'A step in the right direction'
By ELENA GRIMM egrimm@daily-chronicle.com
Local officials are pleased that some long-awaited capital bills are expected to be signed Monday by Gov. Pat Quinn, but that support is mixed with frustration that the state’s operating budget is still in limbo.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” said state Sen. Brad Burzynski, R-Rochelle. “A lot of people are saying, ‘How can you spend money on this and not on other needs in the state?’ The answer is this is a situation where you bond for projects and other things. It’s a different revenue stream. At least Illinois is moving forward in some arena.”
After meeting with more than 40 labor leaders from across the state on Thursday, the governor said he will sign the capital bills that make up the five-year, $29 billion “Illinois Jobs Now” spending plan.
Among local projects are about $20 million to renovate Northern Illinois University’s Stevens Hall and more than $7 million to renovate Cole Hall, state Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, said. There’s also funding for an early childhood center at Kishwaukee College, a radiation oncology unit at Kishwaukee Community Hospital and money for technology, libraries, museums and more.
Pritchard supported the spending bill but opposed the funding bill because he didn’t agree with some of the revenue sources.
The regulation of video gaming would bring in $375 million, which Pritchard opposes because it’s utilizing gambling – which can be an additive habit – to fund jobs.
“The spending side is long overdue,” he said. “Not just roads and bridges, but our schools and infrastructure have really deteriorated.”
Area legislators said they will divvy up money among all communities, giving each about $100,000 to repair streets, water lines and sewer systems.
For local roads projects, the money will not go far enough for a major road or bridge repair if it is distributed monthly over five years.
“If it were a one-shot deal, we could do a project,” DeKalb County Highway Department Director Bill Lorence said.
Instead, the money will likely be used for routine road maintenance, which local governments are struggling to keep up with because state motor fuel tax dollars are down about 50 percent. DeKalb County has not received this month’s allotment yet, Lorence said.
“This revenue would put us back to where we were a year ago,” he said.
It’s been a decade since Illinois has had a capital bill. While it will provide nearly $30 billion, Pritchard said it makes more sense to pass smaller bills each year so as to avoid the drying up of funds.
