Spring Break
Go West buses stay on the move
Eric Murphy
Issue date: 7/5/07 Section: News
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Go West is currently operating on a budget approved for the month of July and will allocate a new budget each month until a fiscal budget by the state has been passed. The deadline for the state budget was July 1.
Revenue and spending are the two main reasons why the new state budget has not been agreed upon by lawmakers, according to Illinois State Senator John Sullivan.
"Congress needs to decide how this money is going to be spent on agencies such as education and healthcare," Sullivan said. "Where this additional money will come from needs to be figured out before the budget can be passed."
The longer it takes the state to pass the new budget, the greater the variability will be in the Go West budget which will essentially affect the comprising factors including maintenance and fuel costs. Employees of Go West are contracted through Laidlaw and their salaries will not be affected by state budget issues.
Director of Go West Jude Kiah has experienced budget concerns in the past, but none as detrimental as this one, although he remains optimistic about the outcome.
"The state of Illinois has been very supportive of Go West and I hope that our new budget reflects that."
Go West is contingent upon the state having an approved budget in order to operate as a public transportation service. Approval of the state budget is done legislatively with a necessary signature from the governor.
The Go West budget also consists of McDonough County Public Transportation, Downstate Operating Assistance, Rural Transportation and Assistance Program under 5311 Federal Grant and Western Illinois University. Most of the allocated budget of Go West is dependent upon the designated budget of the state.
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