If You Build It, Debt Will Come: A Closer Look at the Illinois Capital Spending Spree

Take a look at this report on the Illinois’s capital spending plan.  Click on the following:http://illinoispolicy.org/uploads/files/2010CapitalPigletBook.pdf

On July 13, 2009, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law legislation nicknamed “Illinois Jobs Now!”, which gave lawmakers $31 billion to dole out to pet projects, delaying much-needed spending restraint reforms while enabling the government’s profligate spending habits

Illinois is in dire financial shape, but that hasn’t stopped politicians from spending with vigor. In February 2010, the Illinois Policy Institute released the 2010 Illinois Piglet Book in conjunction with Citizens Against Government Waste, highlighting over $350 million in wasteful operational spending. This report provides a follow up to the 2010 Illinois Piglet Book by offering a closer look at Illinois’s capital spending plan

The following local projects are mentioned in the Illinois Piglet Book as questionable expenditures:

Page 7--land purchase/building renovation

$310,000 to the city of Belvidere

$150,000 to the Hampshire Park District;

$100,000 to the Rockford Park District for land acquisition

Page 9 Another investment that the state considers an integral part of getting Illinois’s economy back on its feet is…parks

• $100,000 for the Anderson Japanese Gardens for all costs associated with construction of a new pavilion

Governor Quinn’s capital bill digs Illinois into a $31 billion fiscal hole at a time the state can ill afford to take on additional debt. Far from being an investment in the state’s future, the bill’s expenditures are little more than a series of projects that at best should be postponed; at worst, they are simply handouts and earmarks. The state cannot afford to keep spending money it does not have—whether on regular appropriations or capital bills. Eventually, the bills will come due, and taxpayers will have to send more of their hard-earned money to government coffers.

Supreme Court Considers Protests at Military Funerals

Westboro Baptist Church, a self-described religious group whose members picket the funerals of slain soldiers and shout anti-gay rhetoric. God, according to the fundamentalist group, is angry at the country for not punishing homosexuality and smites its soldiers and marines in retribution

The Supreme Court, which began a new term this week, will take up as one of its first items of business the case of Albert Snyder, the father of a slain soldier, who sued Fred Phelps, the leader of the Kansas-based church, for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

a jury awarded Snyder $11 million, which a judge later reduced to $5 million. But the verdict was reversed on appeal, and it will now be adjudicated at the high court, where it provides an unusual case for the justices to demarcate the frontiers of freedom of speech.

Click on the following for more details:  Supreme Court Considers Protests at Military Funerals - US News and World Report

Attendance down, entries up for 2010 Boone County Fair

Unlike previous years no attendance numbers revealed.

fair board has been hard at work analyzing just how successful the event had been.

2010 fair operated "in the black" and although there may have been some challenges the fair board reflects on the event as another success

When asked about the recent questions and comments after this year’s fair about the decision to again not offer a beer garden and about the number of booths that were sponsored by either a church or a politician, Henninger said, "We have never suffered from the lack of alcohol at the fair or because some of the local churches chose to offer a place to sit and a cool drink to those needing one. As to the politicians, we are grateful to have elected officials interested in meeting and talking to their constituents."

Attendance down, entries up for 2010 Boone County Fair

Taliban in high-level talks with Karzai government, sources say

End of war in Afghanistan? 

Taliban representatives and the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai have begun secret, high-level talks over a negotiated end to the war, according to Afghan and Arab sources.

sources said that for the first time they believe that Taliban representatives are fully authorized to speak for the Quetta Shura, the Afghan Taliban organization based in Pakistan, and its leader, Mohammad Omar.

sources said that for the first time they believe that Taliban representatives are fully authorized to speak for the Quetta Shura, the Afghan Taliban organization based in Pakistan, and its leader, Mohammad Omar.

Read more of this Washington Post article by clicking on the following:  Taliban in high-level talks with Karzai government, sources say

The Beautiful Freeport Parks are Even Prettier if You're a Lawyer or Banker

Interesting blog posting concerning the Freeport Park District. 

Once the Freeport Park District approves these bonds they can then levy a special tax, without rate or limit, against the district's property tax payers. In 2005 (the last year Tutty has official records of) the "Bond and Interest" portion of the Park District's property tax levy amounted to almost forty-cents per hundred dollars of assessed value on property tax bills and represents nearly half of the Park District's property tax levy.
For the record, in 2005(the last year Tutty has official records of) the Freeport Park District levied just 4% less than the City of Freeport. And the City of Freeport must pay all the cops, firemen and street department crews with their property tax levy. Clearly, the Freeport Park District is collecting far too much money in these hard times, hard times for everyone but them.

Click on the following for information:  The Stephenson Blumdoggle: The Beautiful Freeport Parks are Even Prettier if You're a Lawyer or Banker

DeKalb County, library reach agreement on Open Meetings Violation | Daily Chronicle

The DeKalb County State's Attorney and the DeKalb Public Library reached an agreement in court today resolving a violation of the Open Meetings Act by the library board in May.

Under the terms of the agreement, the library is ordered to abide by the Open Meetings Act in the future, conduct periodic training for staff and trustees in the requirements of the act, and make the minutes of the board's closed session of May 12 public within three days.

board agrees that going into closed session without publicly citing the reason for closing the meeting was a violation of the act.

Click on the following for more details:  County, library reach agreement on Open Meetings Violation | Daily Chronicle

For more background on this case go to:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2010/07/state-attorney-sending-inquiry-to.html

The following FOIA letter of July 13 [http://dekalbcountyonline.com/2010/07/13/library-purchases-dekalb-clinic-building/] started the case:

DeKalb Public Library
309 Oak Street
DeKalb, Illinois 60115-3369
815-756-9568

Attn Dee Coover:

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, I request access to and copies of:

1) All public notices as required by 5 ILCS 120/2.02(a) and 5 ILCS 120/2.02(b) including copies of advertisements/announcements placed in the newspaper of general circulation (5 ILCS 120/2.03) for the following Special Meetings which were held in Closed Session: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2008; FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2008; SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2008; FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2008; FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2008; SATURDAY, JULY 26, 2008; WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2008; WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2009; WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2010; and WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2010.

2) Minutes and correspondence in fulfillment of 5 ILCS 120/2.06 (d) “Each public body shall periodically, but no less than semi‑annually, meet to review minutes of all closed meetings. At such meetings a determination shall be made, and reported in an open session that (1) the need for confidentiality still exists as to all or part of those minutes or (2) that the minutes or portions thereof no longer require confidential treatment and are available for public inspection.”

3) The “Letter of Intent” approved during closed session at the Special Meeting of the Board of Directors held on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 under Agenda item 3.

Pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/6 I formally ask that all fees be waived as the purpose of this request is in the public interest.

If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Mac McIntyre
Publisher/Editor
DeKalb County Online

State's fiscal woes still deeping: Comptroller Hynes| Crain's Chicago Business

Posted by Greg H. at 10/4/2010 5:31 PM CDT on Chicago Business

     Even as voters prepare to elect a new governor and General Assembly, Illinois' fiscal condition continues to worsen.
    According to Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, the backlog of unpaid bills encumbered in fiscal 2010 and previous years stood at $6.4 billion as of Sept. 30 -- just under a quarter of what the state spends in its general, or operating funds, each year.
    All of that will have to be paid out of the budget of fiscal 2011, which began on July 1, as will $3.5 billion in new bills, Mr. Hynes said.
   Even worse, the amount of old bills continues to rise, with the amount of payables in the comptroller's office now at $5.5 billion, nearly double the $2.9 billion at the same date last year.
   The one ray of light: Income taxes have begun to rise a little, with the corporate levy yielding 10% more in the first quarter and the individual income tax 1.5%, after adjusting for inter-fund transfers.
   But sales tax receipts still are dead flat, declining $1 million in the first quarter, or  0.1%.
   "Barring any major changes," Mr. Hynes said in his quarterly report, "cash flow difficulties will continue throughout the remainder of fiscal 2011." Combined with other shortfalls in state accounts -- including failure to appropriate anything for pensions this year -- incoming state leaders "will face a working deficit of $15 billion or more," Mr. Hynes said.
   Depressing. To put it mildly.

State's fiscal woes still deeping: Comptroller Hynes | Greg Hinz | Blogs | Crain's Chicago Business