experiment and pilot new sources of revenue for infrastructure.”

Emanuel has previously said that before he leaves in May, he would call for a state capital bill to fix the state's infrastructure.

On Tuesday, Emanuel said electric car owners should not be exempt from contributing to the improvements, but did not specify how they would be taxed.

Emanuel appears to have updated a press release issued Tuesday that originally named 26 mayors who are part of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, which represents 275 communities and more than 9 million residents in northeastern Illinois. While many mayors support a new transportation plan, several balked at the gas tax increase. All names had been removed from the release as of Wednesday afternoon.

File image via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor, Patch reporter Amber Fisher in Chicago also contributed to this report.